The Plaid Pladd

So maybe you’ve heard about North Carolina’s recent duel with icy winter death. Which isn’t just me being overly dramatic–Cary has sent me like 5 emails a day with titles like “SNOW COMMAND ACTIVATED: IT’S GO TIME” because that’s how the Town of Cary rolls. And I’m totally okay if you want to take this time to say something like “Why are people panicking over six inches of snow? Where I’M from we don’t cancel school unless children are eaten by polar bears and also I’m an ice road trucker and you are a wuss.” That’s fine. I get that saying things like that is the one consolation you get when you choose to live somewhere that turns into a barren frostscape of despair for half the year, so you do whatever you gotta do to avoid falling into a pit of Seasonal Affective Disorder or whatever. Call me if climate change brings another hurricane to the Northeast and you need tips. No hard feelings.

Anyway, Steven and I have both been safely at home for most all of it. The power’s been going off and on, and I definitely heard some transformers are Maynard blow up last night, but if you’re not immediately worried about freezing to death, it can be really pretty:

This was the view out my window yesterday around 5

It had slowed down by then (started around noon), although it continued to periodically rain icy pellets throughout the night.

Our apartment complex’s ancient AC units bedded down in the snow!

Of course, I had to go out to check on Trixie. Earlier we’d had the harrowing experience of driving home from the community center in the first blast of the storm, and she still might be traumatized.

We’re both from Florida, okay?

Which is probably why I couldn’t figure out how to get my windshield wipers to stand up like that. I actually tried this time, though, which is a first.

Clearly it means I’m becoming a Northerner

Yesterday evening when I went for a walk (to get the mail! Which had arrived! Neither snow nor rain nor glom of nit! Good job, USPS!) the snow was still all soft and crunchy and mostly pristine. Here it is near the mailbox, coming up around my ankles in my nice snow boots:

I don’t often get to use them for their intended purpose

This morning when I went out, the ice-rain overnight had hardened everything. Now instead of crunching down on the snow, your feet punch through a layer of ice:

That’s what it feels like, too, a punch. It makes for slow going

But I still walked around and took some pictures of things

Here’s Trixie, all covered in icicles

And here’s a pine tree, needles all icy and pretty when the wind blows

Here’s some dude’s truck all full of snow

Here’s the main road leading into my apartment complex!

It was looking pretty good this morning, thanks to Snow Command and Town of Cary’s A-Team (I have yet to really figure out the relationship between the two. The emails give clues, but nothing definite). Unfortunately, my apartment complex’s parking lot was still a sheet of ice:

Maybe it cleared up after I went back inside

Although I kind of doubt it because then this afternoon:

More snow!

Bring it, I hate leaving the house anyway.

Well, it’s true