The "Blizzard of 2015"

HI!
The second snowfall of the season was dubbed "The Blizzard of 2015." The news was predicting anywhere from 8" to 16" of snowfall in our area and more in the areas to the East of Denver in the open plains.

Here's a pic of the South deck during the snowfall with about 10" on the table and more still falling. It snowed softly until about noon and finished with around 14" total.

The areas to the East of Denver in the open plains got hit the hardest. Snowfall continued into the evening and, in places, the totals were near 2 feet.

But that wasn't their biggest issue. The winds kicked up and topped out at over 100 miles per hour gusts with sustained winds in the 60 to 80 mph range. I heard on the news that these sustained winds qualified as Cat 1 or Cat 2 hurricane force.

At one point, I-70 was closed down as several over-the-road trucks fell over in the wind and blocked up the freeway; at one point, 100 cars were stranded. Wouldn't you know it, the day of The Blizzard of 2015, Deb had a scheduled 7:00AM flight from Denver to Chicago for a knee checkup. That means we have to get up at 4:00AM to be at the airport by 5:00AM when the snowplows don't hit the road until 6:00AM to make things right for the morning commute. What normally is a 1 hour trip turns into 2+ hours on the road at 40 miles per hour in snow 10" deep. Thankful for good tires, full gas tank and 4-wheel drive!

As is usual here, after the storm the clouds disappeared, the sun came out and it warmed up (slightly). When the sun appears, the snow disappears .... but only on South facing surfaces. Our driveway faces South. I watched my neighbor using his snow blower to clear his driveway, manhandling the thrower around for about an hour. The other neighbor is low tech, using a snow shovel to clear his driveway. After about two hours, he had the snow piled where he wanted it.

Last year I too chose a low tech solution to snow removal and, using a shovel, moved the snow when it approached 3" deep. Clearing my driveway takes nearly two hours. Had to do that a couple of times when the storms dumped over 10". This year I went high-tech and used solar power to clear the driveway. Lots easier on me, but somewhat slower, the sunshine taking close to two days to melt all the snow away!

Here's what makes the snow worth having around. At sunset this evening, around 4 PM, the air was crisp and clean, the clouds pink with the setting sun, the deer were resting in the back yard, and winds were calm.

We went up on the top deck this afternoon and cleared a little snow, but mostly sat and warmed ourselves, looking out over the snowy landscape. Really nice to get a sunburn in the Winter!

First Snow of Winter

HI!

One of the things I'm slowly getting used to is Winter. Last year we moved into the house on Deb's birthday - November 17th and missed the run-up to the snow and cold. 

Deb says we were lucky to get a South facing driveway - I say skill. A South facing driveway means that the snow comes and soon after, the skies clear and the bright sun begins to melt it. Usually it's gone in a couple of hours and there's no need to shovel.

Not true in the North facing back yard. The snow comes, and because of the design of the courtyard, the swirling winds build drifts against the walls and the snow can get up to a few feet deep. No sun means no melting back there, and like Rochester New York, where daughter Kelli lives, the snow comes and stays around seemingly forever.

There's another lesson that the cold here is teaching us - the lessons of preparing for Winter. We completed the landscaping in late July, and (grrrrr) have a sprinkler system that needs to be drained. I have to find my snow shovel cause sooner or later I'll have to do some shoveling. A few years ago there was enough snowfall in Roxborough Park to strand people in their houses for a couple of days. Last year was the salt lesson. At the local grocery, one can buy bags of salt to sprinkler on the ice to melt it. Trouble is , the salt also ruins the finish of the sandstone deck and the concrete driveway; no more salt this year.

So, the succulents of Summer have been safely tucked away, we have anti-freeze car windshield washer fluid reservoirs filled, the hoses are off the spigots, the freezable water lines have been drained and we're getting ready for Thanksgiving.

All-in-all, I'm looking forward to learning some new (hopefully inexpensive) lessons this year. If El Nino comes true and we get dumped on, we'll get into snowshoeing big time. Watertown Canyon is the perfect place to learn. And, seems like I heard there are a few ski areas around; maybe it's time to find out if that sport is still available to me.

We are well; hope you are too.

Cheers!