Snow!

 Yesterday was cold and blustery and I fell short of my daily mileage quota of 5.5 miles, and before I left school yesterday, the school district told us we were all teaching from home today because of a forecasted 5-8 inches of snow on the ground in town for Tuesday.

It began raining at around 5pm yesterday, but at 35F, the snow was melting as it hit the ground.  It didn't turn into snow until around 8pm.  And it snowed all night long.  Our winter weather advisory was extended until 8pm today.

When I got up at 2am today to look outside, there were at least three inches of snow on the ground. Since we were told to teach from home and the first period today was a planning hour, I took the pups, Minnie, Zeke and Sweetie, down to the maintenance road for a quick romp.  

That's when I learned how bad the roads were.  Hereford Road wasn't plowed or sanded  (not that I expected that) and SR92 was no better.  In fact, all that rain yesterday had frozen to the pavement and the streets were completely iced over.  I saw a two-car accident at Ramsey Road and SR92 when I drove to my parking area on the cul-de-dac and emergency vehicles were still there when I drove home an hour later.  Drivers were moving at 30mph.  It looked like a scene from Chicagoland in a blizzard. More snow clouds were moving in from the mountains and the south.  It was the perfect day to stay inside.

People were coming to the area to try donuts on the ice.  I didn't want my dogs to get hit by an out-of-control car so I stayed on the dirt road and  walked south to the maintenance road, checked out the dry stockpond which was covered in snow, and walked back to the parked Honda. My feet had gotten wet enough in that short distance to get cold and stay cold all day.

The pups didn't seem to mind the snow.  They chased each other as usual.  Zeke and Sweetie walked through the desert without a care.  Only Minnie seemed to whine in pain.  I need to have her checked out.  Every step she takes is an effort and her steps are short.

I got back home at 8am and spent an hour trying to get my feet warm before class. I never did go back out into the snow for a second round after school. I only walked 1.5 miles today, the shortest distance this year. The snow in the backyard remained on the ground by nightfall, the first time in 16 years here that I've seen that.  Normally snow melts by noon. Even after the storm had passed in the evening, I opted to stay inside.  It was the perfect day to take a break from all that walking.  I'll be back on the trail tomorrow when Ellen and I attempt Thompson ridge tomorrow.

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