BS: ICE - the winter kind

Subject: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 06:47 PM

I left work a few minutes early because they were talking about icy roads. SHEESH! I nearly broke my neck walking half a block to the parking garage. The sidewalks are sheets of ice about 1/4" thick and clear. Home now after a graceful slip and slide across my driveway and a thoroughly embarrassing crawl up the front steps - even the railing is coated with thick clear ice. The weather reports are really bad - ice, sleet, rain, and more ice.
Power outages expected. I have flashlights and batteries and lots of canned soup, but horror of horrors I am out of cat treats. Anybody else hunkering down?

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 06:50 PM

I started hunkering about the end of September....

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Becca72
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 06:50 PM

Leaving work now and thinking of calling my sister to stay at her house..she's about 4 miles from work whereas my own place is about 17 miles...

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 06:53 PM

You are welcome here. Be very careful. Walking is treacherous.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Amos
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 07:17 PM

Sins:

I am shocked. Shocked!! Here you are fresh out of a sickbed.

1. You have no business being up.
2. You have no business going outside.
3. I get the impression you are doing some sort of slip-slidey thing, which is proabbly unwise in your enfeebled condition.
4. The implication in your post that you are also getting cold worries me.
5. What is this "ice" of which you speak? We have a thing called by that name here in San Diego, but we use it to cool our single malt with, and it presents no risk to the health.


A

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: ranger1
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 07:18 PM

Mary, the cats are going to mutiny! Sleep with one eye open!

I left work two hours early, the interstate was posted down to 45 mph and was amazed at the number of idiots speeding past me. No problems getting home, until I went to turn into the parking lot of our building and slid sideways into my parking space. Landlord's son came out, headed off to a job and almost landed on his butt. Has the landlord done anything about our ice-glazed front steps? Why no, he hasn't. As usual.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Jeri
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 07:30 PM

Amos, FEH! Ice in single malt!!??...! Were you raised by wolves? Next thing you know, you'll be pouring it into your coffee. FEH!

I went outside to get the mail and de-iced my porch. I noticed the glazing on my car, but I came back inside and haven't been back out since. The high temp on Saturday is supposed to be 17°F. (Might have changed, but it's still gonna be cold.) I have coffee and food, and I'm good for a while unless the power goes out.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: ranger1
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 07:52 PM

Sigh. I almost killed myself trying to get the dogs in. Now I have to leave the neighbor's comfy house to trek back across the street to our little hole in the wall. Wish me luck climbing the outside stairs. At least I have permission from the boss to be as late as I need to be to get to work safely. Including not coming in at all, if the roads are too dangerous.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Sorcha
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 08:02 PM

Hell, just feed the cats tinned soup. They'll love it. Wyoming is still quite nice.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 08:15 PM

It crossed my mind Amos as I slid across the street in Portland that it would be ironic if I finally got rid of this monstous bug only to fall on my ass and break my hip.

My front and back porches are glazed with ice but Freddie insisted on going out. He flew out when I opened the door, slid across the porch, caught his footing only to slide off the top step to an unceremonious landing on the ground. Once i was sure he wasn't hurt, I laughed. He came back in the front door - slightly less treacherous.

I hope Seamus will be OK. I have lots of salt here and soup. But I hate it when there is no hot water. Wew'll see.

All the trees and wires are glazed. If it is anything like this in the morning. I will stay home tomorrow. I would imagine there will be late openings. The salt trucks are out already and this is suppose to last all night.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Alice
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 08:49 PM

Storm coming this way on Saturday night will bring below zero temps.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 09:06 PM

I left work (Fox Run Mall in Portsmouth, NH) at 8:00 PM (have I mentioned that retail sucks?) and spent a number of minutes in the parking lot de-icing my windshield, rear windshield, windshield wipers, etcet etcet. The car was encased in clear ice.

