Do You Wanna build a Snowman? Jonas Edition

So, the kids in Idaho have been already having fun this winter, playing out in the snow, building snowmen, and monkeying about.

Yesterday's Winter Storm Jonas was the first one for New York, and the weather forecasting models kept changing the ETA and estimated snowfall totals.

This was my view for most of the day (snowflakes by the Idaho kids),

 and then later in the afternoon as it really started to show it wasn't going to be "just" 6 inches,

by nightfall, it was obvious it was feet of snow, plus drifting, and then the "blow back" plows and blowers.

 What you can't see on the streetlight above, is the foot-long icicles that are hanging off the light.

What you also can't see in the last few photos, is the mesh from the screen window. In trying to "throw up the stash," something happened, and it came off in my hand and almost blew away. Have you tried to hold a phone and wrangle a screen window in during blizzard force winds? I do not recommend it. I also don't recommend looking at all the black gunk that I washed off the screen. Yuck.

This morning I ventured out and across the street to get the Sunday papers, but, despite our street being relatively clear by 9a.m., there were no papers. (We also didn't get mail yesterday.)

I am VERY grateful I didn't have to undig a car today, or fight for parking the rest of the winter. I did wish I had a shovel to start working on the 3ft radius around this hydrant--for about a hot second and then I laughed at myself. Undigging these STAT is ingrained into me - and then this morning the need for snow removal in front of hydrants was made evident when a major fire ripped through a building in Hell's Kitchen. Hopefully someone undug this hydrant on my street.

All in all, storm was ... uneventful for me, thankfully. I read 2 books, talked on the phone, hung around, wrote notes, ate, and stayed warm. Kind of wished it happened on a weekday so I could have "worked from home," but the season is still young. Whoops. Maybe I shouldn't jinx it.

At least SOME people had fun with "storm/snow zilla"

Stay home today. If you can't, drive carefully. #Snowzilla pic.twitter.com/LDS5NIXFOJ

— Warren Whitlock (@WarrenWhitlock) January 24, 2016

2 Feet of Snow in NYC #jonasblizzard pic.twitter.com/eKvgEUmg9c

— FilmmakerIQ.com (@FilmmakerIQ) January 24, 2016

Here We Go Again: Snowstorm Prep 2016

Prepare! Don't Let a #WinterStorm Take You by Surprise. https://t.co/1JnO1HYp5Y | https://t.co/Kr39xluFVE pic.twitter.com/dJQb3I4F9I

— NWS (@NWS) January 22, 2016

Things your bookseller might have in their bag. pic.twitter.com/mPHUQxEB0s

— Strand Book Store (@strandbookstore) January 22, 2016

Now, besides all of the things pictured above - which I have - and  the latter of which could be true for a bibliophile/librarian/ME, I also feel prepared for the IMPENDING SNOWSTORM JONAS OF DOOM 2016. 

I'm good.

As long as the power stays on and pipes don't burst that is, but the major feet of snow is going to end up south of us, at least "write now."

I'm really, really good. My fridge is full for the first time in MONTHS.

Because of the off-site work retreat in CT yesterday, I rented a car for 48hrs to get there, pop up to see friend Jane for dinner, head to my favorite Trader Joe's, and then do some errands today.

I could have done more errands but was doing a neighbor a favor, and due to the storm, the urgency was for groceries and beverages.

Here's my cart full at Trader Joe's, which somehow only ended up being 4 full brown-paper bags,and yet, the exact correct amount for my freezer, minus the packaging for some of the frozen brown rice. GO ME! 

(Dad, apparently I DO have some packing spatial relations after all, thank you very much! AND, despite people being jerks and cutting me off, driving with their hazards in the wrong lanes and not driving some of these CT routes in over 10 years, the car was returned fine, no worries, Susan.)

Not pictured in the stockup:

• the 3 flats of Diet Coke bottles and cans residing at the office (the office is Pepsi-stocked); 
• the stash of bags from Target with staples like chunky peanut butter and more soda for the house; 
• the 3 bags/boxes and easels and whiteboards and materials moved for the retreat; 
• and the trashed hauled.

I'm good for groceries and snow activities.  I've got:

• 20 books in a to-be-read pile,
• a bag full of work from the office, not to mention the remote connection to the office, 
• 2 unfinished baby blankets that I could work on, 
• 15 letters I have to write, 
• blog posts to "retroblog,"
• a pile of personal archiving,
• laundry/cleaning,
• filing/bill paying,
• baking/cooking, and oh yes, vegging.

I think I'm actually running a fever, so I'm off to pop NyQuil, get in my pjs, and crash. I'll wake up to a Winter Wonderland of some sort of storm.

Hunker down, ya'll.

It was a dark and stormy ...

afternoon.

As I was having my Sunday afternoon telephone chat with good friend Jenn (a long-standing tradition), when suddenly it got very very dark in ye olde Attic. When I glanced out the windows I noticed that the sky was dark with this on my little glimpse of the horizon.

While no monkeys or witches flew by, it was quite a dramatic evening of weather. Needless to say, we wrapped our call up early.

Mother Nature sure likes to put on a show.

