Blizzard (almost) 2.0

For those of you that live in the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area, you are well aware of the major snow event we've been having. For those of you that don't live here, a brief summary: Yesterday at about 9:45 or so, I walked over to a neighborhood restaurant to have some brunch. It was snowing lightly but no big deal, just a light dusting. We went to the restaurant, had a super yummy brunch, and as we left noticed that everything was ALREADY covered completely in snow. Streets that had been bare and clear were solid white, and it was still snowing very heavily. As I type, it is STILL snowing outside. It lightened up a bit, but it never really stopped. So twice so far this winter, I've experienced 12+ inches of snow all in one go. The storm in December was already the largest storm in my lifetime. And this one looks like it's number 2 on that list.

I woke up plenty early this morning, anticipating some issues getting my car out, as I wasn't lucky enough to park in a ramp this time. This is the view that greeted me out my living room window:


I mean, I know I live on the garden level, but this is ridiculous. Andy and I had some breakfast (he's a state employee - no work for him today) and bundled up to prepare ourselves to go find Chad. We walked over to where I had parked earlier in the weekend and this is what we found:


Those are my car shovels (yes, multiple) and scrapers sticking up out of the snow. I walked to the car to start clearing it off and the snow was up to my knees, at least. As you can see, the plow had already done an initial pass, making this even more challenging. Andy and I dug right in, literally. After about 10 minutes, a kindly neighbor of mine, who happened to be out shoveling his driveway, offered us larger shovels and his assistance. After about a half an hour, Chad was free:


Well, more or less anyway. Back into the house I went to shower and get ready for work, which fortunately for me did not start until 10:00 as usual on my Mondays. The drive was extremely slow, but I managed to make it on time despite the snow event.

While I was at work, I got an email and text message telling me that Minneapolis has declared a snow emergency, a record 8th in this winter season so far. So parking this evening was a challenge, as the plows have only sort of gone by so all roads are down to one lane plus parking. With the storm totals topping 17" in parts of the metro, I guess I'm not surprised. And did I mention that it's still snowing?

Comments

Awesome photos, again. Eventually the power of the sun with overcome the cold. But probably not in February. Tough winter.
Mom said…
I agree, awesome photos (in one I see a frozen lake!). And excellent writing, as usual. I like stories of strangers helping out. It somewhat restores my faith in people.