2011 Blizzard - Part 3

As expected, the firm, along with hundreds of other businesses in the area, is closed today, so I've got a snow day.  The snow has stopped but the winds are as strong as ever.  It was not a restful night last night.  The constant howling of the wind, the clanging of the range hood vent which faces into the wind, the thunder snow, all conspired to keep me awake.  The city is shut down.  Expressways/highways are shut down because of impassible conditions and abandoned cars blocking what little traffic there is; while the highways have stretches of at least drivable conditions entrance and exit ramps are drifted and dangerous - many cars stuck on them and the Sheriff's Department and National Guard are getting to them as fast as they can, but they won't tow your car if you're stuck, all they'll do is offer you a lift to someplace warm and dry; white-out conditions continue along with the snow at this time (about 7:30 a.m.).  Snow-wise we got perhaps 12-14 inches on top of what we received Monday.  It's the blowing and drifting that is making things awful.  I tried to capture some of the drifs on the following photos, but it's hard to gauge from them just how big the drifts are!

No bus service - it's been suspended because the roads were so bad.  The county tried to keep the highways open and the city works first on plowing the main thoroughfares - if you live on a side street - foret about going anywhere today with a vehicle!  The entire county was under a snow emergency so if you weren't parked on the right side of the street (and in some neighborhoods, no parking is allowed at all), your car is now gone and it will cost you several hundred to get it out of the tow-lot!  I live in a suburb and eventually we will get plowed but looking out the front door, no plow has been through, no part of road can be seen at all.  How on earth I'm ever going to clear even a path in my driveway to the road is beyond me, oh goddess!  At least I can get my front door opened.  I tried the garage service door and it's frozen shut. 



The blizzard of 2011 didn't stop the squirrels from looking for their breakfast.
I didn't shovel that part of the deck - it's the only part that was untouched by the blowing snow!
So, that's where I aimed and tried to toss the nuts for my hungry buddies.