Driving, while not particularly great, wasn't as bad as I expected. It was raining. The trees, I think, were covered in ice and sort of looked white. They were probably very beautiful, but I couldn't take my eyes off the road.

Never went faster than 45 -- expected it to get slippery once I got west of Rte. 125. (125 is a weather line.) Didn't have any trouble making the turn on to Freeman Hall Road or going down the hill or turning onto Priest Road -- and I didn't continue down the hill when I asked the car to turn into the driveway. The car turned rather docilely.

Breathed a sigh of relief, though, at being home. Wipers had just started to ice up. Tom came out on the deck and spread ashes so I could walk up the stairs (the handrail was shiny ice -- as was every other surface), across the deck and get safely into the house.

I'm leaving the computer right now for a well deserved piece of Tom's pecan pie and a snifter of rum.

The weather tomorrow is supposedly going to be sucky -- and I have to open. (Have I mentioned retail sucks?)

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Amos
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 09:29 PM

Well, we have our own woes. We've been having this lovely warm wind thing called a Santa Ana for the last few days and it is supposed to end. There will be water, instead of light, falling all around from the sky. (Hopefully, at least, no more jet fighters). But we will buckle down and grit our teeth and bear the sufferings of hard winter. It will only last a few days and then the sunlight will start falling. You've never seen winter until you've been through a San Diego December sunlight storm. It covers the trees, the roads get bright and shiny, the roofs and porches are just covered with this bouncing radiance. Gruesome. And you have to mow the lawn and trim the flowers because of it too. It drives people--especially the shapely young ones--into all kinds of odd behaviors, including dancing on wave-tops and running around town with their cleavages exposed. You should hear the old folks complain!!! Sigh. The gutters get choked up with sunlight, and the streets get clotted up with these half-naked lithe college students.

So I guess I feel your pain.



A

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 09:34 PM

Yeah, Amos -- and I just got a letter from my cousin in Yuma, Arizona. It was wrapped in a Christmas card of a snowy cathedral landscape. What's with that?!?

Santa Anas can drive you mad, just like the Mistral. It can also add nastyness to any fires that get started.

Amos, you can keep the Santa Anas! Ice I'm not crazy about. A little bit of snow is nice -- especially if it goes away before it turns black from car exhaust and general pollution.

I like the change of seasons, but I'm glad I have an all wheel drive car and good tires!

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 09:41 PM

Amos-

I feel a tremendous urge to help you really feel our pain. That thought is very wrong, I know, but it helps me cope with the treacherous weather that we're experiencing, and will be experiencing for the next 24 hours. We didn't get more than a dusting of snow in this part of Maine so far but the rain is freezing to everything and by morning the tree branches will be coming down, and the trees, and the electrical and phone lines within reach of same. We'll be cut off from the world (not really a bad thing), all on our own with our candles, battery powered LCD lamps, and propane powered hotplates for an undetermined time. Because we're in town we'll still have running water but no electricity, and no heat other than what can be provided by two cats and the hotplate.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 11:36 PM

Yuck! Snow I don't mind, but you can keep your fecking ice! I remember my whole car being encased in a huge ice cube our first October in Western Mass AND, when we lived in CT, whole sheets of ice fell off of the skyscapers in downtown Bridgeport causing a shutdown of the whole district. It was an awesome and scary sight and I do not miss it.

Amos, up here in the high altitude, that light does get hazardous; it's so bright people are blinded by the light.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 11:56 PM

and no heat other than what can be provided by two cats and the hotplate.

Charley, how do your cook your cats?

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: gnu
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 05:20 AM

In Moncton, New Brunswick, we are glazed over as well, on top of 5cm of snow and ice pellets, but the temperature is now 0C (6:15AM) and expected to get up to 15C today... with heavy rain, 90kph wind and thunderstorms. I hope I don't find any more shingle tabs in my yard.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 07:39 AM

Miracles of miracles! We still have electricity this morning. And I have a coon cat lap-warmer as well! It looks pretty awful out the window and most of the schools and government offices are shut down. I suppose I should go out and salt the steps and walks but there really isn't a whole lot I can do with half an inch of ice everywhere, and more sleet coming down. We're supposed to have four more hours and then the temperature will drop and freeze everything harder.

