So this is what they were doing... Blizzard 2011

There has to be a morning after... Chicago Blizzard 2011

For some perspective... do you think they are going anywhere in that car anytime soon?

Fergie in the snow... just about to poop

...and it's her first poop post-Blizzard 2011

Our neighbors apparently all had a snow day and made good use of it

The view of Chicago from our roof

Michigan and Roosevelt... at "rush hour"

Poor Fergie!

Why do people insist on getting in their cars today?

Lake Shore Drive rescue drama continues - chicagotribune.com

Lake Shore Drive rescue drama continues - chicagotribune.com

Snow Day for D!

The above video is from last night before we went to bed.  We're hearing on the news that some people were just rescued from Lake Shore Drive after being trapped in their cars all night.  It's still coming down.  Some places are mostly free of the snow -- other places have drifts as tall as me.  Yours truly will NOT be going in today.  Poor P is going to try to go in.  Fergie doesn't know what to do.  She pooped on the back steps (which are outside) this morning.

Here are some photos from this morning.  These are hard to see, but this is our parking lot.  If you were actually standing there, you'd see the drifts were nearly as tall as my car.  No one's driving today!  The news highway cams show completely empty highways.

This is our neighbor's backyard.  Those drifts in the corner are as tall as me.

An updated window shot.  See the buried car?

We're supposed to get a minimum of 14 inches.  They showed a radar image of the skies over Chicago -- no planes.  Hope you don't get this much snow, NY family!

Yes, that is her real name. No, she did not make it up for this storm.

Thundersnow!

Unless you're very familiar with our building, this probably won't mean much to you.  That is the drifting snow against our building's main door.  You can't tell from this picture, but the snow is sloped from the fence to the door!  I took poor wee Fergie out and the drifts are taller than her!  Also, we just heard that Lakeshore Drive is closed.  

Tonight was also the first time I saw/heard thundersnow!  You can't really hear the thunder in this clip, but you can see the lightning in the sky.  Crazy.  You probably would have been able to hear the thunder but for P's very "interesting" phone conversation (and the burp you hear very early in).

Blizzard of '11

Look closely! I think there is actually a ghost in this picture!

FYI, I'll bet this thing is nothing compared to the Denver Blizzard of 2003 when Denver got about 3 feet of snow. See below:

Also, sometimes it sucks working in healthcare. Hospitals don't close for snow. Area hospitals were encouraging employees to bring changes of clothes in case they had to stay the night at the hospital. Or they were asking people to stay at nearby hotels. Ummm, no thanks!

The End is Night(sic)! Part Deux

As you may have heard, Denver got 18" of snow last week.  There was a lot of news about it early in the week (including more than one phone call from my mom making sure I knew about the upcoming storm since I never listen to the local weather.  Since I walk to work, she pictures me getting stranded in all types of severe weather including wind.).  And you never know how seriously to take the local weather report.  Even last week, they were using their gravely serious tone of voice to warn about a blizzard that promised the potential for 2 feet of snow in the Denver metro area.  Hm.  But then they qualified it saying if it turned out to be an upslope instead of a downslope, we'd have spring-like weather.  It was a crap shoot.

Speaking of crap shoots, I was a little put out considering I had to FLY OUT OF DENVER ON THURSDAY.  TO LAS VEGAS (hence the "crap shoot" reference).  Considering getting to DIA is a trek in and of itself, AND considering I am a nervous flyer ANYWAYS, it all added up to way too much anxiety on my part.  I couldn't really fully enjoy my TWO SNOW DAYS (well, officially one and a half, but I took liberty with the first one and called it earlier than work did), even though I had company (and had a lot of fun walking to the store, eating sweets and playing Scramble together). 

Turned out because the snow was expected and didn't dump in 2 hours as per usual, the drive to the airport wasn't actually that bad.  But THEN, there was a breach in security.  Then, our plane had encountered a bird strike on the way in and they had to do a mechanical check.  And then, of course, we had to de-ice.

But, in the end, it really wasn't that big of an ordeal.   THANK GOODNESS.

Crazy Colorado Weather

This actually happened 3 weeks ago, but since we're expecting more snow today (not nearly as severe), I thought I would post it. And, it TOTALLY reminded me of blizzards past when I would hang out with P&D. There was one in '04 when we hung out in my condo and they took turns sweeping the snow off my balcony (so as to prevent its collapse. Not too likely). Then, there was the Blizzard of Aught Two (I THINK--all's I know is Paul's mom was in town) when P&D lived in Near Aurora. On Day Two, they had cabin fever, so when I called, P&D were out saving trees (spring snowstorms always wreak havoc on the poor trees! and had already been to KMart to purchase more games). They then tried to convince me to take THE BUS there, but ended up rescuing me and we went to Black Eyed Pea. Oh, the Pea!