I'm jealous of you folks in the Northeast anticipating the storm.

[FLPanhandle]

Maybe it's being a Florida guy who doesn't get to see snow, but one of my favorite times in NYC was during a big snowstorm about 6 years ago. Walking down the middle of Broadway without a car in sight. Amazing experience.

Stock up on your beer and wine and enjoy the snow. Don't break anything shoveling.

I'm jealous.

[femmocrat]

1. I love a good snowstorm!

I get all excited.

I went to the store today and bought extra birdseed and ingredients for a pot of homemade chicken soup. My idea of heaven. LOL

[Hortensis]

2. And stock up on snow shoes. I know I've seen

and occasional picture, but do NE cities allow skiing when the roads are totally undrivable?

[Ruby the Liberal]

31. Yes

I have cross country skis to get to work when there is over 12" Lots of us do.

[matt819]

3. Jealous?

Come on up and help me shovel my driveway

[we can do it]

67. Mine, too.....Takes about 5 hours after a big storm.

[matt819]

80. Looks like FLPanhandle gets off easy

Looks like the storm is heading east before it gets to us. So FLPanhandle only has to drive up from FL, through the blizzard, and shovel we can do it's driveway.

[we can do it]

81. The funny thing is, this storm will be passing us to the east (for once)

Normally we get hammered in NE Ohio.

[we can do it]

82. A neighbor died in a blizzard a couple years ago letting her dog out.

She only cleared a little area outside her back door, fell and froze too death.

[liberal N proud]

4. I would trade Florida over this crap any time.

We are not in the path of this storm, but it has snowed for the last week.

[FLPanhandle]

7. We have to deal with our own white stuff down here.

[liberal N proud]

8. Yeah, that's tough to deal with

[BlueJazz]

27. Here in Sarasota, we have a lot of that grainy stuff also. It's...it's just horrible...and worse,..

...men and women walk on it with hardly any clothes on ! Disgusting.

[Calista241]

75. I hate you.

[Glassunion]

5. All stocked up...

4 - Bottles of Wine
1 - Case of Fireplace Gel
1 - Wild Boar Roast (one bottle of wine will be sacrificed here)
2 - Snow shovels
4 - Board Games
1 - Big soft blanket to lay out in front of the fireplace for me and my wife to picnic on

I'm looking forward to it.

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. What is fireplace gel????

[Glassunion]

24. For those of us whithout a chimney. Kind of like a sterno, without the smell.

This is the model we have:


What you put in to make a fire:

[TheBlackAdder]

28. Non-Toxic Gels - Even they can promote pulmonary issues.

.


Watch methanol based ones and check on hydrocarbons and other stuff in its packaging. They might even have an MSDS, available on request.

If there is a colorant, they can contain metals that, even when burned, are bad to breathe.


After reading about all of those cancer agents and neurotoxins in those anti-odor sprays, some having over 70 of them, I worry about introducing anything to the atmosphere of the room. And this is someone who used to work around a welding and machine shop as a kid to young adult. My sister used to sing in night clubs, never smoked, yet she came down with emphysema and COPD at 62.

I'd like you to be as healthy as you can


.

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. How long does one can last?

[Glassunion]

49. 2.5 to 3 hours

3,000 BTUs per can.

[dixiegrrrrl]

70. Hmmmmmmm

You may have given me some good news.

I am in my den, the coldest room in the house, , which is fine in summer but not so much in our damp cold winters.
Have an oil filled floor heater, but a fire dries the air out much better. and heats faster.

Going window shopping.....thanx.

[Glassunion]

78. They sell other indoor items besides fireplaces that can still be used with the gel...

You should only use these in a metal enclosure of some sort... Don't just light them without being in something that can diffuse the heat of the can... Those cans get very hot.

There are lots of companies that make great smaller and portable units that you can use in multiple rooms...

[dixiegrrrrl]

79. No worries, I understand.

Mr. Dixie will have so many "what ifs" that it is impossible to do anything dangerous....

[pscot]

42. Youtube can help

[Glassunion]

50. Very pretty. However doesn't heat the house when you lose power.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

6. I am jealous, too. I love it when it's snowing. There's a quiet beauty and a peace about it. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. The beauty of the first snowfall is hard to deny

I lived in rural areas where, when the snow fell, all traffic shut down.
I can remember stepping outside and hearing the sound of snowflakes coming down.
And the smell of snow.
Acres of evergreens covered in snow.
Even the chickens were quieter.

All of that was wonderful for the first couple days.
The next 2 weeks of freezing temps, frozen snow, downed power lines, no so much.

