we shall see what plays out but we have gone from predicted inch of snoew over last night - that we didnt get to 4" over the weekend that i dont want , 

we have all pof our immediate family coming for Christmas get together here tomorrow - there will be 12 of us , im not wanting to move snow to facilitate either entry or exit on sunday , but i guess ill deal with it as mother nature dishes it out 

 Oh I'll be getting it tomorrow, as I usually do.

Only here in "primitive", Flatlands Co, Md do we get "used weather"!

we are getting the below zero temps , was - 2 most of the afternoon and -8 now , we do get this in jan/feb so im not surprised but i hate it , 

my truck started hard this morning - had a houseful of children and lots of grandkids , had to go to the store for things my wife forgot to put on my list a day or two ago , 

we did get about an inch over night and i need to bundle up and move it tomorrow , i did nothing today as it never quit falling - might be able to blow it off with the leaf blower again as it was bitter cold and what fell is very light we shall see in the morning , 

Hey Canuck, since this is the OT Forum, do you mind if I ask how the vote is going for Alberta independence?  My online feed algorithm keeps showing me reports of long lines of Albertans braving the cold to get out and vote.  Would you mind sharing your gut feeling on what the general consensus is?  As a former B.C.er I worked towards Western independence for some time back in the Eighties as we explored one or all of the western provinces seceding from the unholy Ontario-Quebec junta.

  

A very short term temporary duty has brought my USMC nephew to San Antonio from Okinawa on the 28th for a few days so he's renting a car and hoping to drive up to see Uncle Sapper.  My brother and sister-in-law are also driving from New Mexico to see their son.  If it all works out we're going to spend a day at the range Paul, it's not every day one gets an opportunity to learn from a Federal law enforcement firearm training officer (my brother) and a Marine Corps designated marksman (my nephew), weather allowing, of course.  Hope to see you there Paul. 

48℉ here.

we're supposed to get 0% of 4.3" today, then another 100% 4.9" of actual snow on top of the non existent stuff we'll get today!

Wifey, sitting on the other side of the house is getting 11~14"

I'll just watch the map & the sky!

That sounds like a really fun day out! 

"a Federal law enforcement firearm training officer (my brother) and a Marine Corps designated marksman (my nephew)"

Oh, this is shaping up to be an epic day at the range!

Enjoy it to the fullest!

Now back to the weather:  That Winter storm has hit us in North Texas, it's currently 28 degrees and snow has just started to fall.  My wife and I have said prayers that ERCOT keeps the power on this time!  In Feb. of 2021 we lost power for 3 days, several pipes burst and we ended up living in a hotel for over a year.

Well, we Texans are a hardy bunch but that usually refers to heat tolerance.

this morning 18℉, feels like 14℉ with the windchill.

about 1" of fine wind blown shnow drifting badly. Supposed to switch to freezing rain through the whole day & into the night.

I can't actually leave the house the heavy, wet snow has partly re-frozen preventing me opening the screen doors.

Our next door neighbor arrived with a honkin' big backhoe & plowed the driveway & cleared the back door so when the time comes we can use the car.

I salted the deck, steps & gravel driveway to the car but we're advise not to even try driving the roads are apparently a disaster area! 

Luckily I have supplies laid in & 300pcs of PPU to trim chamfer & deburr.

We're utterly iced in! 

This despite the neighbor plowing us out yesterday. We got several more inches of wet snow & frozen rain overnight & so both of our screen doors refuse to open! 

The nightly low of 22℉, rising to 28℉ today ave literally cemented us in!

In an emergency we can exit through the other side door which opens onto a screened in porch. That means flogging through all the frozen snow to get anywhere, though.

No worries though, we planned for just such an emergency & are well stocked for "laagering down" till it lets us escape again.

On a lighter note a refuse bin was washed up on a Dorset beach bearing words identifying it as coming from Alabama.

The finder posted a picture of it on Facebook only to receive an apology from an Alabama cleansing depot!  

The world is getting smaller...

Geoff, as long as you don't pack any propellant with it!

It is so nice being retired.  

It looks nasty. Hopefully you will get a break in the weather soon , stay safe!

Isn't it though!  Just passed my one year anniversary this month and enjoying every minute of it.  

My nephew and brother are arriving today, we're hoping to spend a day at the range tomorrow or the day after so long as RO's are showing up.  

I'm about to find out for myself.  Last full work day is this coming Thursday.  Will have a few part days to come in and take care of a few final items then officially retire mid March.  Nearly 42 years of working since I graduated college, it's going to seem strange.  It's all the daily interaction with people I will miss (one or two, I won't miss).  Too many to actually count.  

I did something similar to ease into retirement by working two days per week for the last four months of my career so as to not experience "Idleness Shock" and to train my fellow data center operators in areas that had been my responsibility previously.  

We're still stuck. the drifting snow loaded up both doorways we normally use with several inches more that the actual snowfall, then semi-melted before re-freezing solid!

Still no worries though, 1/2 the state is shut down. 

Our neighbor returned with a full-sized CAT backhoe.

Even that was struggling a little with the iron-hard frozen snain that drifted 4~5" deep on our exits from the blowing snow!

I've never seen a stoop cleared by a backhoe before, the man is an artist.

He literally shoveled with the front scoop one way, rotated the bucket & lowered it then dragged the weight of the CAT back the other several times.

He cleared the scoop with the rear bucket arm because its small enough to fit between the railings.

It was a beautiful day at the range yesterday Paul, sunny and mild.  sorry we missed you.  

We're still trying to get into the car.

Its encased in 3~5" of sheet ice. All the doors are jammed solid.

warm, not hot, water, followed by lots of WD-40 & crossed fingers so far.

At least we can get to the garbage cans to throw out the trash from 2 weeks we were staging outside on the screened-in porch.

Snow here amounted to just a light covering, maybe an inch.  It’s mostly moved to the East now. 

Its all wind-blown & drifted.

Stuff from the roof blew off & rained down then froze solid.

In most places is maybe 2~3".

National Weather Service has issued an extreme cold warning for today, increasing winds bring the wind chill down to 15 below zero F.