Snow

We got a little bit of snow last night ... about 50-55 cms (22-23 in) of it. As usual with radio, tv, etc. it's hard to get actual facts and there's some discrepency on the actual amount ... but that's what we measure in a low spot in front of our house. Most of the snow drifted around the houses, levelled out onto the street and then drifted again around the houses across the street ... so we measured by the street. According to the Hamilton Spec (click here to read) we may have set records for the most snowfall in a 24 hour period in the over 100 years. Unfortunately they're doing the record keeping at the airport and from our understanding the east mountain was the hardest hit. We haven't actually been able to get out to testify whether this is true or not. Now AM 900 (here to read) is on the other extreme saying that some area could get 75 cms by the end of today.

Our neighbour lady said there is only one other time she can remember having this much snow from a storm. Funny ... as a kid I remember it happening more often ... but then, I didn't live in Hamilton.

Regardless ... there's lots of snow out there ... and of course I had to take some pictures ... so be prepared!! :)

MacMaster was cancelled today, at first only in the morning, much to Rob's distress as he had a midterm at 12:30pm and they didn't plan to revise their plan until 11am ... that would hardly give him enough time to make it. It was a take home mid-term, meaning an essay that he should have had done ... but he didn't (because he counted on the cancellation) ... and he was still hard at work at it this morning. Finally he realized that whether they decided to have school or not, he wasn't going ... there was no way he could get out of here. (In the end school was cancelled for the day) So we all went outside for a while ... James also, there was no way he was going to be left out. James had been asking since breakfast time to go out, but we told him he had to wait until he was doing having his feed ... the second his feed was done he made sure we held true to our promise.

Lots of snow is great, but really ... it's not. James could only walk on the area that Rob had cleared, which was fine for him, he was content with that. But the girls didn't really know what to do. There was so much snow in the backyard that they couldn't even get into it. They did crawl over a smaller drift to get their sled out of the shed ... but what's the point, you can't sled when the snow is this soft. They had to find that out for themselves, since they wouldn't listen to us. And ... anyone got any suggestions on how to keep snow out of the boots (besides duct tape, I hate duct tape). Soon as they step in a drift they sink down and their boots get full ... even with their snowpants over top ... likely from when they bring their foot back up to take another step. But they still had fun ... and Friday when they have a PD Day we can go out and dig our way through the huge drift in the backyard and make a nice big fort ... that should keep them busy most of the day. Rob spent the majority of the day shovelling ... our driveway and 3 others, and now finally (9pm) the snow plow (or tractor would be more accurate) came by and he's on his way out again.

Can someone tell my why whenever I post a picture using the Center option it doesn't enlarge when you click on it?? And really ... am I doing something wrong ... it's sure a pain when you want to load more then a couple pictures. :) And why is it that they come out published way different then they look when I put it together as a draft ... talk about a pain!!

So here come the pictures:

(Left) James walks out the front door to discover a wall of snow in his way
(Right) Fun running up and down the sidewalk

The drift beside the house
The drift into the back yard ... pictures don't do that one
justice as it was at least up
to my shoulders

(Left) Notice the stuck truck in the background blocking off our street for a while

(Center) Least we don't have to dig that one out

(Right) Snow in the boots

A glimpse of the house ....
kinda hard to really see how
much there is

The drift at the neighbours. We'll have fun getting James to understand he has to stay home after today