Holy snow!

*Reminder: you have until tonight at 8 P.M. to leave a comment to win an ebook on this post.*

Living in Minnesota, I can tell you people in other areas of the country (*cough* NEW YORK!) don't tend to notice us, weather wise.

Case in point: A couple years back I watched the horror struck announcers on the Today show flabbergasted that it was in the single digits there...while it had been about 20 below for several days in MN already.When you're below zero, single digits above zero is downright tropical.

So when we make the national news for weather, you know it's something big. Case in point: yesterday.

When we awoke around 7, we had about 5 inches of snow already. Derick shoveled, then drove off to play games with his friends all day.


Around 9:15, I went out to get the boys to church for the Christmas program rehearsal. We had another 3-5 inches. Plus the plow had been by, dumping over a foot of snow in our driveway. And the garage door was open, so I had to shovel the garage out too. #&%#! Our neighbor Pat used his snowblower to dig out the plow snow. I owe him cookies.

On the way to church rehearsal, I saw the most insane thing: blizzard conditions, nothing visible except a few yards in front of the car, and what appeared in front of me? A jogger. In the road, because the sidewalks were full of snow. As was the road, mind you. I couldn't believe it. Miracle of God I didn't hit her.

We'd missed rehearsal with my shoveling, so we drove to the theater in blizzard conditions to watch Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I made it until the parking lot, where I didn't see the drifts and got stuck trying to park. The plow driver helped dig me out and give me a push.

The film was fun--all the major events, just in a different order, which I thought worked well. My legs were freezing during the whole film, though.

Made it back home, where we stayed indoors all day while it snowed and snowed and snowed outside. Even the mail didn't get delivered.

Later that evening, I decided I should go out and shovel again, since we would be subzero today (we are). I had to kick snow away from the door to get out of the house. The snow was up to the porch, and if there were any food in the birdfeeders, the rabbits could walk up to them and snack.


Unfortunately, the blizzard winds had scoured a three-foot drift into half of our driveway. I didn't even attempt to shovel that, but I did shovel half the driveway and the front walk. I could only throw the snow on the south side of the driveway because of the northern wind.

This morning, in below zero weather, I shoveled out what the plow again dumped on our driveway. I left the drifts for Derick. We went to church, then returned home to find that Pat had taken care of the drifts. I owe him a double batch of cookies!



Now the boys are digging a small cave in the drifts (don't worry, I'm being careful), and what are they doing with the snow? Dumping it in the driveway, of course.

I think it's about time they learned how to shovel.

Just for a point of comparison, this next lovely shot taken on the November 13 storm. Picturesque, huh?


Now here's today. Note what's missing: any bushes and the gardening cart.