Let It Snow!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow!  Let It Snow!

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we’ve no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!……

The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicted our area would get the worst snow fall compared to last year. I’ve been hearing that pretty much since late summer.  As much of a skeptic as I am, I didn’t believe it. I was warned by my neighbors, co-workers, etc. They all know I hate the cold. I was told this year, we should be expecting at least 150 inches of total snow fall. ‘What about the temperature?’ I asked. No one knew. But, snow? They knew.

Since before Thanksgiving, we have been getting one snow after another! It’s amazing! We are expecting at least a foot of snow which is supposed to end sometime today! And, to top it off, they are predicting Thunder Snow!  Freaky Friday!  *Post script:  We got over a foot!!  Amazing!  Time to go Cross-country Skiing, Built a snowman, Make a forte or Snow Angels!!!

Here’s some snow that made the news over the years!

The great Chicago snow of 1967 paralyzed the city. My parents told the story so many times. Snow totaled  23 inches and many people who went to work or school had to either stay put, or abandoned their vehicles and walk home. Chicago was paralyzed. Side streets were not drivable, neither was most thoroughfares. My parents told me, on our block, the men shoveled out the streets while the women served coffees and sandwiches. Kids played among the wall of snow on the sidewalk.

The Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982 in Denver, Colorado changed the city in so many ways that are still felt to this day. If the blizzard had never happened, Stapleton Airport would still exist. The whole city was pretty much paralyzed. I was there. On Christmas Eve, my friends and I decided we had to go to the store to get stuffs we need for Christmas. We all had decided to stay in Denver, rather than go home for the holidays. Denver had 25 inches of snow. The airport closed for 33 hours. People were stranded in airports, malls, what have you. More than 450 vehicles were stalled on I25 between Colorado Springs and Denver! On Christmas morning, we all stared outside (from our tenth floor apartment) in awe. We could see nary a vehicle driving outside, save for one or two 4×4’s. People were hauling presents on a sled to and fro.  And, I was there! That blizzard will forever be stuck in my mind.

My personal second unforgettable experience with snow was on November 27, 1995. I grew up in Chicago and never had experienced whiteouts. I had lived out in a rural area that is about an hour outside the city limits. It was also the first time I have ever seen and heard  Thunder Snow! I had just been in a minor accident where a Blazer hit my vehicle and spun me out.  A witness who happened to be the State Accident Investigator was behind me, thankfully and was able to corroborate my side of the story. My vehicle was drivable, but both headlights were broken. It took me a total of 4 hours to get home where it would normally take me 1 hour. Snow/ice stuck to my windshield blades and I had to frequently pulled off to the side to SCRAPE the snow/ice off my wipers since it kept building up. The snow was of a heavy, wet variety. I had pulled into a gas station hoping they had bulbs for my headlight. And,they did, it was the last one left! I drove home with one head light and somehow, miraculously got home safety. We had gotten 10 inches of snow and to this day, I don’t know how I managed to survive several whiteouts. As a result of that experience, I refuse to drive out in the country when conditions predicts whiteouts. It’s like that Tom Cruise movie where he had to overcome the smoke from an accident ahead of him, hoping against hope that he would not hit any car as he sped through the smoke. Scary, indeed. I also could not see the road at all since snow was piling up so fast. I had to rely on road markers such as mail boxes, signage, utility poles to make sure I am on the right side of the road and I am not going off road!

Do check out this video, which  shows a cool dog that is having the time of his life!  Amazing video!

Until then….stay warm and stay safe!