January 2009 snow

You can sort of see the ice on the trees.

The sun came out for a few seconds.

And yes, these pictures are in living color, although it does appear that they are in black and white.

Every year since we moved from New Jersey to the Cincinnati area we have been "blessed" with at least one good snow storm Most years it has been only one. However, the ice-age years of 1977 and 1978 we had several. And, I'm not talking about the snow storms where there is only two inches of snow. I mean the storms that dump at least six inches of the fluffy white stuff.

You have to realize that in this area of the world two inches of snow basically paralyzes the area until (1) the snow melts, usually within two hours of the end of the storm, or (2) the plows/salt spreaders get to the roads.

These pictures are of the three-day storm we just went through. First we had six inches of snow. Then we had a few hours of just very cold weather and lots of threatening looking clouds. Then the next step of the storm swung in and we had sleet and freezing rain. When I went to bed last night I could tell that the plowed areas were nothing but a sheet of ice. And I could see that my snow covered car was fast become ice covered. Then this morning the third round of the storm hit, and we got another six inches of snow on top of the first six inches.

So, what you see in these pictures is six inches of snow layered with an inch of ice and then topped with another six inches of snow. It surely does look pretty.

Alan and I live in a community where we don't have to dig ourselves out. Our streets are cleared already, salted, so the ice is gone, and the driveways and walkways are being cleared as well. That doesn't mean I'm going any place. Oh, no. I'm not going near the car. I mean, how am I even going to get into it. The door handles and locks are covered with ice and I don't own a hair dryer!

ttfn