Luckily, I had wood heat and oil lamps, and during the day the snow reflected enough light that reading and house chores was easy.

today, I enjoy my easier life in snow free country.

[smirkymonkey]

41. Yes, I must admit the first heavy snowfall is beautiful and peaceful.

Especially when you can hole up inside with a fire burning and nice cup of tea or cocoa and a pot of hot soup.

However, it gets old pretty fast. We have no accumulation here in Boston yet, but it has been absolutely freezing and windy which makes going outside just miserable. It's not even February and I'm over it. I really hate the bitter cold!

[dixiegrrrrl]

44. Even down here, Jan ahd Feb. are depressing.

We have bright sunny days most of the year, but not so much these 2 months. I get pretty blah.
But much better here than in the Pac. NW where sun, despite last summer's unusual heat, is normally a rare sight from Nov till March!

[Adsos Letter]

61. I lived for 18 months at the northern end of the Willamette Valley

Never in my life have I seen it rainy and gray for so long.

[Jim Beard]

47. I don't think this one is going to be quit

[we can do it]

69. 3-4 inches is just as pretty and not anywhere near as dangerous.

[Takket]

9. get in your car.......

get up to about 25MPH in heavy traffic, close your eyes, and swerve your steering wheel back and forth. That's pretty much what you are missing.

[GreatGazoo]

10. Used to work for a ski resort

The best days were when it snowed so hard that they closed the roads and mountain was almost empty -- just employees and untouched powder!

[FLPanhandle]

11. As someone who doesn't get to go skiing very often but loves it.

That sounds wonderful. An experience regular folks would never get to have.

[annabanana]

12. Tell ya what...

You come shovel and salt the porch and walk so passers-by can't sue for falling. Then when the winter sun is just warm enough to melt some of that stuff.. and the water runs into the shoveled area, then nighttime freezes it slick and solid again..
YOU go out and re-scrape and salt every bit of it again...and then,
Then when the winter sun is just warm enough to melt some of that stuff.. and the water runs into the shoveled area, then nighttime freezes it slick and solid again..

for a week or so.

Also, dig the car out so you're not late for work.. come home at the end of the day and find the spot YOU carved out is full of someone else's car.

Remember.. It's only white and clean and pretty when the sun comes up the first morning. Other than that it's a disgusting, frigid, dirty dangerous mess.

[FLPanhandle]

16. I can see how that would get old.

However, I think I would still enjoy it the first few times.

Good Luck!

[SammyWinstonJack]

37. And get standed on your property for two weeks because the

snow melted, froze and you can't get down your driveway.

Thaws for a few days, then another freeze and stranded for another solid week. Ugh!

[we can do it]

66. I hear ya sister. It is not fun. Power outage at 5 below zero not fun.

Frostbite, not fun. Digging the same crap out several times a day- not fun. Physical therapy to correct back problems from so much snow shoveling- not fun. Wasting money on all the added expenses- not fun.

[Brother Buzz]

13. I like snow like this

Close enough to view, or even drive to. This fifth generation Californian doesn't deal with snow well.

[planetc]

14. Our sense of wonder is tempered, of course ....

I think all of us are delighted by snow. Yesterday, I marveled at the longest, slowest snowstorm I could remember. About 3 flakes per square yard, it looked like, just drifting down. And not accumulating much at all, with so little volume. But tomorrow I would like to get somewhere, and once again I will be grateful for a functioning bus system. When snow is falling at 4 inches per hour, you need a vehicle with authority to get home from work, for instance. A bus is such a vehicle. Thickly falling snow slows it down, but I haven't seen one stopped yet.

I didn't find anything amusing about the plight of Washingtonians last night. An inch of snow is no problem, but if it's lying on top of a quarter inch of ice, then you immediately have a class-one driving emergency. And if Washingtonians got through the night with mostly fender-benders, they are to be congratulated, because they did the right thing, which was to slow the flippin' heck down, and come to a stop if necessary. Car drivers get used to arriving somewhere in the minimum amount of time, and they get fearfully impatient when inevitable delays happen. Living with frequent snow and ice teaches you humility.

So, Panhandle, I think you sound like the sort of person who not only would enjoy the sight of snow, but could also learn to drive in snow, and very close to ice, and emerge with yourself and your vehicle intact. Snow is beautiful, but most beautiful when seen through your window with all travel completed for the day. Then the snow is exquisite!

[FLPanhandle]

17. I think I would enjoy the watching it.

I would annoy other drivers though by going too slowly.

[ProfessorGAC]

59. Actually, Pan. . .

. . .most of those of us who live in snow country are more annoyed by those who WON'T slow down when anybody with common sense knows it's not safe to drive at normal speed.

