And Even More...

Yes, we got another load of snow today, which means that I had to help shovel the driveway once I got home (makes it three time this week).  Thankfully the air was a bit warmer so the drive wasn't too bad, and the driveway is already melting the rest off.  But we could still get more, especially since we need the water.
Had my first math test today.  Trying to find the testing center was a challenge as my teacher had to go through the science department instead of the regular testing center.  Cold, windy, and a good fifteen minute walk while it was still snowing.  Not good for someone trying to focus on math without getting chilled.
I'm getting a regular workout from shoveling snow and traveling around campus.  Why do I have a personal trainer? Oh yeah, because that won't build the muscle I want consistently.

Grumble...

I guess not everyone has the expirence needed for driving in moderate to severe winter weather.  But you'd think it was common sense that if the roads are slick, you DON'T slow down when going uphill.  Downhill and on level ground, yeah you want to slow down.  But going uphill you need a bit more speed if you want to make it all the way up.  This morning I had several encounters with motorists slowing down on hills and barely reaching the top.  When traction is limited, especially on long hills, speed up a little.  That will give you the best chance of avoiding getting stuck on the hill.
I actually slid a little going downhill, but thankfully didn't hit anyone or anything.  Was very close to two other cars though.  Much closer than I'd like to get in those situations.  Snowplows were having a hard time keeping up with the snow, as it kept coming down for a good hour after I got home.  Good news is that as long as most of it was cleared up the rest melted when the sun came up.

Even More...

Snow?!  We got another foot here yesterday.  And we're supposed to get the same amount later this week.  My sisters poor dog gets buried when he goes out to do his buisness.  At least if he leaves the path she tromped down for him.  My mom's small dog has th same issue, and our big dog doesn't want to run-which she usually takes off when we let her out.
It's much warmer though, and the roads are only iffy without the big threat of sliding off the road.  And most of the stuff melted off by the time I headed home from school.
The snow made my brothers homecoming thing a rather sparsly attended affair, as it took the farthest out relatives a good hour(unless they left before it started) to get to our house.  But there was good food, fun conversations, and the typical hour of shoveling to be repeated throughout the afternoon...

More?

Not only is there a nice layer of ice, now we have thick fog that makes things even worse.  You can't see more than half a block away, if you're lucky.  Thankfully the ice has started to soften and melt, so stopping is not a big issue, but seeing in time to stop is.
There was a bus that slid into the back of a truck because of visablity issues.  No bad injuries, as no one had to be taken to the hospital, but I think there was a lot of damage.
My newly returned brother spent the morning clearing the driveway, so I didn't have a repeat of yesterday's slide.  But getting cars into the driveway proved quite interesting when my sister got home from work.  Even after my dad coated the driveway she still had trouble getting in.  She did avoid sliding into the snowbank though.

Of All Days...

Yesterday my brother got home from his mission.  I woke up with a headache that persisted all day.  Then his plane landed 25 minutes early.  We had difficulty parking, and it was very cold.  The inversion didn't help either.
We got home safely.  And the little celebration party was fun, as my sister and her husband came by with my other brother, their daughter, and their ward.
But today we got freezing rain.  That is simply where it rains, but the ground is so cold the rain drops freeze as soon as they hit the earth.  This forms a growing layer of ice the clings to everything.  I had to scrape off the side mirrors to my car before and after school.  Driving wasn't fun, and while I made it home, I got stuck in the snowbank on one side of the driveway because the car slid.  My dad had to sprinkle ice melt all over and shovel some of the ice off before we could get it back off.  The good news is that it was clear of the road, so there was no worry over cars hitting it.  I had to crawl out of the passenger side door, as the driver side one was blocked by the snow.

Cloudless Snow?

If you watched National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, You've heard the phrase 'cloudless rain'.  We've been getting cloudless snow every morning for the past week or so.  What happens is the air gets so cold that any moisture-like fog off a nearby lake-freezes and then falls like snow.  Without clouds.  Makes the stuff on the ground nice and sparkly, but doesn't clear the air much.  Plus your hands develope the habit of trying to stick to any surface they come in contact with.  Say your car door or keys.
And then you lose feeling in your fingers in seconds.  The windshield and side windows fog up so fast you can't see through them.  The light skiff is fun, but the frost that comes with it is not.  Unless it freezes to the trees-that's kinda cool, though I hope they don't start exploding.  If the sap gets cold enough, the tree blows open.  Splinters go everywhere.

Trying to Think...

The biggest issue I have with colds is the headache that often comes with them.  If I even have a slight stuffy or runny nose I get a headache.  And that does not help with keeping school work going.  I'm supposed to plan a science project, study for five different classes, do the homework for four of them, take quizzes and a test in the fifth, and find jobs to apply for.  Getting a cold throws all that out of whack, as I can't concentrate long enough to get any useful stuff done.
Plus we're moving things around this week in preparation of my brother getting off his mission.  He's coming home to an interesting situation.  I'm sick but getting over it, my dad is getting sick, my youngest brother just broke his wrist, my second youngest brother is courting pneumonia by walking an hour and 20 minutes almost every day regardless of the weather-though we did talk him out of going during the last big snow storm.