Winter Storm 2010: Day Two

So I guess I may have underestimated the winter storm.. Last night proved to be a new experience for this Southern Belle. Living in the South, I have seen several inches of snow, but 3.5" of ice is a whole new ballgame.

It continued to rain & sleet until about midnight, which of course made for impossible driving conditions this morning. Everything was frozen solid in a thick sheet of ice! We lost power the first time last night around 7:00 p.m. as we were in the middle of making Aunt Marianne's calzone recipe. Since the oven was out of commission, I lit my entire stock of candles, and we feasted on Bagel Crisps and Boursin left over from Christmas.

Not knowing when the power would come on, Dan and I resorted to placing bets how long it would take MLGW (Memphis Light Gas & Water) to sent out the troops. I said 8pm, and Dan said 10pm..... Guess who was right! Me of course, as if you had to ask!
The power came back on at 8pm, I jacked the heat up to about 72 degrees for fear we would loose power again. Dan was suffocating, but was a good sport. We got to enjoy an episode of"Dirty Jobs" before we lost power for good.

The wind was blowing and we could hear the branches breaking off. It sounding like shotguns were being fired in our backyard! Dan walked out side just as one of the large pine trees in the back yard was loosing most of its branches. With that close call we decided to call it a night. Phones were dead , no heat, and our power was out, so what else is there to do but sleep?

I guess the power came back on at 3am, as the alarm clocks and lights abruptly illuminated the house, but not for long. We lost power again, which made for a cold, sleepless night.

Good news is that we finally regained power & heat at 6am and have been going strong ever since. Dan is happily perched in front of the TV watching IU basketball, and I have plans of catching up on my reading & cleaning the garage. The pups have been passed out all day!

Here are some pics of the ice...

Our driveway was a solid 3" sheet of ice. Frozen trees everywhere!

I hope my poor Japanese Maple survived!

Before and after pics of my dead asparagus fern.

These were the branches falling from our pine tree last night! Poor tree! Bonfire anyone?

The Bradford Pear across the street split in half. Koswkers is helping collect the branches at least!

Our little ice babies!

Winter Storm 2010

Let me begin by saying, it would be my luck that the "winter storm of the decade" hits on the one weekend I am able to travel home... Mother Nature I shake my fist at your timing!! Although, it remains to be seen if this is truly the "winter storm of the decade" or just a media conspiracy to inflate grocery sales... Where is my James Spann when I need him?

So while I was at work today, my "Saint" of a husband was pulling a minivan out of ditch in front of our house. I guess that Monster Truck does come in handy.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure of having us visit with the dogs yet, let me show you the condo my husband built to transport the monster pup. (Now, after seeing these photos I expect phone calls from all of you inviting us over!) To his credit, Dan did work very hard on this and it has proven to be a very effective solution. I will, however, take credit for the paint job! After the "Bukowski Box" was completed, Dan hopped inside of it, made me lock him up tight, and ordered me to take it for a test drive around the neighborhood (with him in the box).....

Redneck you say? No, just a boy with a heartfelt concern regarding the safety of his dog... I seriously cannot make this stuff up.. See for your self...


(If you look closely at the last picture, you can actually see Dan's face in the window.Keep in mind, Dan is approx. 6'4")

I am happy to report that we made it around the neighborhood safely, maybe a little too fast on the accelerator, but home in one piece nevertheless.

So you see why we decided to play it safe and just stay home for tonight? Can't have your baby in a box with freezing weather for a 3 hour road trip.. My friend Angela had an great solution to our winter weather driving concerns, she said "Morg, you can hook the dog up and pull the car out of the ditch if you slip and slide, so what's the worry?".... what a smart girl she is! We might resort to this solution should we choose to head home in the morning..

And now for some winter weather puppy pics (courtesy of the hubs this afternoon)...


Look at those babies playing in the ice.. yes not snow.. ICE!


Dan spent the afternoon throwing iceballs at the dogs, laughing at them being confused when they couldn't find it on the ground!



Mom, the Bama flag in the snow photo is for you! Roll Tide :)