nlbarber

It's Thursday, after we got 4-1/2 inches of snow (measuring the pile on top of my grill) and sleet Sunday night/Monday morning. Those of you from areas that routinely get a couple of feet of wintry stuff can go ahead and sneer, but Atlanta just can't cope with this level of snow. I'm sure there's some incompetence involved, but most if it, I think, is the lack of equipment, and it's just not worth buying plows and stocking salt for a storm that comes along every 5-10 years. (The paper did have an article about GaDOT's sanding efforts that mentioned that all the crews would stop sanding during shift changes, during which time the snow accumulation would get ahead of them never to be beaten back. Comments from those who knew better were "you just don't *do* that! Rotate the shift change and keep the trucks on the road.") So anyway, the major roads are mostly clear, but some side streets are still sheets of ice. Tomorrow should see highs in the 40's, and that should finally end the travel problems.

Schools have been shut all week. Mail got delivered yesterday and today, though I happened to walk out as my mail carrier was approaching and waited by a un-iced spot for him. His truck was in a mostly controlled skid as he came down the hill--he had not been having a very fun day. The newspaper delivered Monday-Wednesday papers on Wednesday, but hasn't gotten today's issue to me yet. My office was closed until today and then opened late, but I elected to work from home anyway. Word is that grocery stores are finally starting to get truck deliveries through--I made it to the Northlake Publix yesterday, looked for chicken pieces to cook for dinner, and they had one package of legs and 2 roasters. Period.

Things should be all better by the weekend...

Sun's out, snow is melting...at least in places. The temperature is not quite above freezing, but should be there soon, and hopefully that will let most of the roads clear for travel by late afternoon, and before things re-freeze overnight. This is the good (and typical) pattern of an Atlanta snow....one day of panic, screwed up traffic with all of us "can't drive in snow" drivers, pretty scenery, and then it mostly goes away the next day.

At the moment, there's *more* snow in my driveway and yard than at the end of the precipitation. The high pine trees that fill my yard all had heavy snow cover, and as things warm that snow is coming down in flakes, plops, globs, and hunks. Thumps on the roof signal the hunk-level, and the flake-drift has covered up the squirrel food I put out in a flat feeder.

Beef-vegetable soup is simmering, and should be ready for lunch. I didn't think of baking bread early enough (unless I do soda bread), but there's left-over whole-wheat challah from last night.