Tag: Climate

Posted on

The Blizzard may finally be over!

IMG 2635Woke up to another foot or two of snow this morning.

Great!

That being said, it looks like the storm fronts are breaking up and we’ve got some sun breaking through the clouds. It’s doubtful that the sun will help much today because the temps will remain in the upper 20s.

Seeing the sun gives one hope that warmer temps are on their way for at least 5 days. Then there’s the possibility of more snow on Sunday and Monday. Fingers crossed it’s just a dusting.

I’ve got some really great neighbors. After clearing the back decks and stairs for Jesse, I went out front and found my neighbors using their snow blowers to help clear a large portion of the driveway. I cleared the front deck and did the detail work that can’t be done with a snow blower.

IMG 2631My driveway is almost wide enough for me to get my car out of the garage. I’ve got to do more shovel work to widen it some more and open the driveway entrance up a bit to allow for more maneuvering to back out, or back into the garage. Right now there’s just not enough width to allow making the turn.

There are a couple of dogs who’ve been roaming around the neighborhood for the past day or two. They look healthy, have collars, but no tags to allow us to contact their owners. They’re friendly but I don’t recognize them as “Locals”. It’s likely that they simply walked over their fence on top of the snow. Jesse is also very close to figuring out that he could get over the fence if he really wanted to.

Thankfully he’s more interested in being with me, than roaming the neighborhood.

These dogs may be wondering where their people are. No-one has been able to get into town for about five days. It’s possible that the the owners of these dogs have been kept off the mountain by the storm. If these boys start looking hungry, I’ll give them some of Jesse’s food reserve so they don’t starve waiting for their “parents” to come home.

IMG 2638The winds are dying down so it’s not quite as nasty to be out and about.

There’s an agreeable symmetry to this storm.

In 1992 the other half and I were planning the move into this house. It was mid March and had been warm and sunny for two weeks. The roads were clear and there was no snow to be seen. The night before the move, it snowed… A LOT! We ended up moving into this place using sleds. The local kids were more than willing to rent us their sleds for 10 bucks and the more entrepreneurial of those kids even provided the horse power to drag the sleds full of our meager household goods across the snow for us. At additional cost, of course!

It was totally worth putting cash in those kids hands.

They’re long gone now, having left to start their own families but their faces lighting up as we handed them $20s for their work was well worth it. Their Fathers and Mothers smiling about the industriousness of their children was worth it too. The neighbors also knew we were stand up folks and welcomed us. We’d fed their children while they worked and made sure they took rest breaks and were safe.

Now that the other half is gone, somehow a snowstorm seems appropriate. This is my last Winter in my little mountain town.

There’s still much to do, and the logistics of moving are daunting. But I’m convinced that leaving is probably the right thing to do. There are too many ghosts and memories here. Most of them happy, some of them sad, but the life I had is over.

It’s time to move on, hopefully a sweet couple who’s just starting out, will buy this place. It’s a good place, in a good town. Maybe whoever buys the place can make make a lifetime of cherished memories here as we did.

IMG 2629I’ll miss this place I’ve called home for 30 some odd years, of that, there’s no doubt. I’m sure I’ll cry the last time I drive away.

I’ll have to make time to appreciate this last spring here at this place, my home. I’ll also have to remember to take in the spectacular sunrises and sunsets.

There’s always been something magical about the light here. I’ll miss that too.

The road ahead beckons.

Posted on

More Snow… Oh happy day

So the forecast calls for another ten inches possibly in the next 24 hours.

Wonderful!

The winds are kicking up too, so being outside is truly miserable. The dog walked outside, stood on the deck for a moment then turned around and came in. Even he’s over all this now. 

I was able to take yesterday off which is a good thing. My knees were starting to complain a lot.

I’ve got food so I’m not going to starve but I think it’s going to take a long time to be able to get the car out.. 

I don’t have to be anywhere thankfully.

