How Are the MD/VA/PA Members Doing

[crokett]

With all that snow? I was sitting here grumbling about 40 for a high for the next several days until I remembered your weather the past several days. I also fear for you when all that snow melts.

Good luck.

[TB Roye]

I heard a while ago the south is going to get hit again with snow. It finally stopped raining and looks good after a small storm Friday. Looks I can drive to Boise late next week for Grandsons Blue and Gold ceremony in Scouts. Feel for you people back there.

Tom

[atgcpaul]

Thanks for asking. My shoulder is about to give out on me with all this
shoveling. Need more Aleve. I'm also taking care of my parent's house 1/2
hr away while they're on vacation so I'm shoveling their drive, too. They're
supposed to fly in tomorrow. Don't know if that's going to happen.

I'm also paid hourly and the gov't been shut down for 4 days now. I'm trying
to log as many hours online as possible but I can't do all my work online so
this week I won't be seeing a full paycheck.

However, I have it pretty good. I'm just a being a big baby. I really feel for
the low wage workers who live week to week or the people who have to ride
public transportation. I only saw bus service one day this week and there is
no above ground Metro rail service so a lot of people can't even get to work
even if their work is open.

I volunteer for a food shelter where food is handed out on a daily basis to 20
families/night. Sometimes they run 2 shifts. They've been closed for the
week so those families have had to go without for a while.

There are also several thousand people without power since last week.Oddly,
in the richer neighborhoods. Different municipalities have set up warming
shelters.

Thankfully with all this, there have been very few reported fatalities. The
media and public officials have been very conservative about the outlook and
have done their part to urge people to stay home and off the roads.

This is just an overwhelming amount of snow for this region. I think most
people have been good natured about it (just don't go to the airports), and
the public works people have been doing a phenomenal job trying to keep the
roads clear. They have to deal with a lot. The first storm really pushed them
to the limit. This second one was smaller but now they're trying to figure out
where to pile all the snow.

Like I said, I've been lucky, but my biggest complaint is that my dogs like going
out in this stuff. And my one dog refuses to poop on pavement and all the
grass is covered up. He's found a good spot behind my shop to go. I guess
I'll have to deal with cleanup in the spring.

Paul

[x00018]

Lovin it

With all that snow? I was sitting here grumbling about 40 for a high for the next several days until I remembered your weather the past several days. I also fear for you when all that snow melts.

Good luck.

I keep hoping for more snow. We have about 28" on our deck and I keep hearing cracking noises once in a while. I can't wait to see it collapse. My roof will be next and should make for great pictures when it gives out.

Anyone wanna buy some real estate?

[mineengineer]

Almost back to normal

I live in southern Pittsburgh and we got 30ish inches in snow since Friday. Shovelled all weekend and then had to run down to Beckley WV and then drive back to the burgh during part 2 of the snowstorm for work. When I got home had to shovel even more snow because my nice neighbors decided that the parking spots I cleared were a good place for their cars to be parked. Only problem here is I am running out of places to put the shoveled snow because my piles are getting to be 6+ feet high and unstable. How much thermite would I need to vaporize about 100 cubic yards of compressed snow. I saw on the local news that roofs on a few houses were starting to fail due to the snowload. Cant wait for spring.

[David D]

I can't complain. This is the most snow we've had that I can remember in over 10 years. My wife and daughter have enjoyed the school and work closings. I got laid off the first week in December and I have had plenty of time off, so it's not that big a deal to me. My biggest fear has been losing power, which thankfully, we have not this year. Last year we lost power for about 11 hours, but were able to keep our living room at about 60 degrees thanks to our fireplace.

With all the time off, I've been able to spend time organizing my little (and I mean LITTLE) shop. The problem is that it's been too cold to spend much time out there, let alone doing any work in the carport which is where I have to set up my power tools to work.

All in all, I can't complain. We're doing just fine compared to many folks.

[BerniePA]

Well, we have been fortunate on two fronts. One, we have not lost power as have many. Two, a neighbor up the hill with a 4 wheel thing with a plow on it has been down to plow us out twice now for the low price of five gallons of gas.

One thing this has confirmed for us, is that we made the right decision four days before the storm hit to list the house for sale and if we can sell, we are moving back to Arizona!!!!!

