What A Day To Be Driving!

This is what it looked like as we were leaving the Shriner's Hospital.

Lauren likes the snow. I don't mind it. But driving in it today was more than challenging. It was a bit white-knuckle at times, very slow going and generally a big adventure.

Blowing snow and 40-50 mph winds created white-out conditions – even in town. The snow was falling so fast, the plows could not keep up, especially in the in-town areas. More than 650 traffic accidents were reported statewide and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote: "By evening, motorists were mired in gridlock, with evening commutes taking twice, sometimes three times longer than usual." We can certainly attest to that. On the way home from our dinner at Pizza Luce in the Uptown district with my friend Melissa German, we were traveling at five miles an hour most of the time.

We stopped to put air in the van's tires. This is all you could see of me out the window.

The purple lines are roads that were not recommended for travel.

The temperature might have said four degrees, but the wind chill was -25.

This is pretty much what our drive looked like all day.

It Is Cold!

Can you tell it's pretty cold outside?

That's ice on the inside of the glass door.

In The Deep Freeze

I can't remember the last time it was this cold.
And, if you are going to be doing any shopping over the next three days, here's a few tips on winter walking.

Who Said It Was Going To Snow?

The snow that fell this morning was a surprise to me -
and the meteorologists who were forecasting Friday night.
We knew it was going to be cold. But no one said it was going to snow today. And it wasn't just a few flakes, either. It snowed for a couple hours. In fact, as I type this I realize that I never got over to the old neighborhood to snow blow. Oops.

It's been a busy day. Pancakes for breakfast, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for lunch. Emily had a basketball game, the girls went shopping with Jon and Bridget and I struggled to get some work done in between.

My van battery died yesterday. I suspect one of the little darlings left a light on. Of course, I hadn't driven it for at least three days so if it did have a light on, the battery had long since died. Fortunately, my father-in-law came to the rescue and brought a battery charger over.

Lots still left to do this weekend. One more day to do it.

Omaha's First Significant Snowfall

This is what it looked like as snow fell this morning.
The expected snow began falling overnight and it promises to be Omaha's first significant snowfall of the winter season. At this point, it appears at least three inches will pile up, with some forecasters saying up to six by the time it is finished.

Need I Say Any More?