Just a Few Inches

I will be the first to admit that I've made some mistakes in my professional career. While I don't have confirmation, I'm sure I've made my fair share of mis-diagnoses. So I can't really throw the first stone here. But I think the meteorologists might have been a bit off the mark today.

When I checked the weather yesterday and the day before, we were forecast to get 1-3 inches of snow, to be followed by some rain. Ah, a lovely spring storm. I was ok with the idea of a few inches of snow that would be washed away within a few hours. No worries, no need to reconsider plans. I didn't even give it a second thought until daycare talked about closing. HUH?!?!? Well, yesterday didn't seem so bad, the snow mostly melted, and we thought the storm would taper off this morning.

Morning dawned. From my bed I heard the sound of buses struggling up our street. Not plows, just struggling busses. That was not a good sign. Opening the curtains revealed about 6 inches of snow on our patio (a sheltered area), and steady blowing snow falling about an inch an hour. The storm was obviously NOT tapering off.

We were all taken by surprise. School wasn't cancelled, a snow emergency hadn't been called, it was technically business as normal. Except that it obviously wasn't. A full-blown snowstorm was raging and the road crews were caught off guard. The roads were a mess. The girls and I had a full day of fun planned, including going swimming at the Y, a big trip to the grocery store, shopping for a birthday party, and a playdate with a friend. Those plans were tossed out the window. We were staying in.

BestestHusband took the dogs for a walk, and I agreed to do the shoveling once the storm slowed a bit. So we spent the morning watching PBS, (ok, I napped a lot), waiting for the storm to slow. It didn't. I checked the forecast. It was supposed to get a bit warmer, and the snow would switch to rain. But not stop. What's worse than shoveling snow in a snowstorm? Shoveling snow in a rainstorm!

So after lunch, the girls and I bundled up and headed out. Now, I'm not a certified weather observer, but I'm sure we got more than 1-3 inches. The snowdrifts were over 2 feet deep, and the snow in the front yard was up to MeToo's waist. She got stuck. She was definitely in up to her waist.

The girls were great sports, playing in the backyard with the dogs while I cleared off the front porch, walk, and sidewalk. MeToo got cold and headed inside, and HeyMama came out front to help me. After 1.5 hours of shoveling, my body reminded me that my core muscles were being stretched out of shape by the newest member of our family and I might be done shoveling for a little while. So we went in.

We still need groceries. Oh well. I'm working tomorrow and our Sunday is busy, so I'm not sure when that will happen. I managed to buy a birthday gift from a local mom's Etsy shop. I'll pick it up off her porch later this evening. The girls are entertaining themselves in a warm bathtub while I wait for my chance to shower. It's good to be reminded that we're not always in control. There are forces in nature greater than we are, and we must occasionally defer to them. I'm just glad we don't live in this house. Yeah, that's the fridge bobbing in the waves. Here's a link of a meteorologist explaining why everyone got it so wrong. Well, trying to.

Here's a large azalea bush playing peek-a-boo.

I easily shoveled down through 12 inches to clear the front walk.

The snow in the side yard was level with our porch. That's usually an 18 inch dropoff.

Hey, there's only 6 inches! Wait, that's a covered and protected railing off our deck...

Our standard rose has almost disappeared, and our lilac tree is going, going, going....

There's easily 18 inches on top of the patio wall, and 2+ feet of snow on the patio.

Hope you're all warm and dry where you are!