More Snow

Bangor Maine Police Department
18 hrs ·


Dear Mid-Atlantic of these United States of America.

I think we all knew it could happen. Every year when you pack up your well tanned family and head back home from our tiny piece of paradise, you look back and see us raking up our leaves and putting our snow shovels by the door. You always sigh, knowing that we will be dealing with winter in a far different way than you will.

With lobster traps on your roof and pine cones in your carry ons, you think of us with with warm memories of fantastic sunsets, thick accents and great clam chowder. You talk to the family about coming back next year and enjoying all that Maine has to offer.

Down deep, you feel sorry for us. You know that we will be moving snowbanks, raking our roof, smashing ice dams off the shingles and stoking the wood stove with the dollar bills that you left behind.

Listen, this storm is going to miss us. This is not typical and we want to share a little advice of how to make it through an epic "snow event" unscathed. We want you to come back next year. Here are a few tips.

1. Don't panic. It's just frozen rain. It does go away so don't try to move too much at one time.
2. Don't shovel too early and don't wait too long. Pace yourself. Go out every few hours and move a little at a time. It can hurt your back, arms and legs. You always wonder why we all walk funny. It is not because of the clam chowder.
3. Heart attacks in big snow storms are rather common. Help out your neighbor who is older, out of shape or that has known health problems. Helping them move some snow (better yet, let your offspring do it) is better than calling EMS while you are doing CPR. Seriously.
4. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy all the bread on the shelves. As a lifelong Mainer, I recommend cereal. No better reason has ever been invented to eat Golden Crisp, Honeycomb or Captain Crunch (don't get the peanut butter flavored. That stuff sucks). You will need milk and of course a bowl and spoon. You probably already have that in the house. I have lived for several weeks on only Rice Crispies and Snickers.
5. Get some batteries and flashlights that work. Nothing is worse than going through the junk drawer and finding only 1 D battery when you need two. LED flashlights are awesome, cheap and last and last. You might need one to find the cereal.
6. Charge your Cellphone. If you have a generator, you need gas. You look stupid trying to start a generator with no gas in it. Don't ask me how I know. Do not run the generator inside a basement or garage. Yes, people do that. Usually only one time.
7. Toilets flush without electricity. If you fill your tub with water, you can use it for all kinds of things, including flushing the toilet. Also, to wash cereal bowls.
8. Fill your car up with gas. If you get stuck somewhere and have to run the car, make sure you clean out around the tail pipe and do not fall asleep with the car running. We need you to come back next summer to buy more lobster and lobster traps. Pine cones are free.

Most of all, take care of each other. Be nice and invite neighbors to hole up at one location. Hide expensive things, but help them. (that's the cop talking).

You will be fine. We drink lots of coffee and complain when we get hit like this storm. It works ok. It makes us grouchy but that's why you come here in the summer. To hear stories from grumpy Mainers who sell lobster traps. Now, you will have some of your own to share with us when you get back.

Be safe and well and if you have any Cap'n Crunch left after the storm. It keeps very well. Bring it up this summer.

The men and women of the Bangor Police Department are rooting for you. You got this.

We will be here!

 

Funny but true! Our 26 year old son is leaving this evening after work, hopefully after doing things he needs to do to get ready, leaving by 7PM. Destination 1400 miles north to lower Minnesota. His buddy will co drive so they can maybe get there by dinner time Saturday. There he will pick up his girlfriend and return the way he came to NW Florida sometime Monday.
I see on my weather maps that roughly from Birmingham north of Nashville is expecting heavy snow. That's the routes we take. But I do it in summers. This smart kid of ours laughs and says he has new tires and fourwheel drive. I might add he's been in Florida since he was almost five. He hasn't had a lot of experience driving on snow or ice.
Ya ever tried to tell a boy not to go get a girl? Hope he takes some Cap'n Crunch for the girl and her dog.
I told him to have a great life in Minnesota. Maybe after the snow melts he can find his way home. As for me, I'm still wearing my sandels and black sox. Black is warmer than white in this frigid 70 degree weather.

 

Yikes, is he really going to drive through that snow??? From a girl's point of view, I'd rather have my boy a day or two late then not at all.

Cute story Yellerspirit. A humors way to get the point across. Thanks.

 

damn it was so cold i almost had to wear long pants

 

I'm sure glad you had pants on the day we met at the Grill.


A love story about an old GMC Blazer, a girl, a dog, a dumb boy........ and his friend.
Since I spilled my guts about our son and his travels to the north country to get his GF and dog, I'll add this update.
He said from above Birmingham, Al to almost Illinois was scary. From Birmingham to north of Nashville traffic was moving at the amazing speed of 25-30MPH, when it moved! Cars, trucks, buses, and station wagons in ditches and or wrecked.
Up the long rt 24 hill out of Nashville big rigs were spinning and stalling. Somewhere west of Nashville he got gas and had to drive in foot deep snow. 4-wheel drive to the rescue.
After that things got better, then Kentucky looked like the great white north. Still roads were plowed and traffic at 5AM was going 40-50MPH. Still he shoulda known. 100's of vehicles in ditches. Next thing he knew rear of Blazer was slippin and sliddin all over. Ended up backward in middle. Paying attention to things dear old dad had said he put it in overdrive, backed farther into ditch, drove along the highway and back on safely.
I asked him about his shorts. No comment. Used 4-wheel drive next 200 miles into Illinois.
He was thrilled he got pictures of some big arch with the raising sun shining on it in southern Illinois
. Smooth sailing all the way to lower Minn where he ran smiling thru the tulips to greet his GF, or the dog!
1400 miles, a bizzard, 24 hours. Not bad for a kid that hasn't seen snow since he was 4 1/2.
Last heard still dry all the way to Florida and passing Cedar Rapids, Iowa southbound and hammer down.
Fuel is $1.40 to $1.80 most places except Florida. $1.90 here for warmer gas!

 

SNOW ???????????

More sand!

 

Whew dodged a big one there!

 

Sometimes I worry!

 

Yeah, we got some snow. Snow kept on coming for several hours after I took these pictures. I've been shoveling for three days now and will be shoveling the sidewalk tomorrow and shoveling a path to the mailbox tomorrow.

 

NW Florida-------------

 

While your poor defenseless cars are here.

7-Day Forecast: Decatur
Monday

• 43°
• 30°

Cloudy, Sctd. Showers

Tuesday

• 34°
• 23°

Mostly Cloudy

Wednesday

• 33°
• 25°

Mostly Sunny

Thursday

• 40°
• 28°

PartlySunny

Friday

• 43°
• 33°

Mostly Sunny

Saturday

• 51°
• 34°

Mostly Sunny

I'd feel better if it was colder

 

Decatur is 60 miles or more south where it's warm.
Still much of the midwest hasn't been real cold so far.
Glad I'm not in the NE USA.

 

Do you add those numbers together to get your temp?