Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Winter Storm '08


This will be brief.

I have to admit that I'm suffering from mild amusement at the moment. We're suffering through the prophecized "storm of ages" down here in Georgia at the moment. You would think from the dire predictions of both the weather stations and the news casters that temperatures should soon be approaching absolute zero and life, if not molecular activity itself may soon be coming to an end.

Why does this amuse me so? Simple. I'm a northerner. I've lived in Michigan for a large chunk of my life, so winter is not really all that big a deal to me. The first year we moved there I was horrified to find that a six inch snowfall did not qualify us for a snow day. We've had an eigth of an inch accumulation thus far and you would think that the trumpets were sounding heralding the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Lines are building at stores and the tv is letting us know which stores still have milk and bread. School closing reports HAVE ALREADY STARTED.

In all reality, this whole thing will be over by noon tomorrow. Every flake of snow will melt and we'll be back to business as normal. But for a few short hours, people here are absolutely losing their minds.

As long as I don't have to share the roads with them. (They do NOT know how to drive on snow.)

11 comments:

Bonez said...

Dude, that's the cutest, if not puniest snowman I've ever seen. If that's the worst you got hit with last night then no wonder you are so skeptical. Just across town we received AT LEAST an inch and had built a snowman that comes up to my nose and even a snowkitty before the flakes stopped falling and the sleet and rain mix started. I don't think schools are closing in my area since the first bus just drove by so I expect you will be in to work early today... wait ... maybe that was a snowplow and not a school bus...

CW FISHER said...

E, you must teach them to drive in snow. The faster they go, the sooner they'll get home. If you jam the brakes you can go sideways! And, always accelerate out of a skid. Then sit back and watch the fun.

E said...

And that, CW, is exactly why I avoid the roads. It's apparent you've driven in the snow with southerners before. ;)

GeologyJoe said...

What a bunch of wimps. We just got 15 inches on Tuesday and I still drove to and from work 50 miles each way. In a Toyota Tercel no less.

E said...

Would that be uphill both ways? Are you required to fight grizzlies with a spiral bound notebook? Agreed, total wimps down here. But the relative lack of experience means that I won't go anywhere near them while they drive.

The good news is, crisis averted. Much to my amazement I awoke this morning to find that the entire storm had blown over and the snow had melted. Whew!

Mimi Lenox said...

You are so right. We do NOT know how to drive in snow, ice or even puny rain. We don't want to drive in snow, ice or even rain. That's why we close everything. It's a plan.
Seriously, pushing through the bread and milk lines during pre-snowfall is worse than driving in snow, ice....or well...you know.

Your car looks like my car this morning. No school!

GeologyJoe said...

LOL. I knew an 'uphill both ways' comment was coming.
I think that same storm is due to hit me in Maine tomorrow. I am expecting snow mixing to rain...with another 100 mile round trip commute.

E said...

No school? No fair! I had to work and everything. :(

Dr. Fong said...

I live in Northern Michigan now. We are having quite a winter this year. So much for global warming!

E said...

If global warming will help avert MAJOR EPISODES like last night's 1/16" of snow, I'm all for it.

Lisa Wines said...

15 inches? Did somebody say 15 inches?

(Sorry geologyjoe, I couldn't resist. :-)