Memories - - 67 & 78
Yesterday mid-Michigan had a snowstorm of consequence dumping 10 to 16 inches of snow over most of the middle of the state. I think this is the largest single snowfall in this area in the last several years. While coming home from work yesterday, at times I had maybe 50 yds of visibility and could see carlights and streetlights maybe another 100 yards beyond that. A normally 7 or 8 minute drive took me more than 20 minutes. I walked into to work this morning because the snow on the streets (which were largely but not entirely plowed when I left) was higher than the clearance of my car.
Far from the worst snows I remember.
In 67 I was almost but not quite 10, and I remember that it was only a couple of days after we got our first color TV (which was a big deal then), we got what was probably the worst snowstorm of my lifetime. They were predicting maybe 4 to 6 inches which was a significant snowfall but nothing compared to what we got. We got more than two feet of snow in a single snowfall and the winds had it drifting like you wouldn't believe. The Governor (I believe it was George Romney) ordered all Michigan schools closed that night and locally we had over a week of consecutive snowdays as the Road Commission couldn't get to their equipment to plow the roads. We were snowed in and snowmobiles were uncommon at that time. We lived in the country at that time and my bedroom was on the second floor; we had a snowdrift so high that I couldn't see my neighbor's house through the 2nd floor windows; I could only see the snowdrift. I came downstairs in the morning after the storm and there were 3 total strangers sleeping in my living room. Fortunately my parents have always believed in stocking up food and we were fortunate not to have lost power, which many in the state did lose. It was also the only time in my entire life that I remember my Father missing work because of weather. It was also several days before Mom would let me go outside.
I couldn't find a Michigan link, but here is the storm as described in Chicago.
Eleven years later in 78 when I was just shy of 21 and in college we had another beauty of a storm. We lived on campus and all classes and non-vital functions were canceled. My roommates and I went out to clean off our cars and we had trouble finding them. I found mine when I noticed a tiny bit of antennae sticking out of the snow about where I was parked. The girls dorm across the lane from my dorm had a snowdrift that reached almost to the 3rd floor.
We also had a guest preacher for a special chapel series who was supposed to go home that morning but all flights had been understandably canceled. He decided to give us one more sermon and he had an opening that few preachers ever get to use. I've always wanted to start a sermon this way and today I can. I am very unhappy to be here today. I guess you had to be there.
Here is a link to a news article that discusses that storm.
Far from the worst snows I remember.
In 67 I was almost but not quite 10, and I remember that it was only a couple of days after we got our first color TV (which was a big deal then), we got what was probably the worst snowstorm of my lifetime. They were predicting maybe 4 to 6 inches which was a significant snowfall but nothing compared to what we got. We got more than two feet of snow in a single snowfall and the winds had it drifting like you wouldn't believe. The Governor (I believe it was George Romney) ordered all Michigan schools closed that night and locally we had over a week of consecutive snowdays as the Road Commission couldn't get to their equipment to plow the roads. We were snowed in and snowmobiles were uncommon at that time. We lived in the country at that time and my bedroom was on the second floor; we had a snowdrift so high that I couldn't see my neighbor's house through the 2nd floor windows; I could only see the snowdrift. I came downstairs in the morning after the storm and there were 3 total strangers sleeping in my living room. Fortunately my parents have always believed in stocking up food and we were fortunate not to have lost power, which many in the state did lose. It was also the only time in my entire life that I remember my Father missing work because of weather. It was also several days before Mom would let me go outside.
I couldn't find a Michigan link, but here is the storm as described in Chicago.
Eleven years later in 78 when I was just shy of 21 and in college we had another beauty of a storm. We lived on campus and all classes and non-vital functions were canceled. My roommates and I went out to clean off our cars and we had trouble finding them. I found mine when I noticed a tiny bit of antennae sticking out of the snow about where I was parked. The girls dorm across the lane from my dorm had a snowdrift that reached almost to the 3rd floor.
We also had a guest preacher for a special chapel series who was supposed to go home that morning but all flights had been understandably canceled. He decided to give us one more sermon and he had an opening that few preachers ever get to use. I've always wanted to start a sermon this way and today I can. I am very unhappy to be here today. I guess you had to be there.
Here is a link to a news article that discusses that storm.
posted by shoprat at 9:52 PM
7 Comments:
LOL! No, you don't have to be there Shoprat. It's funny! If I were that preacher I wouldn't have wanted to be there either. LOL!
Snow. How I do miss snow. I don't want two feet of it in one snowstorm though, but just enough to stay on the ground long enough to say it actually snowed!
Hey, you remembered 78 but not the "Snow Blitz of 79"? Not sure what Michigan ended up with during that storm, but it was over 36 inches from January 1st-23 in Milwaukee. That one cost Chicago's mayor his job in the February election.
I love snow but, in those amounts, it's not much fun.
Make your mantra whatever you wish; it's either global warming or global cooling, depending upon your needs. How convenient is that?
BZ
And might I also suggest that you go into your Blogger basics and, please, DO AWAY with Word Verification. All you do with that is drive away those who would otherwise wish to comment.
The world, I promise, will not come crashing down upon you.
Because, otherwise, myself and others will likely avoid that which is more difficult. One reason I killed verification on MY blog.
BZ
I hate verification too, so I installed haloscan. Anyway, I used to live in the North and got a lot of snow. I don't miss it one bit!
I don't find it to be problem but I have turned it off - - I think.
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