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Sunday, January 14, 2024

Let it snow!

I've mentioned what a strange winter we've had with hardly any snow. That changed this past week. We had a snowstorm Tuesday and Wednesday. Schools were closed Wednesday. Then I heard a bigger storm was coming Friday...  Everytime I heard the weather report it sounded worse.  By Thursday it was decided that our office would be closed and we would all work from home on Friday, as the storm was supposed to hit mid-morning and the roads were anticipated to be very bad by 5.
I was so happy to hear this, as my commute is about 35 minutes, with open country roads. 
The storm was called a snow bomb cyclone, with atmospheric pressure dropping rapidly, causing lots of snow and high winds. They predicted 12-14 inches of snow between Friday morning and Sunday. The news people also wanted people to be prepared for power outages.

Friday morning I had my laundry done early and the tub filled with water. We live in the country and have a well, so if the power goes out, we have no water.  Having water in the tub at least lets you flush toilets!

All flights were cancelled at the Ford Airport in Grand Rapids, all schools were closed, the local mall even closed.

The snow didn't start till early afternoon, but then it really came down.



Our backyard started getting pretty white.





Bob decided it was a good day to set up and work on a puzzle downstairs as I was working and taking calls in our living room.
We both were home all day and went to bed wondering what the next day would bring.




Here's how things were looking Saturday morning. This is the same big pine tree from earlier in the post.



Here's the backyard on Saturday morning.





We had a few brief moments of sunshine in the afternoon.  This is Bob's wood shop.




Here's a neighbor family enjoying the snow.


We just stayed home, did some things around the house and some relaxing!  Poor Bob did have to go out to snow blow.
Lots of people lost power, including Heather and Andrew, and some friends did too, but ours stayed on. Our SIL Aaron was very busy as he works to maintain the snow plows and emergency vehicles of a nearby city.  It was his on call weekend, so he was at work all weekend.


Sunday morning found us buried in snow.  It really came down overnight and once again, no one was going anywhere.  All churches in the area were closed, including ours.  Our Pastor lives near our church and he and a sound guy were able to make it there to live stream the message.



This is the view through our dining room windows.



Our poor little Japanese Maple is very weighted down.





Our porch has two steps down, but now the snow is level with the porch.




One more shot of the back yard. The path to Bob's woodshop is pretty much filled in.




Although most of us are sick of it, here's one little girl that enjoyed the snow.  Cassie couldn't wait to get out there, although Andrew had to rescue her when she got stuck!



It's supposed to continue to snow through the next day but not nearly as heavy.  It's also gotten very cold, it's 3 degrees here right now and they've already cancelled most school for tomorrow.
Our town has had 16 inches of snow since Friday, the town where I work got 23 inches!   We're ready to see the end of this storm!

23 comments:

Linda said...

JUST.WOW. I sure remember those kinds of days from living up north. I am glad you didn't have to go anywhere, smiles. Wishing you a beautiful week.

Deb J. in Utah said...

Hi Mari. Wow, that is some storm. I saw some scenes from Grand Rapids on the national news and thought of you. So glad you are OK. We had a snow weekend too, but didn't get anywhere near that amount of snow where we are. The mountains got several feet and some mountain roads and ski resorts were closed or on a resort "lockdown" due to avalanche danger. Quite a winter we are having across the country. I am glad that you stayed safe at home. I love that puzzle Bob is working on. I hope you don't get as much snow in the coming week. See you again soon!

Mari said...

Hi Ginny - no different camera. Maybe it's just the snow in all the shots?

roentare said...

The snow is so incredible there

Suemn said...

Oh my gosh! You really got hit with the snow. I'm so glad you were able to work from home on Friday. You are a great photographer!

Sparky said...

Oh my goodness! That sure looks cold. Y'all are tougher than me. I would have been packing my bags and heading South like the birds. LOL Beautiful photos. We have an All-house Generator (well, it's almost all house, shoulda bumped it up a few more "K" for that) but, anyway, it's great for power outages. I highly recommend having one. The machine runs on propane and kicks on automatically during an outage. It also self-diagnose itself once a week to keep the engine running properly. It sounds like a 4 wheeler in the back yard when running. LOL
Be safe! Sending prayers for you all.
Blessings. xx

Changes in the wind said...

