Fall storm 2015

November isn’t usually a month for big snows. It’s true that Denver has had some monumental storms, usually around Thanksgiving where two+ feet of snow get dumped on a delicate population of warm-weather drivers. In the foothills November 16 brought a whopping blizzard to the area.

It was great fun.

Everyone started making fun of weather forecasters because the snow started quietly enough with gray skies and light winds. By 9 p.m. the jokes and memes had made the round on the Web and it was pretty funny. Forecasters poked fun at themselves and sat back and waited.

Around 10 p.m. the wind started to howl and the snow came down sideways.

Slowly we began to believe the forecasters.

By morning the snow had stopped and I had about a foot of snow in the open areas and two feet up against the house and Subaru.

My plow guy showed up early and asked me to move my car which was a challenge because it was basically buried. Another challenge is the all-season radials on my car. They are wholly insufficient for deep snow. The only tires that work are snow tires. For me, it’s back to Big O Tires.

By mid-day the sun came out but the wind continued to make the day cold and clear.

It’s really quite beautiful on days like this. I love wind in the winter but not in the summer. It brings an invigorating energy to the area that equals walking on the beach on a stormy day.

I caught the plow guy before he got too far into the driveway because the man is good but he’s too thorough and scrapes the road down to the dirt. It’s not necessary because the sun hits the driveway hard year-round and Mother Nature will plow it herself. He agreed because my driveway took a toll on his blade last years. His rate is still $75 per storm.

I’m grateful the wind has blown some of the snow off the roof because it’s easier to keep ice dams from forming. There’s a pretty sinister overhang over the back deck. I’m not going out there to shoot it because there’s two feet that even the cats don’t want to attempt to cross.

The cats are content to be within three feet of the woodstove that’s been burning steadily all day.

Every cozy spot is spoken for by either Petticoat, Skeeter and Buzz.

It’s a good day at the Bar B.