40 days and 40 nights and 40 degrees

 
Some time ago, I mean a really long time ago (think Genesis), the big guy upstairs thought the world had become a bad place and he needed to clean it up, so he caused it to rain for 40 days and 40 nights. Now after the wet spell was over and life began anew he promised not to do it again. Well with rain anyway, and clouds are suppose to be a sign of his promise.
Now with the world seemingly getting to be a bad place again, has the old boy got something up his sleeve again? Maybe snow this time since he promised not to use rain? The snow in the month of December has indeed been biblical! It even set a new record for snowfall in the month. Do you suppose we should start building an Ark sized snowmobile?

When you get  20 inches of snow at one time and another 4-8 inches every other day after that for a couple of weeks finding places to put the  snow gets to be a problem.

Driving down the street lately is interesting to say the least!

Mostly along the boulevards where the snow plows pushed the snow, the snow is piled higher than you can see over.

If there is a retail parking lot around after they have cleared the lots its really high!

So what’s a person to do? You might as well give up, buy some new snow boots and go out and play in the mountains of white.

This particular pile was from a church parking lot, and those are real 20 or 30 foot tall evergreens.

As you might remember from past adventure blogs we have this thing for climbing to the top high things to look around.

Not a bad view from the top of the icy mountain!

That’s some pile of snow stacked up as high as the tree.

At the base of the piles between trees is a nice spot out of the wind where the local riff raff hangs out.

     
Okay back to the fire and brimstone again. So if you were the big guy and promised not to use rain to destroy the world, wouldn’t it be a pretty slick way around your promise to make it snow for 40 days and 40 nights then after all the snow is there raise the temperature to 40 degrees and melt it all at once! Lots of irony there Huh? Still keep your promise, and flood the world at the same time. 40 days 40 nights 40 degrees! great play on words. In the next version of the bible that would make a great story!
Well on Dec 30th 2010 after 40 days and 40 nights of snow (well it seemed like it!) it hit 43 degrees in Minneapolis. It didn’t quite flood, but it sure knocked down those piles of snow. Now the piles are half as high, but they are solid ice. I think we will still have piles of ice in June! The glaciers are coming!

The Big Christmas Storm

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse ……..
Even the mice wouldn’t go out anymore! You see the National weather service has been predicting the worst storm since the Halloween blizzard of 91.
A giant low pressure system was destined to sit in Iowa and pump moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the winter air over Minnesota for days on end with a prediction of up to 20 plus inches of snow in total.


The endless babble about the weather started on Tuesday morning several days before the approaching storm. It’s been snowing off and on for most of December and there is already no lack of snow on the ground and roads. After several years of warm temperatures and little or no snow, this year appears is going to be a good old fashion Minnesota winter.
I was so counting on that whole global warming thing to solve this Minnesota winter problem, but I think I’m going to have find another solution.
For those of you who have been fortunate enough to have forgotten how this whole snow and blizzard thing works let me refresh your memory!
Remember when you had to dig your vehicle out of the snow banks?
Remember those last minute runs to the grocery store for those supplies just in case you can’t get out because of the storm?

But there is good things about snow storms. The big heavy snows usually requires warmer temperatures, and this one is no exception. Christmas Eve on the street in the snow its 27 degrees.

Either the snow or the holiday has reduced the traffic on an otherwise bumper to bumper car filled 50th street. The theater is open for Christmas eve!

A walk around the downtown 50th and France area reveals Margaret’s favorite store in the snow. “ Live Laugh Love”

As always whenever there is a snow storm you find little kids out playing in the snow piles!

Cold in Minnesota

Last year in Minnesota the lakes didn't even freeze fully until January 15th. well this year we shot that all to hell! Real winter is back in Minnesota just like it use to be in the old days! It has been snowing almost every or every other day for the last couple weeks. Not much snow, but enough to make a mess on the roads. It also COLD! we have had a couple of days less than -20 and plenty below zero and its not even Christmas yet.

View from the Porch on this cold day

We were going to go up North to the lake to check on the coach and the lot, but the snow storm this weekend canceled that idea. Maybe next weekend after Christmas we will go. So for this weekend I'm just sitting in the corner staying warm and working on the computer.