We have been getting flickering of lights so I'm gonna post this while I can.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Jeri
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 08:04 AM

My power went out at midnight and is still out. I kept waking up when a trees broke and fell. There's the main trunk of a maple on my shed and branches all over. The small birches are all bowed over.

I don't know when they might get the power on. The road looks passable (if I can chisel my car out) and there's no coffee here.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Leadfingers
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 08:07 AM

All Sympathy from Temperate England ! Thank ALL the Gods for The Gulf Stream ! Worst I have had so far is having to WIPE the frost off the car !!

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Amos
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 08:16 AM

Yeah, Terry, rejoice while you still have that Gulf Streampuppy. I inderstand it is about to go bankrupt, or succumb to bird flu, or something.



A

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 08:54 AM

It was a bit frosty this morning in London... I managed a little slip'n'slide of my own going up the steep bit of the pavement to the station.. but it's slippery enough in the dry! Kept my balance and my dignity though... can't be sliding on my ass in front of all those Polish builders, who all stink of Vodka at 5.50am in the morning....

Take care, keep warm all and don't let the cats get used to soup. Soon they'll be wanting croutons and serviettes as well.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Jeri
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 10:00 AM

You start to realize how serious this is when it's NH and winter, 230,000 are without power and you're sitting in a cooling off house without enough gas to get to a gas station that has power, or to a hotel where they have heat and it's going to be an estimated 3-4 days at the SOONEST before you have power.

And there's no coffee.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: maeve
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 10:14 AM

We still have power for the moment. As Charlie said, the flickers warn of a local outage soon, but many in Maine as well as our coffee-deprived friends in NH will be without it for a few days at least. It's flickering a lot here, and we expect to wave goodbye to the electricity soon. I know Brunswick and Portland are among the many cities and towns that have been severely impacted.

We are grateful for wood, coal, and propane heat, grateful to have oil lamps and candles and battery-powered flashlights and radios. We can cook on the propane kitchen stoves, as well as the heat stoves. We have filled buckets and milk jugs with pure sweet well water, and every kettle and soup pot is full of water too. All the laundry is hung to dry, all the kitchen dishes have been washed except what I'm mixing goodies in.

Bread is rising, cornbread and biscuits and apple pie will go into the oven soon, and we have soups, meats, and veggies packed into the freezer and fridge. Jeri- I wish I could get some of this good coffee to you!

Last time we had a serious ice storm in Maine, this area was without power for a couple of weeks, but neighbors looked after one another. We'll do the same this time.

Keep safe and warm, friends.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Amos
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 10:32 AM

Jeri:

You got firewood? Aikea stuff you can burn?


A

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 10:54 AM

Jeez, Jeri, maybe some likely friend will bring you coffee and some gasoline for your car? I didn't realise this was one of those humdingers! Stay safe, all o'youse. Anyone know if Linn tried to go into work today?

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: gnu
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 11:40 AM

Gosh. Just caught it on the news. Sounds pretty bad down there. Our ice is slowly melting. Temperature here in Moncton, New Brunswick is now 3C and there is little rain or wind, but they are still forecasting 15C, 90kph and possible thunderstorms, with temps falling to -6C tonight.

I just checked the New Brunswick and Maine radars and Moncton MAY get by without a direct hit. 60km to our NW, the radar looks wild, but it looks to be moving NW. Of course, if any of the transmission lines get hit, our power could go out as well.

We are blessed, at times, by the Gulf Stream as well. It pushes warm water up the Bay of Fundy and there is not much land between that bay and the Northumberlad Straight, where the water is even warmer well into the winter.

