Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Words About Weather

Oh goody, another person writing about winter weather!

So, uh, I thought it was March, that is supposed to come in like a lion.

(Note to March: That is not a challenge.)

We aren't exactly buried in snow here, but our weather has been strange over the last two days.

No school on Tuesday, because overnight the world became coated in ice. Matt stepped one step out the front door to retrieve the paper Tuesday morning and ended up on his hip on the stoop. The ice made the snow in our front yard look glazed. Every time Rebound went out to use the bathroom he did his best Bambi impression.

Oh, and just to keep things interesting, Harper woke up vomiting on Tuesday - at least she was already off the hook for school.

More sleet/freezing rain stuff fell throughout the day on Tuesday. Then it warmed up enough that it started to rain Tuesday evening. The rain made puddles on top of the ice layer on top of the snow.

As it warmed and rained it sounded like the trees were hurling things at our roof. I don't know what exactly we were hearing, but it was loud enough to send my heart racing and had the children covering their ears. This sound went on ALL NIGHT. It was like a wild animal was racing around on the roof (and not a rodent, something larger, a tiger?) jumping and sliding and clawing - winter trying desperately to leap upon us in our beds.

Around 1:30 in the morning the power went out. I know this because it went out, Michael immediately started screaming, and then it flashed back on long enough for the time - 1:28 - to register on my clock before we were plunged into a more lasting darkness.

We found a flashlights, lit a (jar) candle, and I played the, "Please FTLOG go back to sleep Michael" game for the next three hours. Fun times!

Fortunately, because it was relatively warm outside (in the thirties?), the temperature in the house didn't drop too much over night - it was around 60 when we woke up in the morning.

The temperature was supposed to drop rapidly during the day, so we ended up packing some necessities and driving the ten minutes to Matt's parents who still had power. The worst part of that trip was getting the kids up Mike and Ann's (slightly) sloped and (very) icy driveway. Michael did pretty well, I held him under the arms and he sort of shuffled his way to the garage. Harper was a bit more challenging, legs flailing every which way as I tried to keep her from pulling both of us down onto the ice.

Then we ate some breakfast and tore the living room apart. My in-laws have the patience of saints.

We returned home in the afternoon - after checking with neighbors and then calling our answering machine to make sure power had been restored.

Then it got very windy and snowed a couple of inches. The end.

How have your last 48 hours been?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What strange weather indeed! Last night was pretty scary! Glad you are home and glad you are warm. How many days til spring? I really miss the park (and the sun!)

Kelli

Mrs. Jenkins' Blog said...

Last night was scary indeed-- the wind felt so... malevolent. But if it's any comfort, they have it WAY worse back home in Wisconsin!

Jill said...

Yuck. We had 2 inches of ice and then 3 inches of snow. Delightful. Matt is finally going back to work today. He'll have to scramble to make up the hours he missed. Which means less daughter/daddy time. Will she 'care' that she got him for 2 whole days? No. She'll be ticked that he's not home when she wakes up from nap. Argh. Life with a 2 year old. Glad you guys are safe.

Hillary or Ryan said...

Unreal weather system! Check out our blog for what our house looked like with snow drifts. I walked the dog (Wed. night after the storm) and saw a 7-8 ft. snow drift in a neighbor's yard. We didn't have the ice and the crazy nights sounds, so I guess we were fortunate. We did have a snow day, which is better than Christmas. I spent my day playing trains, watching Toy Story, and reading children's books. An excellent day indeed!

Emily said...

Urgh! I was so relieved that our power didn't go out because I couldn't think where we would go? I guess crash a friend's house? But yeah, we had the same. And after two snow days, I thought for sure we'd be back today, but alas, 2 hour delay means no preschool and my mom's group (which meets in a church) is cancelled. Boo.

bluedaisy said...

We lucked out and did not lose electricity. I don't mind winter weather (especially since I am not heading out to work each morning). But cabin fever is not fun! We are supposed to get some nicer weather after Saturday--fingers crossed! Glad you guys are safe :)