I, for one, welcome our icy, crystalline overlords

[greatbear]

So, the Great Snow Of Doom of 2010 rages on as I type this. This continues the highly unusual trend of measurable accumulation for each "snow event" around these parts, since my little patch of Maryland more often than not gets little flurries, false alarms, sleet or winter rains instead. This winter, if a single snowflake fell from the sky, it has been accompanied by a craptillion family relatives in a blanket party of varying depths. Currently there appears to be about a foot of sky cocaine on the ground, piling up since about 2pm this afternoon. Various weather websites say anything from a few more inches to a doubling of what's currently here is expected.

This is a view from my front door, taken a few minutes ago. It's shot using what available light there is.



Yes, it's both pretty, and pretty ominous. The power has flickered a few times already, leading a chorus of clicking relays and little beeps around the house as a half-dozen UPSs dutifully come to life and one of the printers resets. While power failures during bad weather are rare here, those which do happen are quite often in it for the duration. This will cause a bit of minor bummage, but at least we will stay toasty warm from the heat of two woodstoves and there is the 15,000 watt generator in the garage that will run everything if the outage lasts more than a day. The view from the back of the house is less interesting, as the scene simply fades to white after a couple hundred feet. No sign of the neighbors, no lights, nothing. Just a whispering roar of a slight wind and the combined decibels of countless billions of little ice crystals crashing to the ground, all joining the White Party orgy.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

P.S.: Many thanks to everyone who sent emails and left comments here and on Facebook with all those birthday wishes. You guys (and gals) are pure win, and it helped make my 48th year on this rock a lot easier to take. Y'all are the best.

Comments

[gryphons-hole.livejournal.com]

You see...? It's like this. kumazuki is visiting. And he made the tea. I am very happy that he made the tea, because, you see, he brews very strong tea, _very_ strong. So strong that the jasmine green tasted - to me - like an ashy black tea.

The beautiful thing in all of this...? Well, I do not like strong tea. In fact, I usually brew three or four cups of tea out of a single tea bag.

Anyway, the point of celebration and why I am telling you all of this...? If the tea were brewed to my tastes, it would have spewed out of my nose and all over the monitor when I read "about a foot of sky cocaine on the ground." OMGosh! I think I may have burst a blood vessel somewhere....

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Your comment makes me keekle. :-D

[arktos62.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry to have missed your birthday. But I wish you only good things into your 49th year xx

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

48! 48! Please don't make me any older than I already am!

Granted, this is my 49th year, since I was not born one year of age, but, still, I intend to be dragged kicking and screaming into my 50s!

[gryphons-hole.livejournal.com]

I would be happy to help with the screaming part...

*eg*

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

This is a great entry Phil, glad your Birthday was good I take it.

A very interesting photograph there, is that the actual color or did you do it in sepia? I love how the snow blankets the ground and makes everything so peaceful and quiet.

A well written post my friend. Enjoy it while you can dear.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

That's the actual color, although maybe a bit skewed by the color comp of the camera. For reasons unbeknownst to me, the light takes takes on a dull orange glow when it snows here. It's not too far from the color of sodium lighting, and the garage does have a sodium light up front that runs dusk to dawn. but this light is not nearly enough to illuminate the scene. In fact, there's a bit of light on the far left from the mercury vapor light over the driveway to the garage. Aside from these two lights that are always on at night, there is no light nearby, and when there is no snow falling, it'd be quite dark without them. On a night like this, you can see quite well with no extra lighing at all. Odd, but kinda cool.

[ptownnyc.livejournal.com]

Up here we have gotten so cheated this winter. Dammit! I want ONE nice, huge snowstorm each winter. Don't I deserve that? LOL!

Happy Bday stud!

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

You are more than welcome to take some, if not all of this. ;)

Thanks for the well wishes!

[erstexman.livejournal.com]

Love the photo - did you also do a sepia treatment to it?

I was talking to my mom in NC yesterday since they got another bit of snow there in the mountains, though this storm is mostly rain. She finds it odd that people are all aghast at how much snow there is and how cold winter has been and reminded me that when I was a kid, we had LOTS of snow through the winter. She said the snow was even worse when she was growing up in the 40's and 50's. To her, this is just the way winter used to be.

I think she is right...

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

Nope, as I told ciddyguy above, the light you see is just as shown, for some reason the sky gets cast in this orangey glow when it snows, and there is nothing close that uses lots of sodium lighting to give the whole sky this effect. One of the mysteries around here!

[maxauburn.livejournal.com]

Hope you had a fantastic birthday!

It's snowing like crazy here in Phila, Pa, too.

It looks like too much for my bad back to handle using a shovel;
will have to get out the snow blower - the big one - and then,
we'll see!

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

It was a good birthday, thanks! :)

[dan4behr.livejournal.com]

If nothing else, you sound like you're pretty well prepared for any snow contingency....woodstoves....generators....
Booze would also be on my list for snowbound-ness.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

There's plenty of booze on hand as well, neither of us partook though.

I guess I was always a good boy scout, always prepared for disasters. It's also in my nature to be quite independent and not need to count on others to get me through a crisis.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

I like the peacefulness of snow in the evening like this. This was a huge storm though, one for the record books.

[2stroker.livejournal.com]

That's a great photo! Happy birthday again,you deserve it twice

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

And a double thanks to ya. :)