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. You phrased that so eloquently

Couple of years ago I read that a Seattle afternoon snow storm had resulted in people being trapped in their cars on the freeway and city streets for up to 18 hours.
Could not figure that out, having been in Seattle for many years, never saw that happen in snow, but have not been back there for
a decade or more..
So I called my kids up there and asked.

No one knows how to drive in snow anymore, they said, Too many people from non-snow places have moved into Seattle.
the roads got plugged up almost instantly with stuck car accidents.

I like the part about snow where you stay home and look out the window.

[leftynyc]

15. I'm looking forward to it

It's on the weekend so cleanup will be easier and we've seen only flurries so far this winter. But good on you for mentioning the shoveling - it's much harder work than many think and heart attacks are a real danger. If you can't afford to pay the kids down the street, please, please do it in stages and don't wait until it's very deep.

[Facility Inspector]

18. Black Ice

intense blizzard on Interstate 94 at 4 am, can't see trucks' 4 ways until you are 10 feet away.

follow the ruts.

TONS of fun.

[CommonSenseDemocrat]

20. Because of global warming, we don't get them that often :(

[Tommy_Carcetti]

23. As a former Northerner turned Floridian, I can honestly say....

....I'm not in the least bit jealous of that.

Shoveling snow sucks.

[FLPanhandle]

25. Staying in hotel and just experiencing it probably helped with my excitement.

Still, a big blizzard...watching it fall...empty streets. There is a beauty there.

[Jeroen]

26. I'm jealous too ;n/t

[SDJay]

29. I Enjoyed The Anticipation

When I lived in the snow belt, I liked going to the store and getting food, beer (of course) and whatever else I needed knowing that I'd have perhaps a couple of days to just stay home and ride it out. I also enjoyed knowing that there was no way I was going to be working anywhere but from home for a spell.

As said, though, I didn't like the drudgery of the ongoing hurdles like black ice, shoveling, driving in certain conditions and my worst enemy at that time in my life - the street plow guy who would dump 2-3 feet of snow at the end of my driveway that was so dense that the Incredible Hulk would've cowered from it after 5 minutes.

But now? I like the fact that I won't have to deal with it. I've often joked with myself about how apocalyptic it would be if San Diego ever got even an inch of snow.

[zipplewrath]

30. Hey, I was there for that

December 18th, 2009. Snowed like heck on Friday. Central park was beautiful. I got some great photos.

[FLPanhandle]

32. Yes!

Saturday morning walking out of the hotel early and it was amazing! I wish I had made it up to Central Park.

[Ruby the Liberal]

33. The best parts

Are when you painstakingly shovel yourself out only to return to either the city having plowed you right back in, or a neighbor's visitor in your spot. Because that is awesome. LOL

[mrmpa]

34. Do what we do in Pittsburgh

one you've shoveled a parking space, you put a chair in it & it's your chair & your space.

[flamingdem]

58. Interesting cultural document

[ProfessorGAC]

60. No Longer Legal In Some Cities

Besides, in Chicago, people were stealing the lawn chairs, and then parking there anyway.

[steve2470]

35. I can so echo your envy, I did the same thing last year

I walked around Manhattan during the big snow storm last January. Next winter trip will be to Brooklyn.

[Blue_Tires]

36. Just back away from the keyboard and go golfing

or boating, or just go to the beach and oogle some eye candy...

You'll feel better...

[FLPanhandle]

39. You made me laugh

Although I am planning on boating this weekend.

Still jealous.

[Kingofalldems]

40. Can you come up here and help me shovel?

[FLPanhandle]

43. ummmm

No.

[phylny]

45. Here in our part of Virginia, we have a few good snowstorms a year,

usually in February, and it melts within a few days. I'm fortunate that we don't have to work if the weather's bad, so I'm really looking forward to hunkering down over the next couple of days - as long as the electricity stays on

[Cadfael]

46. We had a big one here in the Chicago area

February 2011 - it's better on paper than in person. Especially when your 100 lb black lab decides he needs to widdle at 3am. I had to take a shovel out the front door, slog through 2 foot + drifts to the back of the house, and shovel a 4x4 ft patch for him outside the back door. The snow had drifted 3 1/2 feet up against the outward opening back door. Sigh. It is beautifully quiet during a heavy snow though...until the chorus of the snow blowers starts. And thunder snow is pretty cool. I fell on the ice in our driveway coming back from getting the mail, so I'm kind of over it for this year.

[ProfessorGAC]

62. That Storm

So, weird thing is i was on a business trip to a place north of Toronto. It snowed there, but nothing like back home.

