SNOW!!!!!!!!

Snow is an awesome event in my area.  We are in the mountains of Western North Carolina but almost in the upstate of South Carolina which puts us in a kind of thermal belt.  Good for growing vineyards, riding horses and playing golf year 'round, and reasonably moderate temperatures.  If the forecast remotely hints that snow could visit our town, the local supermarkets are immediately bombarded and stripped of anything that could be a nosh while watching the snow fall.  Why people think they have to buy milk, bread and other supplies amazes me.  Most of us have enough in the pantry to last a month and feed a good part of the neighborhood, too.  Anyway, that is tradition and one I have known since childhood.

Snow was predicted for Friday morning, December 18.  Not just snow but A LOT of SNOW, SLEET and more SNOW.  Wow!  This was going to be one birthday (December 19) that I would enjoy.  "The Husband" and I live on a curvy, steep road but had no plans to venture out.  He came home from work at 10:00 AM on Friday just before the skies let loose with a storm that would not abate until late that night. He had filled his truck bed with cement blocks and if not for those, the curve and our driveway would have been impossible.

Flakes like huge feathers and then a rain of pure ice and more snow was the pattern for most of the day.  The snow fell so fast and furiously that we accumulated over an inch an hour at one point. News reports were stating accidents, over 500 since noon and pleading with folks to stay home.  All the Interstates and main roads were impassable for miles and finally closed.  Traffic was totally stopped and drivers had no recourse but to wait and hope the gas held out.  This happens out West and up North, where people are prepared and know how to drive under adverse conditions.  Doing the grocery run is about the extent of Southern snow knowledge.

The day was delightfully gloomy, perfect for lighting the gas logs, holiday music, books, movies and lots of hot tea. (Well, wine later in the day, too.)  Below is Friday.  We were so lucky to have power, water and phone all day.  In the surrounding area, over 75,000 would not be so fortunate, some waiting until Monday for heat.  The snow was nine inches by Friday night and the temperature was in the twenties.  Not the norm, to be sure.  The tiny prints on the porch were Lucy and Abbi "sledding" on the snow that had blown in through the screens.  While taking the last pictures of the day, I managed to capture snowflakes in action.