All youse guys down there take care eh! And keep letting us know how you are doing.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 12:28 PM

We're still hanging in here with power, 20 miles up the Kennebec River in Richmond, Maine. But my mother down on the coast is cut off with downed trees; her back-up propane generator kicked in and is doing its thing. Her phone lines are also down but she managed to get through to me on the cellphone, although it's kind of hit of miss service. One of her near neighbors actually walked up her driveway to make sure everything was alright and reported back to me.

I hate to think what will happen to all this slush in the parking lot and on the walks when the temperature drops this evening. The resulting glacier will probably probably last until May!

Jeri-

You're lucky you can still post to Mudcat. Do you also have a back-up generator?

Amos-

#@***!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: GUEST,The black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 12:46 PM

Not all of the UK is feeling quite so temperate. We've bought a farm house 1000 feet up in the pennines. We got within 300 yards of it last Saturday in the car through the snow (trying to deliver a car load of stuff) and had to walk the rest. Dug the car out and took it back down the hill. Since then it has not been warm enough to make a significant difference to the drifts. It is raining now so I might be able to drive up there tomorrow, but the forecast is for -3 Celcius on Saturday night so there will be plenty of ice still.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Amos
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 12:57 PM

Charkey:

I understand your wrath against those who must battle hard but different elements than you do. Save up your anger, and let it all out when it comes time to defrost your driveway, or chain up your tires, or get the storm windows in place, or take stuff out of mothballs. That's what I do when I am faced with my elemental battles and have to overcome heavy obstacles like slathering on sunblock, laundering tee-shirts, or resoling my Birkenstocks.



A

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: gnu
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 01:14 PM

Gosh again. Just looked up from working away at my desk and I can't see out the window. Fogged on the outside! The tempearture has risen 10C in an hour. The rain is pouring and the wind is coming up quickly. Still no where what NE has, but it seems ominous... probably due to the news from NE.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: gnu
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 01:49 PM

Got some great pics this morning. Ice is deadly but it's beautiful in the trees. Got one pic of a crow in the top of a maple against the sky. Feathers all askew from the wet, the branches coated with ice and small icicles.... good shot. And, got some pics of apples in Mum's tree coated with ice... and black capped chickedees and Blue Jays ... AND, a Robin!

It was a young Robin... bugs me terribly. Why is it still here? Injury? Brain injury? Got left behind? Anyway, it sucked back the pork fat I put out for it, until I came back in the house and the crows and Blue Jays put it away from the grub.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Jeri
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 03:53 PM

Robins don't migrate, but they go into the woods and other places where you don't see them.

I have some firewood. While it was good enough to heat water for coffee, it's not heating the house that much. I found out where a couple of operational gas stations are and will try tomorrow. Supposed to get to 17° tomorrow.

Charlie, it's alaptop with a battery which may have one more boot left in it. They say 3-4 days until power may be restored.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: gnu
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 04:02 PM

Robins up here migrate... well, the smart ones do.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 04:44 PM

Jeri-

It will probably be 3 or 4 days before power is restored at my mother's farm, but I've learned that there were no major trees down on her driveway and her thoughtful neighbor is planning to chainsaw some of the larger downfall into firewood for his stove. I'll check on her personally on Sunday but everything seems to be manageable.

So you clearly still have phone or cable service, or is your laptop transmitting to some satellite?

We have lots of big pine branches down around our house but no loss of electricity. I even managed to shovel off the slush from the walks and steps, and most of the parking lot before it freezes tonight.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 12 Dec 08 - 04:54 PM

It was icy in Essex this morning. We had to scrape the ice off the outside of the windscreen, then we had to scrape the ice off the inside of the windscreen! the clock and the speedometer had both frozen! Tomorrow we go out in my car and not the landrover!!

