Minnesota Snow Giddy

[markdoane]

Just sitting here watching the first few snowflakes of the season.

All the news channels are running specials about ski resorts and the new high tech snowplows with GPS and brine sprayers.

Northwest Airlines is issuing waivers if you want to reschedule your flight out of town, since no one wants to leave.

We are expecting up to 12" this weekend and everyone is excited!

[TomR]

Hi Mark...we are up in Two Harbors located in the "higher elevations" along the north shore that are suppossed to get 10"-18"...sure hope we don't get disappointed ...shovel is ready! Tom R

[InsideOut]

Nice way to start off December!

We got a couple inches Tuesday and are expecting more this weekend too ~

Enjoy...and remember these giddy moments come March!

Shari

[maxandgeorgia]

We missed the fluffy stuff. We woke to rain freezing on trees, and now it's just dampwindycold. Someday, someday we're going to get up on the Trail for Minnesota snow. Enjoy! ~G

[cooperhawk]

Well, it's clean and white and pretty, but I have a half mile drive to plow. Oh well, get a cup of coffee, my black lab, and my old Bronco and turn on some tunes and go plowing. Does get old after while though.

Not enough ice to go fishing or snow mobiling yet. Don't even think about it.

[CanoeStream]

Shari, I understand this system came over Denver first but surely can't be as long ago as your Tuesday snow. It's a nice dry snow! Almost 2" so far -- we're headed for 10" maybe? I spent a couple beautiful hours working outside this morning as the flakes began. The Sauk River never looked nicer!

[Felix'64]

Hey there,
Want to send some of that white stuff our way? Now that the Airstream is put away for the season, the sleds are chomping at the bit for their turn to play.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by markdoane

... since no one wants to leave...

now see THAT is funny!

cheers
2air'

[herrgirdner]

We moved to the Minneapolis area in August 1968 from New Mexico. My mother-in-law, a "native", told me to get ready for winter, new batteries, light oil, studded tires, chains, and so forth. "UH HUH", automatic nod on my part.......
Winter 1968 was a record setter, temps below freezing for 80 days straight, snow so high I couldn't throw it out of the driveway, and many times I regretted treating her advice so lightly.
The first chance I got, I left the area, and now only visit during mosquito and tornado season.
One thing, though, the citizens of Minnesota are top notch, none better.
The bad ones all froze or left.

[CanoeStream]

Winter '68-69 was my first winter here. We had a lot of fun copying the winter olympics and making bobsled runs for our toboggans. I was away in Texas during the blizzard of the century on Super Bowl weekend of '75. But the Armistice Day blizzard of 1940 was much bigger. How do they figure century blizzards?

Yep! 40-below keeps the riff raff out!!

[tin sista]

What Renee (Felix 64) said! We've got a little bit left on the ground, and the snowman we made hasn't melted yet, so let's get some more ....

[markdoane]

I moved to Minnesota four weeks before the 1975 Superbowl Blizzard, so I thought it was normal to get two feet of snow in an afternoon.

I'm still waiting for a repeat.

[Fyrzowt]

It always is amazing to me to hear you people from the "north country" look forward to the snowfall. I like to visit snow, I like to ski, I like to look at the landscape after a fresh smowfall, I like the quiet woods afterward.
But, I can't imagine dealing with it for months at a time, driving, plowing, slipping, etc.
And then to hear you look forward to it....my hat's off to you.
I'd be interested in hearing more on your outlook toward the winters, and how you deal with it. I realize that many of you have lived there all your lives, and maybe that's the difference - perspective. I'm a California native.
Dave

[Wayne&Sam]

When you're plowing and shoveling, you're not mowing a ##!!*&!! lawn!

As soon as the plowing is done, I'm off with Luke skiing the woods. But we're not going to get enough out of this storm so my skiing season hasn't started.

[markdoane]

I didn't grow up in Minnesota, so you can't say I don't know better. And I'm not a skier or snowboarder, so that can't be why I look forward to winter and snow.

Snow pulls a community together. It's "We're all in this together", helping to shovel out an elderly neighbor's driveway, pulling a car out of the ditch, and watching kids head off to the hill with their sleds.

No matter how ugly your neighbors landscaping, even if he has an old airstream parked next to his house, it will look better buried under a foot of clean, white snow.

And we know that in 4 months we will have spring. Then summer follows that. And fall. Then we're back to winter.

Maybe someone can explain Aridzona to me. Or Las Vegas. I won't visit Florida anymore since my parents moved to Washington. I find southern California cute, but boring. Northern California is OK, along with Oregon and Washington.

Yeah, we like snow.

[CanoeStream]

Dave -- road & driveway snow issues are distractions for a minor percent of these winter months. I'm thinking of planting palm trees if the last 10 years are any indication. Winter has moderated a lot!

OTOH the basaltic Laurentian shield of Minnesota, Wisconsin & much of Canada east & west of Hudson Bay is one of the most stable geologic features on the face of earth.

[TomR]

Hi All...our "acres" are beautiful...we live in the "higher elevations along the North shore"...those form Minnesota will recognize as the weather forecast for Duluth and the area often states that there may be more snow "in the higher elevations...".

It appears we got close to 18"...kind of hard to measure with the drifting, etc. I got up anticipating a significant snow shovel job...and surprise...my wife went out at 4:30AM and did it for me ...she is an early riser. To be honest...we have a pretty good walk around our house and in front of the garage...but a neighbor plows our large circular driveway. I enjoy watching his skill as he cleans it so neatly.

It is good to get lots of snow early...to prevent the COLD that will come after the "low " passes...from freezing deep into the ground...and messing with septic systems (we are in the country!)...or underground pipes in the city.

Also, winter is not nearly as bad to handle with the fine new vehicles (4wd, syn oil, elec ingintion and great tires)we have these days. I still remember when the tires would get so flat that you could not push start because the tires would just slide...not uncommon at all to have your car not start.

With the temps in the 20's may be a day for a snowshoe on out trail...Best...Tom R

P.S. This weather is also why I would need a big new garage to store an AS...IF I ever buy one TMR

[Fyrzowt]

OTOH the basaltic Laurentian shield of Minnesota, Wisconsin & much of Canada east & west of Hudson Bay is one of the most stable geologic features on the face of earth.

Uh...Bob, I'll take your word for it!
Thanks for the responses. When we were in Vermont two years ago, I heard a lot of the same responses and viewpoints from folks there. Ever since, I have had the idea of doing a temperary home swap or something similar so that we can see what it's like. One of the folks we talked to was an inn keeper who had moved there from Napa Valley, CA. He loves it there. BTW, his inn is the former residence of Norman Rockwell. Pretty cool area.
Dave

[rgesch]

Had a little teaser at 2:45 PM but I think it as finally started to come down now. This is our second, as we've already received 4 inches before Thanksgiving.

Spent the day rolling up the garden hoses, putting away
pond equipment/tiki lamps/and testing the generator... nothing like waiting 'til the last minute and squeezing every last second out of Autumn!

Oh, and packing the Caravel for the next adventure.....

[HiHoAgRV]

Wow, what a difference. I spent yesterday installing roof decking on a log cabin - no shirt and sweating in the 75 degree heat . Then again it was 39 outside this morning after the front passed. At least the Hickory and Beach trees still have some beautiful colors.

I like to visit the snow but don't care for the grey mushy stuff once the initial 'Wow - White' is over.