Little lightning strike over Midtown Manhattan tonight. #NYC #storm pic.twitter.com/GKGRq9fcrR

— Inga Sarda-Sorensen (@isardasorensen) June 1, 2015

#Snowmageddon2015 #Blizzard2015 #Juno

First major named snowstorm of the year, Juno, hit my area.

Predictions:

Like there was only going to be one this year?

Twitter named it:  #Snowmageddon2015 #Blizzard2015 #Juno

The media went wild. Because, of course it did.

"Juno?" ('cho know), says the weather folks: This could be a big one.

To be fair, the totals were anticipated in FEET, not inches.

Preparations:

I dragged out my lighting and emergency flashlights, radios, clocks, and charged up phones, batteries, etc.

And shopped with moderation.

Mostly worried about the water and Diet Coke.

 Not pictured: water, Diet Coke, crackers, pb & jelly, pizzas, chocolate

Hadn't stressed out on this, until the folks started to.

Observations:

The office said to use best case judgement on travel to work on Monday, so I decided not to get possibly stranded (and honestly harangued by the folks) and just worked from home.

Monday: Coming down

 Pretty as a picture

 So glad I don't have to deal with it.

Monday: At Dusk
That's not a filter, that's Mother Nature.

Just from watching from the window and news, glad not to have been cold, 

whipped by snow and wind, or sloshing around.

Tuesday: 12:30a.m.

 Why is someone riding their bicycle down the middle of the street?

Idiots

Tuesday morning:

My first reaction was: That's it? What? Well, okay.

The office is closed, so ... I'm going to laze about.

Really? This is it? Where are my DRIFTS?

 Still glad I don't have to deal with it.

Enjoying two days of staying home, working from home, in my sweats.

I kind of wish it could be three.

The weather people seem to be a bit annoyed and disappointed that NYC didn't get the big storm.

The transit, sanitation, and government people are justifiably peeved that they are being asked to justify the closing of the roads, transit ways, schools, etc.

Better prepared than under-prepared.

Because, inevitably ...

There will be "the big one" at some point.

Maybe time to buy more Diet Coke.

Today was a weird day~ Grandmary

To quote Grandmary: Today was a weird day.

My vacation plans when I visit family are fairly loose because although it is my vacation, there are always external factors you can't account for. Since I travel in winter a lot, usually that is the biggest variable. Aside from that, and my hosts' often unspoken agendas, all I usually do is make a list of "it would be nice to" and hope it happens. Hope. Not plan.

Why?

Experience.

Given that Grandmary and Grumpa have an active social life down here, I anticipated/wondered if another list wouldn't be compiled too. Yesterday afternoon's plan for today was to involve a trip to Mount Vernon; not the one I live like 3 blocks from, but you know, the founding father one. The one I actually have never visited. So okay: plan it was.

Then we really looked at the weather   forecast: 1-2 inches of snow and mess in the morning and cold winds. Trip was off. Plan B or C involved area shopping and maybe a trip back into DC for some sights or Smithsonians.

What's the expression?

Best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

This is why I don't PLAN.

My plans get banged up.

Like today.

This morning started with a bang. 

Literally. 

At 5:55am ... where somewhere in town the power failed, causing lights to flash, fans to stop, and white noise machines to fail. All of the stimuli woke up people enough to register when everything flicked back on about a minute later ... And then to stop with the sounds of exploding power transformers somewhere in the vicinity. No sirens, though, so we rolled over ... Thinking the power would be back on soon.

Please note: Exploding transformers do not usually mean SOON.

If I had been awake that might have registered faster.

Not soon.

The light of day revealed twice as much snow and ice as predicted, messy travel, pretty light, light that would prove important thanks to a western exposure window bank and eventual afternoon clearing and sun puddles.

But no power.

Thankfully water pressure, hot water, and flushing toilets, but no power, heat or for me, (gasp) NO internet wifi.

We eventually showered by candlelight, just to warm up, (light source moved when  shower in operation/extinguished when carbon monoxide detector started to go ballistic).

But there wasn't a lot of moving from sofas or loungers and layers of blankets, except to take down the Christmas cards since it was Three Kings Day and to eat, stretch, or check the slowly dropping thermometer and thermostat.

Mom was super tucked in. Up to her nose. Dad was in layers, as was I. I also had a lap full of yarn and or a book.

Got through a book and a half, and made headway on the blanket I started on Sunday night during Downtown Abbey. 

Mom slept. 

Dad read, paced, talked to the neighbors, went to check on the transformer repair, and probably prayed a bit. The sun was starting to go down around 4, which is when things were really going to get dicey with no light or heat.

Not that I am counting too much, but 10 hours and about 40 minutes later, power came back, and then for me, wifi, and then the boilers kicked on.

I would fail as a pioneer.

Just because of the internet.

Or frankly, shampoo, indoor plumbing, and my hairdryer.

But there is something to be said that (grumble grumble) extra pounds and 20+ years kept me warmer than the parents. Mom is still chilled to the bone enough, and the polar vortex forecast for tomorrow is windchill factor-y bad enough, that all activities will be car related, local, and probably box store/shopping mall related. 

And I am okay with that too. I still sound like a seal. I don't need to be outside.

Like Grandmary said: it was a weird day.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

~post and photos via iTouch