One of my neighbors is super pissed off at his employer of 19 years. They’re bitching at him to come to work. He pointed out that the roads are closed and have been for almost a week. He directed them to the CHP and CalTrans both of whom say there are closures and travel restrictions. 

His employer’s response…

No you can’t use your vacation days. No, you can’t take the time unpaid, You chose to live there. So your job is now in jeopardy.

WTF? 

That’s like telling someone after an earthquake or mudslide, “Well you chose to live in California.” Or telling someone who lives near the coast, “You chose to live near the ocean, so missing work due to a tsunami is your fault.”

This is why employees typically, and justifiably hate their employers. It’s not necessarily your boss. It’s the HR and Executives dogmatically and heartlessly following a set of rules, policies and procedures. 

I’ve been though what my neighbor is going through now, with some of my previous employers. It truly sucks and stresses you out in addition to dealing with the shit you’re facing.  It also places people at risk.

Years ago, I spun out on icy roads and trashed my vehicle due to threat of losing my job. When I got back to work in a rental car a day or two later. HR demanded to see the CHP accident report. I gave them a copy of the report and then told the HR director to go fuck herself while I was being “counseled” for my unexcused absence. She was truly surprised that I quit on the spot. I didn’t need to clean out my desk and didn’t. I grabbed my backpack and walked out. She called security trying to have them stop me from leaving. Yeah, it was that important to her to have the last word. The security guy waved me through the door with a big grin. He whispered, “Fuck that cunt,” as I walked out.

I’m hoping now that San Bernardino has declared an emergency that the neighbor gets his employer off his back. 

I understand the concept of employers being about making profit and that employees facilitate that profit. I’m good with it.

However, blaming someone for where they live is out of bounds. This storm is an unusual event and storms like this happen only once in ten to fifteen years. You’d think that an employer could look at the situation with heart not just through the lens of rules and regulations.

I’ll note that none of the employers in my history EVER once said, “Thank you for staying in a hotel so you can be here during a major storm at your home.“

They were very quick to berate me when something unforeseen prevented me from being at work.

Employers will happily fuck over every employee with bullshit rules about gender equity and trans rights so they can virtue signal. But be a “Normal” person who’s shown up, & done your job, for years… Oh you’re disposable.

It’s not nice, but I really hope my neighbor’s boss and his union representative have the roads to their homes inundated by a mud slide. I think that it might be funny for them to have a taste of their own medicine. 

If I was my neighbor, I’d be waiting to tell my boss and the union rep, “Well you chose to live in that area…”

Posted on

The Dog has more common sense

IMG 2561Here is a picture of the dog this morning. He has no appreciation for all the effort I put into clearing the deck and the stairs so that he could get down to his yard.

He literally went down stairs, peed, and this was him immediately after he’d finished. 

Note the ears, that’s his “Oh HELL NO,” attitude.

IMG 2557

While my driveway was clear yesterday.  The snowfall over night was enough to park waist high snow in it.

This is without question the worst snowstorm I’ve seen in 30 some od years up here. 

Global Warming… My ass! 

I’m kidding, I know that you cannot judge the validity of climate change by only one storm. I’ve also been here long enough that I remember 3 similar storms occurring about every 10 years or so.

IMG 2580This one is the worst but only by a foot or so of snow. I don’t remember one being so late in the season. But conditions were apparently just right.

It’s the luck of the draw. Some years there’s not a lot of snow, other years the snowfall is pretty evenly spaced out and years like this, Winter saves it all up and hits you just when you’ve put the snow shovels away.

IMG 2572The lump in one of the photos is a car. I don’t know exactly how much snow we got. I can tell you that there’s no place to pile it up anymore. 

We got a break for a couple of hours this afternoon and then got hit again with heavy snow for a few hours. It’s tapering off now but it added about 3 inches to the grand total. After I’d managed to dig a trail from the base of my stairs out to the street.

It was annoying, but that’s the breaks.

The main street that comes into our neighborhood has not been plowed. No-one is going anywhere until that street is done and even then, it might take a couple of days of sun and warm temperatures before it’s a sure bet we’ll be able to get back up the street.