I get back to O'Hare and they had plowed the lot. But, since my car was there the whole time, all the plowing was up against my car.

I had to get the parking lot people to help me get the car out.

Then, when i back out, i had to spend 10 minutes unpacking the snow from around the brake discs. I essentially had no brakes.

Finally, i get things right and head home, only to spend the next 90 minutes of daylight and 6 hours the next day blowing the snow.

Big fun.

[Jim Beard]

48. I survived Goliath a couple of weeks ago. What was so bad is it was a Blizzard

We had 2 full days of blowing snow and after the snow left, it drifted more. I live in a rural area and conditions were worse in town because none of the snow stayed on the roof making more snow to ground area.

Over 2500 dairy calves were killed by the blizzard. They had shelter from above but not from the sides. It took a few days to determine how many were lost.

I'm caught up on blizzards for a while.

[Sanity Claws]

51. I'm preparing by stocking up on food

I will be home all day and will cook my little heart out. I am planning to make two different types of soup and a chicken dish.
I'll freeze it and have nourishing food for next week and longer.

[bigwillq]

52. I'll send some your way. I dislike snow.

There's not much fun about it. I have to work all weekend.

[Smarmie Doofus]

53. Switch with me. For this week.

I'll leave you as much beer/wine/hard stuff as you want.

Just this week. 7 days.

ALL YOU CAN DRINK.

Food too.

[dorkzilla]

54. As long as I don’t have to drive and I’ve plenty of booze

I love a good snowstorm, me. Not too many, but a few a year are fine with me!

[Smarmie Doofus]

56. You're not touching that bottle, Dorkzilla.

Drinking doesn't affect you? How about the time you had a two-day hangover from a slice of *rum cake*?

Maybe some station will run a Honeymooners marathon.

[steve2470]

55. I've been half tempted to go to Brooklyn now

I can't do it, because of real life commitments. There's always another time.

[Freddie]

57. I'd be fine if DH's employer was not an asshole

DH is manager of a wholesale auto parts place. They sell parts to garages. NO ONE will be getting their car fixed tomorrow and I'm sure 99% of his customers will be closed. DH works every other Sat. (of course, tomorrow). Will the Big Cheese in Corp. allow them to close? Highly unlikely if there's $1 to be made. Between utilities and payroll they will lose $$ being open but Corp. don't seem to care. Grrrr.

[B Calm]

63. I've seen snow in Florida. Feb 1973 I got my discharge from the Navy and drove in a nasty snowstorm

from Florida to Indiana.

Check it out. http://www.americanwx.com/models/raleighwx/studies/feb73.html

[Go Vols]

64. Snowflakes here big as silver dollars

in Southern Mid Tenn,about an inch in last 45 min.

[tabasco]

65. OK. Getting buried right now in WV.

I'm at elevation, so this is going to be a rough one. I'll be amazed if the power stays on. Fortunately, heat with wood.

[B Calm]

68. Heating with wood too. Wood heat warms to the bone!

[a la izquierda]

71. Nothing but some flakes in Morgantown at the moment.

I'm meeting some friends for happy hour before we're all snowed in for the weekend.

[tabasco]

72. I'm in the eastern part of the state.

It's blowing your way! (maybe?)

[a la izquierda]

73. They're saying 2 feet out our way...

But most of the bad stuff will be tonight and overnight. We'll see. Heck, 2 inches had Morgantown in gridlock the other day, so I'm not planning to go anywhere by car.

[tabasco]

74. Just got six inches here on Allegheny Mountain

Kind of slacked off for now. I'm going to shovel my driveway before the next round hits!

Stay warm and Go Mountaineers!


Oops - spoke too soon - here it comes again !!!

[HockeyMom]

76. After 10 years of living in Florida (job),

we are moving back North and retiring as soon as the house sells. Besides family reasons, we miss the 4 Seasons, AND SNOW.

[gwheezie]

77. I'm waiting for my power to go out.

It's gonna happen. Then no heat or water. My neighbor will send her son over with the tractor and get me. It's too far for me to walk in a blizzard. I'm laid up with bronchitis. I have water stored to last about a week, it sometimes takes a week to get power on. I probably should go over to her place now.

[Sam_Fields]

83. Ha! I grew up in Michigan and they can have their blizzard.

I now live in W. Oregon and we might get one or two days of 1/2 inch of snow in the valley and that is enough for me.

[Freddie]

84. DH a**hole employer update

They're closed tomorrow! He's been with them 11 years and this is the first time he's been there that they actually closed for snow! They've closed early a few times but never flat-out closed. And my daughter's a nurse and this is her weekend off. Yay to all.