Smiley's Work Ethic

Smiley has taken on the shoveling duties here at Villa Slap, earning a buck towards his room and board each time. He does it on his own initiative, and we're proud of him. He's now also taken on shoveling for Alys H, with his first gig wrapping up just an hour ago. As it is bitterly cold I offered to help him scrape the compacted snow off the sidewalk, but he refused my meddling, saying "I'm the one getting paid, I'm the one who should do the work." Good on him and his American work ethic :) Love ya kid!

Stuck

Lisa and the kids got the van stuck in a snowbank this afternoon, and I had to walk to their location and help dig it out. Officially, and sadly, my first workout of 2014 Lol

Our Day

I had plans for today - not 'big' plans, but plans involving some travel - but aside from getting LuLu to the dentist at Marquette and a brief grocery run, all plans are nixed.

Too much snow, too much wind. I thought the driving conditions were fine, absent the intervention of any inexperienced driver, but it's not worth risking a half hour trip. Plus our wind tunnel of an alley has 10-12 inches of snow and growing.

Quoting the JSOnline FB page: "As of 7 p.m. Monday, Milwaukee had recorded 51.1 inches of snowfall since Dec. 1, about 20 inches more than the normal for the period."

Kudos to Smiley and YaYa for shoveling the alley and back, albeit just short of at gunpoint.

OH, and lest I forget, I want to thank our "diligent" city workers who - looooooong before the snow began, picked up our garbage and proceeded to leave garbage cans scattered up and down the length of our alley. We had to send scouting parties ahead to clear the path in front of us. My property taxes thank you for your effort.

Pork chops for dinner, followed by a nap, then an evening of watching bobsledding and ice dancing (congrats to all our medalists!). Not exactly an energetic, gung-ho night, but whatever, it's still early . . .

Adorable

 Lulu pullin Isaiah around on the sled.. Lol

Playing in the Snow at Ravina

 

Our Snowman

My Day

Lousy snow. The first of the season and I'm already wishing it was spring. Anyone who likes this stuff should check themselves in at County.

Anyway, I'm at Marquette School of Dentistry getting LuLu an exam. 

Later:

Now shopping at Goodwill

 

Hot dog! In light of the current blizzard, Marquette canceled Smiley's speech therapy session, saving me a trip across town. Whew!

 Our lights went out twice in this snowstorm.

 i have spent waaay too much time driving kids here and there in this snow. Ugh.

Sledding

 

Misc

Miscellaneous: a - this is day 7 a bad, unchecked headache. The Hoff believes it to be caused by a muscle I pulled in my neck, & I believe she is right. Here's hoping it goes the bleep away soon, as nothing seems to be helping. b - w/ Milwaukee now having had its first real snow (~5") so late in the  year I have now come to the conclusion that I would prefer a climate where snow is not *unknown*, but far more rare than it is here c - after having only the right boot for a year, then losing it and finding only the left for TWO more years, I have finally reunited my beloved black steel-toe shit kickers in time for said snowfall. Yay me!

It's nearly summer - why not revist the 'Super Blow' Blizzard of Early February?

Feb 1st 09:30 snow drifts up to the middle of my calves in the alley this morning. Could be worse. Probably will be. 14:13 mps [Milwaukee Public Schools] has announced they will close tomorrow. Let the Super Blow blizzard commence. 21:45 Feb 2nd 00:24 When u can no longer distinguish the sidewalk from the street and lawn, & the wind sounds like a Hollywood sound effects team has set up shop outside ur window . . . Well, then it looks like this blizzard will live up to the hype after all 09:37 6 ft drifts down the length of my alley, 6-8 foot deep hills the length of the side street to my south, and quite literally the largest snow drift I've ever seen on the side of my house. I doubt we'll get the van out on the road until Friday at the earliest. I know I'm near the lake, but it still boggles my mind how deep the snow drifts get on this block. It's nuts. Six inches = up to my car windows if the wind is right. 15:58 Taking a break from my 2nd round of shoveling in the alley. Noting the wonderful grammar of local anchors who in the course of a few minutes said "props to the city" and "don't go nowhere". 16:12 if anyone digs out and is on the road this evening, I would welcome a quick lift to either Walgreens or the grocery store. Thanks! Over the next few hours I attacked the alley, and inspired the rest of the neighborhood to do the same. Early on many ventured out to tell me I should quit, that it was 'too much' - but once I kept slugging away the shame got to them, and one by one people came out to shovel their section. Even our neighbor, who we've had many issues with, helped out and at one point helped me push our van.

23:01 We finally got out of the alley at a little after nine, after spending hours clawing a path to freedom. That . . . was a lot of snow to shovel. The worst part? My phone, which was in my coat pocket for one of the many soaking-wet rounds of shoveling, was damaged. It still works as a phone, but all the perks that made my life happier - FB, txt, aps, email - are a no-go.[it was a lost cause] Feb 3rd, the day the music died: 13:01 Hey city plow drivers - thanks for burying the entrance to the alley under three feet of snow for the *8th* time. The only reason I'd ever own a dog would be so I could have it take a dump on your lawn. 16:47 Just dug out the alley entrance again. The side street to our north is damn impassable, but this yahoo insists on making pass after pass on the driveable street to our south. 17:30 While we were out in the alley LuLu konked me on the side of the head with a steel snow shovel. Full force, on a ridiculously comic backswing. Ouch.

Snow Woes

Hey you asshat city plow drivers - thanks for burying the entrance to the alley under three feet of snow for the *8th* time. The only reason I'd ever own a dog would be so I could have it take a dump on your lawn.

Just dug out the alley entrance again. The side street to our north is damn impassable, but this yahoo insists on making pass after pass on the driveable street to our south.

While we were out in the alley LuLu konked me on the side of the head with a steel snow shovel. Full force, on a ridiculously comic backswing. Ouch.

A Heck of a Blizzard

 When u can no longer distinguish the sidewalk from the street and lawn, & the wind sounds like a Hollywood sound effects team has set up shop outside ur window . . . Well, then it looks like this blizzard will live up to the hype after all

6 ft drifts down the length of my alley, 6-8 foot deep hills the length of the side street to my south, and quite literally the largest snow drift I've ever seen on the side of my house. I doubt we'll get the van out on the road until Friday at the earliest.

Taking a break from my 2nd round of shoveling in the alley. Noting the wonderful grammar of local anchors who in the course of a few minutes said "props to the city" and "don't go nowhere".

Listening to Iron Butterfly and sad that In-A-Gadda-Da-Vidi doesn't hold up as well if you're not 17 and/or stoned.

Bay Viewers - if anyone digs out and is on the road this evening, I would welcome a quick lift to either Walgreens or the grocery store. Thanks!

My Thoughts Exactly LuLu! - Lisa

We finally got out of the alley at a little after nine, after spending hours clawing a path to freedom. That . . . was a lot of snow to shovel. The worst part? My phone, which was in my coat pocket for one of the many soaking-wet rounds of shoveling, was damaged. It still works as a phone, but all the perks that made my life happier - FB, txt, aps, email - are a no-go.

A Blizzard is starting

snow drifts up to the middle of my calves in the alley this morning. Could be worse. Probably will be.

All malls closing @ 5

mps has announced they will close tomorrow. Let the Super Blow blizzard commence.

Smiley's Snowman

 

A snowfall - Feb 24th

From Facebook on Feb 24th: The snow is falling here in beautiful, gigantic snowflakes that look like they were shipped right off a Hollywood soundstage.