[just started]

I live in southern Pittsburgh and we got 30ish inches in snow since Friday. Shovelled all weekend and then had to run down to Beckley WV and then drive back to the burgh during part 2 of the snowstorm for work. When I got home had to shovel even more snow because my nice neighbors decided that the parking spots I cleared were a good place for their cars to be parked. Only problem here is I am running out of places to put the shoveled snow because my piles are getting to be 6+ feet high and unstable. How much thermite would I need to vaporize about 100 cubic yards of compressed snow. I saw on the local news that roofs on a few houses were starting to fail due to the snowload. Cant wait for spring.

I would put the new snow where the old came from (the original parking spots).

[crokett]

I would put the new snow where the old came from (the original parking spots).

I was thinking I would put the new snow around the neighbors' cars who parked in your parking spots. then I'd pour water on all of it.

[Joe DeFazio]

I was thinking I would put the new snow around the neighbors' cars who parked in your parking spots. then I'd pour water on all of it.

Crockett, I know you were just kidding, but it happens around here. Sometimes you're really stuck and can't get where you're going (it's very hilly around here, and many roads are still impassable without a large pickup or SUV), and there is absolutely no place to park except spots that folks have cleared out. I helped a young mom with a baby and a toddler today; she was stuck in the snow and managed to steer partially into someone's parking space, where she got stuck again. She was going to leave it and walk the short walk home, because, obviously, her hands were full and the kids' safety takes priority. Another neighbor and I got her moving again. Of course it sounds funny, but wouldn't be much fun if it happened to you.

Here are some examples:

I. From the Post-Gazette:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10041/1034666-51.stm

[quote]
The year before, in Mount Oliver, a motorist discovered what happens when you test tradition and raise the wrath of a parking chair devotee.

A woman had spent more than an hour clearing away heavy snow from a spot, then left to run an errand, leaving a chair behind.

When she returned, she found the chair pushed aside and a car parked in its place. Seething despite the sub-freezing temperatures, she got her revenge.

When the parker returned to his car, he found it encased -- including its tires -- in a layer of ice from the garden hose.

[end quote]

II. About 3/4 mile from my house:

From http://community.livejournal.com/pittsburgh/

PITTSBURGH -- Longtime Pittsburghers know the unwritten code of saving parking spaces with a chair, and the tradition is in full effect after a storm dumped 20 inches of snow on the city last weekend.

Neighborhood justice can be swift -- like in Squirrel Hill, where someone cleared a spot on Hobart Street and left a chair, but the chair was later moved and another car parked there. That car somehow became buried in snow, and a sign left at the scene said, "Now yinz know not to break the rules."

[woodturner]

With all that snow? I was sitting here grumbling about 40 for a high for the next several days until I remembered your weather the past several days. I also fear for you when all that snow melts.

Good luck.

A lot of concern about expected flooding when the snow melts. It is melting, just slowly. We will be better off with mid-20's to mid-30's temperatures for a while, so the slow melts slowly.

Drifts are a big problem around here. Most of the snow in my yard is 4' deep or so, due to drifting - snowfall was only 30" or snow. Piles of snow shovelled to make room to park two cars on the street are over my head. Problem is where to put it, now that the piles are so high. Snow plows clear the streets, but bury the cars again with ice and heavy frozen compacted snow. Snow blowers don't work - too deep and too compacted.

I'm concerned about my roof, but it's holding for now. We have slate roofs around here, with asphalt shingle porch and garage roofs. We also have a flat roof on the shop/garage. The snow easily slides off the slate roof, onto the flat and asphalt roofs and accumulates there, adding weight and depth. Can't really do much but hope for a slow thaw.

[jziegler]

You forgot about NJ and DE, we got just as much as the states you mentioned. Other than sore arms from all of the shoveling, things are getting back to normal. Back to work today, after 2 days off mid week since DE declared a state of emergency and had travel restrictions in place (you could be arrested driving around without a suitable reason).

Here are a couple photos of my town in the sonw on Saturday, there is even more now. Conditions Wednesday were not good for photography, and yesterday was too bright and too many cars around.





http://jziegler.smugmug.com/Landscap...86119501_vVnNN

Jim