And Day Breaks...: Blizzard 2011

Showing posts with label Blizzard 2011. Show all posts

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Thursday, February 3, 2011

The sound came at 8:30 p.m. and then.... the PLOW. It's still going back and forth.... digging out Eastlake (where Reva was walking on the car) and coming down past me to dump the snow into the lake.

Can you say, 'Freedom"?

Facebook Exchange/ Keith.... K.S. is Miss Britta

K.S. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The street plow is here, the street plow is here!!!

R.V. Could you send it my way? No, wait. They're holding out for a front loader and a bottle of gin per. my alderman's office.

J.W. OK - a Bobcat just showed to clear the street and piled a 10 tall tower of snow in the driveway where the dumpsters for both condos are. No trash till spring I guess. Boo.

K.S. We hired a private company to do our alley as we were informed the city is not "responsible" for them... ugh.

J.W. Just found out the Bobcat was a private hire from across the street. They moved the snow from their driveway to ours. After a few choice words the pile is now being relocated.

K.S. Good for you Jim... that's TOTAL bullshit. What is wrong with people?

J.W. See, I'm butch.

Floating Islands

Staying connected.
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Pretty, huh? It's due to get bitterly cold here and if they don't get rid of this snow soon, the cold is going to make it truly impassable.

My neighbor, Steve who is a cop, jumped with certainty into his Jeep this morning. You can see from the tracks just how far he got before managing to back up, and re-park. If he couldn't have gotten back to his spot, we would all be screwed. Not that we're not anyway....

People are beginning to get angry. There is a man in the car across the way.... see the shovel? The roads just (by a block) west of us are passable, but we haven't seen a plow. After Steve parked he walked to the Alderman's office to complain and I just called to see what was going on.

Because we are at the water, there is no place to put the snow. They were looking for a front end loader, and by the time they found one... they were called back to clean up the school parking lots (school is re-opening tomorrow). He said maybe tonight, but likely tomorrow.

...............

I need to get back to work. I did call Human Resources today to ask if I could cover this time off, somehow. She had already given me vacation day. Glorivi! ")

Paul Schwartz - Miserere.mp3

Found at: FilesTube

I found this piece of music on XM, the day before the storm and played it a lot during and after. As darkness fell and the winds rose... as large, unseen things took off from roofs and slammed somewhere near the building... as we listened to the news and watched our world become impassable.... as we fell asleep listening to the onslaught... when I woke up the next morning and took out a very confused but happy dog, I thought this truly was the perfect song for the experience.

Miserere, by the way, means Mercy.

Reva's photos....I think much better than mine...

Yep. That's the front of my building.

Day 2

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Digging Out

I guess in the morning I will go and dig out The Hereafter. No good reason to do it, except it will make me feel like I'm doing something.

I look out on the street that hasn't changed since I saw it first thing this morning. No plows...nothing has come by. There are stories of communities who have dug themselves out, and I begin to think that if any of us want to get back to work any time soon someone had better start shoveling.

Second thing tomorrow.

First, I have to call in.

On top of the....?

I've been staring at a big mound of snow from my window all day. It caught my attention because it's where Meander and I usually play.... a flat piece of park. We went out and ventured over. Well.

Work could be a few days way.

If you notice, those people are walking at the same height as the snow fence. The snow bank goes all the way across the street. And... well,

If you walked up on it, there would be a car...

And then you look behind the car and realize.... Reva is standing on top of yet, another one.

Whoa....

From a friend's walk to the store.... Thanks, B.

Lakeshore Drive

There are still over 300 cars on the drive, windshield wipers up to show that they have been checked and are empty.

John Williams just talked to a woman stuck on I-47, south of I-90 with four dogs in her car. She is within a contingent of 40 cars that aren't going anywhere. While they were talking someone came up to give her water. She asked them when the plows were coming, and was told they weren't . They were stuck as well. She asked them what she should do, since she lived 7 miles away and was thinking of getting out and walking. She had half a tank of gas.

The men had walked from another road, quite some distance away. She asked if she and her dogs walked to that road, if they would take her home. They said yes, and she said goodbye to John, got out of her car and left it.

Update when it comes in.

The Hereafter is Stuck

It occurs to me that I can dig myself out, but I won't be able to get down the street. God knows when they will finally be able to plow the side streets....

.............

A friend just walked to the store and saw a city snow plow. He asked when the side streets would be plowed and they answered, maybe next week. Looks like I'll be taking some vacation days.

Not a good thing.