So glad you were able to prepare for this storm and able to stay warm.

Jeanette said...

We ended up only getting about 8 inches on Friday night and another 1/2 inch on Saturday. But now it's pretty cold! It was -5 when I woke up this morning! I think I'd rather have more snow than below freezing! Stay safe and warm!

Jenny the Pirate said...

Sounds like an old-school Michigan snowstorm! January has its singular delights. Stay safe and warm, my friend. xoxo

Dianna said...

It is beautiful to look at, if you can stay inside and not have to be out on the road. God bless Aaron and all of those people who are on the road crews, the first responders and the linemen for the power companies. Although we certainly did not have the amount of snow you did, we did lose power from about 4:30 Friday afternoon until a little after noon on Saturday. I can certainly understand why you would be ready for this storm to end!

Happy@Home said...

Wow, that is a lot of snow. Takes me right back to my childhoods in Michigan. I loved it then. Now, while I think it is so pretty, I don't miss shoveling and driving in it. Adorable picture of Cassie enjoying it :).
My husband has an office in Michigan. They lost power Friday evening and it is still out. Brrr!!!

Catherine said...

It’s beautiful but a lot of snow!
I hope you won’t loose power and water.
I booked a taxi for tomorrow, but now the snow is due the next day when I am driving to the MIR we will see maybe book a taxi again as I have a big slope going down. Keep warm inside!
Thank you for your prayers.

DUTA said...

I usually like the sight of white snow cover in pictures, but in the above pictures the snow is kind of "omnipresent", and it feels cold and unsafe all over.

Sola Scriptura said...

That certainly is a lot of snow! I imagine the children in your area are very happy to have the schools closed. Today we had our first snow of the season.

Prims By The Water said...

WOW you got hammered with snow. Not us. It snowed, then rain, then snow...nothing to speak of, but boy is it cold now. BRRR Looks like Bob made a good choice in doing a puzzle that day. Oh to be a kid again and enjoy the sledding. We did it all day at my grammas as she lived on a big hill. Janice

happyone said...

Lots of snow there. It sure looks pretty. It is still snowing here.

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

Wowzers! I thought we might get more, but we were lucky and didn't. Now it's just the bitter cold. You guys sure got dumped on! I'm glad they knew to make sure everyone just stay home and stay safe.
So glad you didn't lose power. Enjoy the cozy time. xoxo

Great-Granny Grandma said...

Oh wow, that is a lot of snow. The pictures are beautiful. I especially liked the before and after of the pine tree, and that cute one of Cassie.
We have hardly had any snow here yet although there were several storm warnings and messages from the electric company to be prepared. Mostly it was heavy rain.
It finally did snow this morning, but nothing close to what you had. I'm sure that will soon change, as the Farmer's Almanac says it's going to be a long, cold, and snowy winter.

Terri D said...

Oh, Mari!! I am so glad you are okay and didn't lose power. I am also glad we don't have to deal with that here in Florida. I just don't want to ever have to be that cold and that snowed in ever again. Makes me shiver to just look at your photos (even though it is beautiful). I hope your maple tree makes it through to spring!! Stay safe!

Debby said...

Wow that is a lot of snow. The photos are so pretty of the white fluffy snow. It’s a shame it’s soooooo cold! I wish we would get snow like the freak snow we got last year.

Lowcarb team member said...

Oh my goodness! That really is A LOT of snow.
It looks pretty in your photographs but I wouldn't like to be out in it.

Here in the UK our temperature is currently -3, no snow for us yet!!!

Stay safe and warm and perhaps enjoy some soup :)

All the best Jan

Jean said...

WOW!!!! That is a lot of snow! We're getting it now, but it's supposed to stop by noon. No preschool today, so guess who will be asked to go outside to play with a certain little boy?

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Wow! I LOVE these photos, but I am sorry for those who lost power in all that freezing weather! Praying they are safe and warm by now. The snow is so pretty, but I know it can be a nightmare for travelers, etc., having lived in the north for quite a few years and dealing with it myself. I am thankful to be living in Florida now and this morning it is 32 degrees here, but thankfully no snow to deal with! But I do love the pictures and seeing Cassie out in the snow playing and having a good time is priceless...although I am sorry she got stuck, but thankfully someone was there to rescue her! Fun times for kids! LOL. Take care and stay safe and warm.