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Becca72
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 07:08 AM

Stayed at my sister's Thursday night and most of the day on Friday. No work because my building was without power. Bummer. I drove home around 3:30pm yesterday and the roads were fine. The major problem was the fact that most of the traffic lights were out and no one knew what the hell to do. It was utter chaos at some of the major intersections. Bunch of idiots. Got home to find that I had power and cable and the cats were unaware of what was going on in the world (as usual). Got up really early to come to work this morning and didn't even have to scrape the windows on the car, which is good since I snapped my scraper on the 1" thick ice Thursday night.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Jeri
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 08:45 AM

I have a wireless modem, and I'm down to 20 minutes of battery life.

Slept warm with a mink blanket, down comforter and a hat. Didn't want to get out of bed. It only got down to about 44° but I didn't want to get out of bed. Today, I'm off in search of a gas station with power. If I'm successful, it's home again for chocolate ice cream soup for lunnch. If I'm not... well, I'd better put a sleeping bag in the car.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Midchuck
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 09:06 AM

Very lucky here in western Vermont, about halfway up. We got mostly snow, with a little ice on top, so no power losses to speak of. Fifty miles south OR east, it's a mess.

Of course, we were right at the center of the freak wind in April '07, and had several days of lost power and major road blockages from massive numbers of downed trees, and that was very local to us. So it all balances out.

Peter

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 10:50 AM

Just got cable back. Power went out 4:25 Friday morning and we froze all day Friday. Got power back about 7:30 Friday night. I didn't go to work on Friday but apparently most did.

The kitties hated being cold and complained bitterly until I crawled into bed with the bunch of them and we all warmed up.Wish I had had that generator fixed.

Sun came out on Friday afternoon and I cleaned off the car and the steps and put down lots of salt.

Freddie carefully picks his way across the perfecly dry porch and steps - guess he learned his lesson.

Jeri, there is a warm bed and heat here.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Alice
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 10:55 AM

I'm watching the storm blowing in here. I decided not to drive home 150 miles yesterday and just stay in Billings over the weekend, as I'd have to drive back here to work on Monday probably in a blizzard.

The company got a little apartment for me to stay in for the few months I'll be working here, so the only reason I go home on the weekend is to check my mail, do laundry and water the plants. Better to stay off the highway in this kind of weather. Laundry will be done in the sink, my son can go put the mail inside.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Amos
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 12:01 PM

Wow. I admire you all, honestly. I am reminded why I emigrated from the New England world.


A

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: goatfell
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 03:24 PM

Ice the winter kind, how can you get Ice outside during the summer, execpt if you lived in the north/south pole.

is there any other kind

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Alice
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 03:44 PM

our forecast:

"There is a potential for three to six inches of snow in the valleys and 12 inches or more over the mountains.
Strong north winds will produce dangerously cold wind chills and ground blizzards. Temperatures will fall to 20 below Sunday morning and 30 below by Monday morning."

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 03:49 PM

I know someone who was supposed to drive a kid from Seattle to Yakima today....I hope they stayed home.

We here in MD/DC area have it easy...so far...lots of rain last 3 days, but just cold & sunny today.

(Now I've probably jinked us)

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Jeri
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 04:04 PM

I'm going mildly stir crazy. Last I heard, it may be Mon or later. I'd leave, but I need to keep the fire going to keep the pipes from freezing. Need to find a place to recharge my laptop battery. Just about dead.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Alice
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 04:21 PM

Here in the little apartment (a small old house converted to 4 studios behind a motel) I'm actually warmer than I'd be at home. My house has drafty old windows and doors that need to be replaced. I'm so glad I have my laptop with me! Roads are closing and people are warned to stay inside. Why do I live in this climate? Remind me?

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 04:29 PM

Hint Amos - check out the Bert & I thread and get homesick.

Subject: RE: BS: ICE - the winter kind
From: Amos
Date: 13 Dec 08 - 05:50 PM

Ayeh, SINS. The one thing above all else I miss about the East Coast is people who sound like Kendall Morse.


A