Weather in January...

In December we wondered where the winter was. Wearing Capri pants at Christmas was a little different. Usually it is at least cold enough for jeans and sweaters. Well, winter found its way here in January. We had some very cold days for Kentucky. No moisture at first, just really, really cold. Then the first snow of any measurable size came last Wednesday. We only got maybe three or four inches in Sadieville but it left the roads in a bad way. Claude kept getting text messages from Jack Donovan who is over Emergency Management for Scott County. Two of them were wrecks on I-75. They cancelled all activities at the church for Wednesday evening. I called the Papa and told him I was not taking him to the nursing home to play a DVD for the residents. Then I called the nursing home and asked them to play the DVD we left last week. Claude made soup and we had a nice evening at home.

Thursday the 21st was a clear day with the forecast for major snow beginning that night and going into Saturday. I spent most of my day at Papa's being sure he was ready for the weather. Purchased his groceries. Cleaned his home. And made sure the garbage can was out front for his garbage pick-up. It was full and I wanted to be sure it was out on the street and back before I left. I did not want Papa trying to move it around with the ground still have a bit of snow and being soggy and uneven to walk on. 

I also shoveled his driveway and walks. I found the cutest foot prints when I came to Papa's apartment that day. They were by the front door. 

Papa loves the little critters that roam around his apartment. Thankfully he is in a location where there are lots of them. As a child he loved to be in the woods and just be still and watch the animals. This is one good thing in his life. I paused and took this picture with my cell phone to show Papa the cuteness of the critters in his yard. I have not seen many bird foot prints in the snow that were clear like this. It just amused me so much. I posted this picture on Facebook for others to enjoy. Then one lady noted that it appeared to her the bird got away from the cat just in time. I was crushed. It never occurred to me that the cat was chasing the bird for a meal! I just enjoyed the little bird foot prints. Well, I still enjoy this picture but I really wish that struggle for life was not also in my head.

The garbage man came about 4 pm. I pulled Papa's garbage can around back and headed to Sadieville. The snow came but not until about 9 or 10 am Friday in Sadieville. Claude and I stayed inside all day Friday and Saturday.  We were all asked to stay off the roads unless you really had to get out. Schools, businesses and churches closed.  The forecast was more snow than Lexington had ever received in one day. 

It was really hard to get an idea of how much snow fell because of the major winds blowing it around. We are at the top of the hill and it really blew around up here. There were drifts well over a foot high and then spots where the concrete showed on the driveway. We shoveled our driveway Friday evening about 5 pm. Learned in Maryland with the snow storms there that clearing 4 inches of snow several times during a storm is much easier than clearing feet of snow after the storm. So we cleared Friday in the evening and then Saturday after it was all done.  We met at Papa's house Sunday after church and cleared his driveway and around his HVAC unit. It was buried in snow and having a hard time working. It purred like a kitten once we cleared the snow away and knocked the iced off the outside. 

Not sure the final official measurement for Lexington. Even the weather man said they were having so much trouble with the wind and blowing the snow around that they were having a hard time getting that official reading. The snow storm was an actual blizzard by the time it hit the east coast. One of the kids I taught in Seminary lives in Frederick, Maryland. She posted this picture on Facebook of her car in the snow after the storm. It is the thin dark line center left in the picture. 

It was very pretty snow...from inside my warm home.