IMG 2568Going down won’t be a problem. Gravity will see to that getting back up the street is the hat trick.

I’ll work on posting some other photos later.

Right now I’m exhausted and thinking about heading to bed early.

Posted on

I thought we were done with Winter.

Uh NOPE!

IMG 2547We have blizzard warnings here in Southern California. What???

It’s been snowing pretty consistently for the past 24 hours. Thankfully it’s been light and fluffy instead of the wet heavy stuff.

That being said, it’s very windy and bitterly cold. Today 28°F is warmer than it was yesterday. The wind chill is making it feel like 18°F.

The dog who loves snow, wanted out. When I opened the door the wind kicked up blowing a bunch of icy snow in his face. He looked at me, then turned around and curled up on the couch. I’ve never seen him do that before.

I’m going to have another cup of coffee and breakfast, then I’ll bundle up and get to work. I’ll have to fire up the snow blower to pitch in with the other neighbors to keep the road open.

IMG 2550Finding places to pile the snow is going to be a problem. We’re expecting it to keep snowing until Sunday. Some forecasts call for up to 5 feet. For us it’s more likely to be 3 or 4 feet if the forecast is anywhere near right.

Then we’ll have a break for a day. The forecast calls for additional smaller storms until Wednesday.

On the plus side, I’ve got nothing to do except continuing to clean up stuff around the house. On the down side, I’ll run out of space in the trash bins and it’s likely the trash pickup will be delayed next week.

I’ll try to update this post with pictures once I get out in the neighborhood.

If you’re a skier or snowboarder, DON’T come up here right now. The roads are a real mess. Our resources are stretched thin and if you get into trouble, you’re probably going to be on your own.

IMG 2549Even in good conditions, you should travel with water, a bit of food, and extra, warm outfits. There’s nothing quite as uncomfortable as having to wear wet clothes in the cold.

Be Safe

Posted on

On the nice side of life…

We had our first snow of the season last night.

IMG 2518

The dog is overjoyed! Me, not so much. But we’ve successfully cleared the decks, driveway, and a good chunk of the road.

My exercise ring is complete, the activity ring is mostly complete, and my stand ring has a way to go. My knees are aching but there’s no sharp or excessive pain so I think I’m good for the moment. What remains to be seen is if I’ll be able to move tomorrow.

Getting old is a challenge, but on the bright side I can legitimately be a crotchety old man!

The solar panels (which are still not online) appear to be clearing themselves quickly. The snow wasn’t high enough to block the black frames so they started heating up when the sun hit them. Then the more the panels were exposed, the more heat they absorbed and so on. I enjoy watching natural effects and seeing how they impact stuff in surprising ways. 

Honestly, I hadn’t thought about how the panels would affect snow sitting on them. I kinda thought that once covered, they’d stay that way until a thaw.

The poor UPS guy got his truck stuck, the driver had no idea how to handle Ice and snow. The more he struggled the more the truck started sliding sideways until it looked like he was going to hit an electrical pole.

A neighbor and I helped him out. I asked him how much it was worth for him to get out… I think he may have thought I was serious. We got him righted and I promised him we’d get him out without damaging his truck. 10 minutes, and a little instruction from the neighbor about driving on snow later, the UPS guy was on his way again. UPS should maintain their tires better. That truck had six bald tires and shouldn’t have been running up here or for that matter on a wet road.

Word to the wise, don’t screw around with UPS trucks on wet pavement, give them wide berth, the driver probably can’t stop even if they want to.

It’s a sunny day now, that should finish clearing the icy spots on our street, and will hopefully clear the roads in the upper elevations too. A couple of roads up, the houses are mostly vacation homes so there’s no-one to clear the streets or drives.

I’m guessing that we’ll have the first snow players up here tomorrow and then through the weekend. Maybe this year will be better than last and they’ll keep to the designated play areas. I know it’s unlikely, but I can still have a smidgeon of hope.