Snowmageddon

With the media hyping a super snowstorm Tuesday - so called "Snowmageddon" - local schools cancelled, and rather than risk driving 45 minutes to my office I called and booked a study room at the Cudahy Library for the day.

 I set up shop at the head of the table, and Lisa all but forced Junie to go with me so she could work on a diorama for an immigration project.  

By the time we left, a full six hours later, the project included a representation of Zaklikow, our ancestral Polish city, which in 1910 had a significant furniture making industry. The center of the board depicted her Great-Great Grandfather John's arrival in NY in 1910, complete with a copy of his immigration documents. The third section was to represent our hometown and our family's long connection with the Milwaukee Road. 

First tho, before we left,  she had to clean up the room. 

Now Snowmageddon never happened, and it wasn't until we left the library that it snowed at all. But snow it did, in messy but tiny amounts, as we went to the Dollar Tree for additional supplies. 

Then Junie offered to treat me to lunch at Rocky Rococo's by the airport. 

Here's the finished project, with a dollar store mini-Barbie redone as the Statue of Liberty and Legos and Matchbox wheels made into railroad cars. :) 

 

Lisa's Accident and a Heck of a Snowstorm

Thursday a snowstorm hit Milwaukee, starting at about 5pm and going well into the next day. It was heavy, wet stuff that was hard to shovel and very slippery to walk/drive on. Tree limbs were down all over the place. Total accumulation of snow in some areas: 10 inches. 

Unfortunately, Lisa had to drive home from work in that slop. In her own words: 

Spun out on freeway last night and ended up being hit by a semi. Walked away from it. Car, not so much. Now me and Dan are stranded with a flat. The good and back luck lately in our family so interwoven and complex it's mind boggling. Staying positive and reminding one another we are still so blessed.

That casually written post doesn't really hint at the close call she had. Although she refused to go to the hospital, it was clear that Lisa was both in shock and concussed - immediately after being hit she texted the family group chat "Hit by semi, Need Help, 911" rather than call 911 herself. (That was met with screams of horror by the kids)  She also thought an ambulance on the scene was a tow truck, etc.  But other than bruises and aches, and a concussion that has lingered for a few days, she walked away FROM BEING T-BONED ON THE DRIVERS DOOR BY A SEMI ON THE HIGHWAY. 

Thank you Lord. 

She arrived home in the back of a deputy's car, and we sat and talked about what happened. And then, at 12:58 AM. the storm knocked out our power. Over 3000 of our neighbors were affected, and it remained out until almost noon. Even then streetlights along a major road by us were out for literally sixty blocks well into the afternoon. 

And then, when in the AM, when I drove Lisa to a doctor's appointment, my tire went flat. May I point out that it was cold, and snowing, and I was already hours late for work. Oh, and I couldn't find parts of the jack so I had to bite the bullet and call roadside assistance. We pulled into a Hardee's restaurant lot and had breakfast while I waited it utter humiliation of needing another man to change my tire.

  

So, not the greatest 12 hour period. But we ended it alive, in one piece, and thankful for the gifts we have. So there's that. 

Here's to a better start to my birthday weekend next week!

The Forecast Was Snow Joke

Look, I'm not saying this is the storm of the century. So far, it's so mid that I think MPS jumped the gun by cancelling school (and to do so yesterday evening? Waaay too soon). Then again, I chose to work from home rather than commute, so who am I to talk?  

But it's coming down, and coming down steady. It's a mid snow too, not airy but not completely wet and sticky. 

Anyway, to stay ahead of the curve LuLu and I headed out to shovel and cleared the property, and our share of the alley, of the first couple inches of the mess. 

Future efforts will be delegated to Dem, Smiley, Lisa, and Junie. 

The dogs don't seem to mind it tho

Snow in Lincoln County

Smiley sent me this morning.  He's on a Senior retreat at Treehaven, up in Tomahawk.

As you can see it snowed there, something those of us in SE Wisconsin have happily avoided this fall.  

Still, there's no denying the beauty of a fresh snowfall. 

Um, it's 18 hours away from being April . . .

Snow Squall

 

75 Years Ago Today - The Blizzard of '47

Today marks 75 years since Milwaukee was buried under THE Blizzard - the epic Blizzard of '47: 18.1 inches of snow, which combined with 60 MPH winds that created ten foot high drifts of snow, effectively shutting this city down for two days. 

From @milwaukeemag: "As the sun rose on Thursday morning, Milwaukeeans made extraordinary efforts to help neighbors and strangers alike, despite the weather.

A dozen or more Milwaukee Ski Club members – men and women, some as young as teenagers – spread out over the city, responding to phone calls of sick or injured persons... At least three expectant mothers arrived at hospitals on sleds (and another eight mothers delivered babies at home, with doctors providing instructions to husbands over the phone). A pair of 14-year-old boys... found 34-year-old Gladys Friedland, partially paralyzed since birth, trapped in a streetcar at South 14th Street and National Avenue. She had been stuck for over 24 hours and needed to get back to her family home at North Third and West Clarke streets – some four miles away. Without hesitating, the boys carefully loaded her onto a sled and made the slow crawl towards her home. Two-and-a-half hours later, Friedland was reunited with her desperately worried family."

ISO

Who’s shoveling for cash in bayview? I need a quote for front, two sets of stairs and a 2 car parking spot and alley approach into spot. Cashapp preferred.

*** thanks for all the quick responses, got someone coming at 12:00/12:30, if they don’t show I’ll go in order of messages. Thanks!

Too Much

 Enough already

Yeah. About this . . .

46 years old. Asthmatic. Morbidly obese. A hip in more pieces than the space shuttle Challenger (RIP). Why *wouldn't* I have to shovel 7 inches of snow off our property - oh, you mean because I have 3 healthy teenagers living at home? Pshaw. One was asleep, one was making brownies, and one was watching TV. Priorities people, priorities.

Snow?

A few minutes ago it was snowing in my backyard. Nothing stuck, and it was so inconsequential that a meteorologist might doubt the tale,  but it happened.

He Likes It!

 Huckleberry loves the snow.

Sledding

The Weatherman Apologies

Welp. 4 inches of snow is a bit different than 17. But good on him for his honesty.

Snow. On Halloween

A - it's Halloween. B - its snowing. Those two items don't usually go together, and in anticipation of the event local meteorologists have been obnoxiously giddy - which explains why meteorologists are rarely invited to parties

More Snow

My winter hat, worn backwards, becomes the ideal sleep mask, should you find yourself forced to sleep in a chair on a plane, bus, etc. It eliminates ail light; the ear flaps cradle the face; and the faux fur lining lies softly against one's eyes.

#MultTasking #TheMoreYouKnow

LOL. Yup!

 

More Snow

The snow was high enough to prevent us from opening the back door. This pic ain't it, but it's all I took.

Digging Out

Yeah, yeah, it was a lot of snow. More importantly, I look old af.