The Great Blizzard of 08

[NorthernWinos]

Sunny and bright so far today....

Things are going to change...



Jim is leaving for the lake with the big fish house...

I am going to play and mix up a small batch some sort of wine....no dialogue about having "enough wine...already".....

 

[grapeman]

It has turned out to be a really nice day here after all. It started snowing at about 2:00 and is snowing pretty heavily right now. The temperature is 0F degrees outside now and the wind chill is -20 with 20+ mph gusts. The snow is coming from the northeast which is never a good sign. That pushes the snow off the lake onto us and we get more than they predict. Guess it is about time to go in the house for the evening.

 

[moto-girl]

We just came in from shoveling and had big mugs of cocoa with whipped cream. After all that work I can justify the calories. The second wave of snow has not yet showed up, Yeah!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Did you put Peppermint Schnapps in that hot cocoa????

 

[Wade E]

We are getting slammed here, I just snow blowed through 8" after driving 1 1/2 hours from a full day of work which should have taken 20 minutes normally. My back was killing me all day and even with the snowblower it just whipped me!

I require a full bottle of wine now!

 

[Waldo]

Was a nice balmy 68 here today bu stand by..it is supposed to be back down o around 16 degrees Sunday

 

[PolishWineP]

Santa! Keep those gloves handy!

You don't want to get caught outside without them.

 

[grapeman]

It is beautiful outside but blinding. We ended up with about 8-9 inches of fluffy white stuff. It has warmed up to 8 degrees now at almost noon. I figured I better plow everything back well since yesterday there was a Winter weather advisory for the snow and there is already a winter weather warning out for tomorrow for a foot or more here this go round. I'm ready for a January Thaw and it isn't even officially winter yet!

 

[NorthernWinos]

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.....
Or at least looking like winter has come to stay...

We have a neighbor baby getting Baptized in the morning....think we will all be going in convoy with a snow plow escort.

Wish we had some wines to bottle, best I can do is rack some and pitch the yeast in the garlic wine and get some good fragrances going.

On the bright side....Going through seed catalogs and working on orders....

Forecast for today:

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6
AM CST SUNDAY.

SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. TOTAL STORM
ACCUMULATIONS OF 7 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BEFORE THE SNOW
TAPERS OFF SUNDAY MORNING. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE LATE
TONIGHT...WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 30 MPH PRODUCING SOME BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW. DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS TO 30 BELOW WILL ALSO DEVELOP
BY SUNDAY MORNING.

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST
THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF
YOU MUST TRAVEL...CARRY A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE.


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[PolishWineP]

We woke up to lots of fresh snow and more coming down. The wind hasn't really picked up yet, but that is sure to follow. Bert is working with wines, I'm going to help when needed but I get to wrap gifts and do other Christmasy things. Cheers and everyone be safe!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Had been thinking the birds at our feeders lately were pretty mundane...

Then...this morning much to our surprise we had a very unusual guest....

Jim has left about 100 acres of field corn standing around the homestead this year...I am sure we have many 'guests'

"On the 5th day of Christmas my True Love gave to me"....
"A pheasant under a spruce tree"

He will NOT be on our Christmas platter....I don't think.

 

[gaudet]

Northern...


Is that your partridge in a pear tree?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Northern...


Is that your partridge in a pear tree?

It's the closet thing we have going here.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

They are a pretty bird, making somewhat of a comeback down south here, must be the last few mild winters. Seeing more every spring than the year previous.

 

[PolishWineP]

Being as cheap as we are, we're getting 2 uses out of this one snow. Yesterday it fell, looking quite pretty all day. Now on day 2, it's blowing to beat the band! Looks all fresh again.

I'm going to wait until late this morning and mount up the pick up and head into town. I need to get groceries for next week and do NOT want to do that after work in the dark and cold. I'll do it today in the light and cold. I'm thinking Poor Bert will not want me going, but after all, I am the Polish Wine Princess, ruler of something!

 

[rgecaprock]

Yesterday 75...this morning 48 and blustery. My Christmas Cactus are blooming. How do they know that it is Christmas.

?

It's green out there !!!

Edited by: rgecaprock

 

[grapeman]

Those are nice pretty plants Ramona. They will get a lot bigger after they get some age on them at your new place there.






I'm glad you are having nice warm 48 degree weather there. The temps here are supposed to rise here all day way upt to 20F as the snow increases. It is starting to snow moderately here now. Another foot or so expected today on top of the 8-10 inches Friday on top of the 6 inches before that and the 5 inches before that and ............................................................


Come on January Thaw!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Ramona...nice to see something green....

Those plants like it cooler and they bloom when the days get shorter...a photosyntheses thing. Around here everyones bloom the beginning of Nov. and again early spring...Go figure that one.

 

[rgecaprock]

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A
WIND ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON.

A COLD AIRMASS WILL DIG INTO THE REGION TODAY BRINGING GUSTY NORTH
TO NORTHEAST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH INLAND AND 20 TO 30 MPH ALONG
THE COAST. THESE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH THE COLD TEMPERATURES
WILL MAKE IT FEEL LIKE 29 TO 38 DEGREES WITH THE WIND CHILL
FACTORED IN. WINDS ACROSS THE AREA SHOULD BEGIN TO GRADUALLY RELAX
AFTER 500 PM.

DRIVERS OF VANS...CAMPERS...TRAILERS...AND OTHER HIGH-PROFILE
VEHICLES SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE DANGER OF THESE WINDS...ESPECIALLY
WHEN DRIVING ALONG EAST TO WEST ORIENTED ROADS.

BOATERS IN THE WIND ADVISORY AREA SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION IF
VENTURING ONTO AREA LAKES TODAY. THESE WINDS WILL MAKE OPEN WATERS
OF LAKES ROUGH AND HAZARDOUS...AND MAY RESULT IN HIGH WAVES WHICH
MAY TIP OR SWAMP SMALLER CRAFT. FOR YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY...AVOID
THE OPEN WATERS. STAY CLOSE TO SHORE OR AROUND PROTECTED AREAS.


Nothing like what you all are getting but, we at least have some weather to talk about since Ike.

 

[NorthernWinos]

They were suppose to Baptize the neighbor baby this morning, but canceled it due to weather....


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A WIND
CHILL WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST TODAY. THE
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH COMBINED WITH BELOW ZERO
TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE WIND CHILL VALUES OF 35 TO 45 BELOW ZERO
THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.

NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 35 MPH WILL ALSO CAUSE SOME BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW...REDUCING VISIBILITY IN OPEN AREAS. ROADWAYS MAY
AGAIN BECOME SNOW COVERED FROM DRIFTING SNOW.

A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND
STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS
WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF
PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

It's Minnesota....Belly up....we have 4 wheel drive, but the pastor lives a distance away...
So it goes.
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Edited by: Northern Winos