The obligatory blizzard photo post

I feel like I have no other choice but to add my "oh my g-d, have you seen all the f'ing snow?!" post to the myriad other ones out there.  It may be repetitive and those of you not in the "2000 miles of snow" might be starting to find this annoying.  And, I mean, some of you "up north" would roll your eyes at only 15 inches of snow.

But, seriously?  Have you seen all the f'ing snow?!

I teach at a college in Missouri.  It's a relatively small school in a rather small town and most of the students live on campus or within walking distance.  (And, yes, 1 mile or *gasp* 2 miles is still walking distance ladies and gentlemen!!)  So, unless there's a blizzard, they don't cancel school -- they just leave it to faculty to cancel individual classes if they can't get in and ask us to be "understanding" of the few students who commute.  The students whine and complain -- "oh, there were 4 inches of snow on the ground and they plowed all the streets completely clear by 7 am, but my high school would have been canceled!"  To that I say "suck it up!!"  Please note:  this is from an Atlanta native who grew up with school being canceled if there was even the possibility of snow.  But, seriously, snow isn't unusual up here.  The local public schools cancel all the time -- and it makes everyone (besides the kids) nuts -- but that's because their buses can't get down the gravel roads to pick up the students.  Do you know what a pain it is when classes that meet twice a week or labs that only meet 13 times a semester are canceled? So, yeah, it takes a blizzard to cancel school.

Guess what?  There was a blizzard.  Nearly a foot and a half of snow.  For the first time in 37 years, they closed the school.  For two days.

Let me say that again in case you missed it.  For the first time in thirty-seven years, they closed the school.

Only about 2 or 3 people on campus remember the last time they closed the school. Heck, I was a year away from being born the last time they closed the school!!

Nicknames for Blizzard '11?  Snowmageddon!  Snowpocalypse!  My favorite?   SNO-M-G!!!

Even now we're still digging out.  There is essentially one path you can follow around campus and there's no hope if you're trying to go a different direction.  Last night a water main on campus broke and now there's a river that will soon turn to an ice sheet.  Of course, the river is running down the path of least resistance and forming a skating lane around the entire dug out path with nice 15 inch snow ledges holding it in as it freezes. I say, let's polish it and go skating!

Anyway, here come the obligatory blizzard pictures:

There's a car under there, I swear.  If you look closely you can see the license plate peeking through that really odd pattern of snow drift.  But, hey, what's that on the right?  My hated old broken stove!! ☺   (Yeah, don't ask about how much longer we'll be kitchen-less because of this new twist.  I'm trying not to think about it but it has probably added at least another week if not two.)

Our backyard.  The patio furniture makes me laugh.

Digging.

More digging.

If ever there was a day I wish I had a snow blower, this was it.

My DH found it amusing to take pictures of me from behind the storm door and then say "hey, you've got a cave-in behind you."  He did eventually come out to help.

(And, yes, I kept my toes warm with little hot packs.  No more ulcers for me. ☺)

It really is beautiful even if it is difficult to deal with.  I walked home from school last night at 9 pm and the world was just so silent and muffled.  Snow makes everything so peaceful. 

Oh, ok, it's fun, too: