“There is no exquisite beauty… without some strangeness
in the proportion.”
Edgar Allan Poe
(a foot of snow blankets the yard / Julie Cook / 2017)
Whereas this unexpected early December Southern Snow has blanketed us with a
deep white blanket of mystical silence and stillness…it has not come without
a wealth of woe….
The school systems in and around the Atlanta metro area…north and westward…
school systems who usually err on the side of caution actually decided to listen
to our meteorologists who glibly reported that,
whereas it looked as if there would be some snow….,
we’d been so warm up to now that any snow would be fleeting.
A lite dusting that wouldn’t stick to roadways or driveways as it had just been
simply too warm for any real need for worry.
In other words, a short lived event.
This was to be taking place on Friday.
So on Friday, everyone opted to go about life as normal…
This is the deep South you know….we don’t really worry about winter weather
this time of year.
And so right on que the rains came, turning eventually over to snow.
And then it snowed and it snowed, and it kept on snowing…..
The schools scrambled and quickly decided that perhaps they should release the hounds students…
And so we had everyone in a myriad of counties all starting to unleash madness
upon the roadways all at the same staggering times.
Staggered releases seemed to be the best option…yet it was still snowing…hard.
Snow and ice were beating the release times.
Buses found it impossible to deliver their tender cargo as the snow and ice
were blanketing roadways…making traveling up and down hills impossible.
Our very pregnant daughter-n-law, who teaches here in our county but lives in Atlanta,
opted to come to our house verses trying to navigate the snowy icy interstates back
home to Atlanta as the News was painting a terrible traffic picture.
A typical 15 minute drive to our house from her school actually took her 2 hours…
as cars were now slip sliding away.
In fact my husband had to go meet her a mile from our house as cars had simply stopped
in their tracks on the roads as others had landed in the ditches and she was stuck in
the middle. It took him 30 minutes to get to her…a drive that should have taken two minutes.
Meanwhile, limbs were falling left and right in Atlanta.
It is a city known for her plethora of beautiful trees…yet snow and ice are not
kind to trees.
A snow laden limb fell on our son and daughter-n-laws house,
literally ripping out the power lines from the house….lines now laying dangerously
across the lawn.
GA Power has come to access the issue and now needs one of their certified
electricians to come out and reconnect the lines into the house before
they can re-run the lines from the pole to the house…
lest all things blow up.
Our son, dad’s cat and the grand dog are hunkering down in the dark, without heat
as the temperatures plunge down into the teens….
waiting for word of this elections.
This as I watched today those who really suffer through these sorts
of weather events…the animals…
as well as those who have no shelter to call their own…
As God watches over both animal and man who remain without….
(notice to the left of the two bulls, the wee head peering out from the crack
in the dilapidated barn)
(the poor cold bulls / Julie Cook / 2017)
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Psalm 5:11
cookiecrumbstoliveby 
Wow, here in Minnesota we’ve yet to get more than 6 inches total this year.
I’m telling you— we’re simply upside down — we’re heading over to Atlanta with a generator
Hang in there! My husband likes to tease me, “you’re worse than a Southerner in a snowstorm.” He’s right, I stop driving and stay in the house. He of course, is fearless.
To me it often seems as if 90% of the problem is caused by officials, school officials and road crews. “It’s snowing, everybody get out on the road and go pick up your kids.” Were I live we almost never clear the roads, except sometimes to pile it all up right in the middle of my street. We can take six inches of snow and build a mountain nobody can cross. Don’t even get me started about our “sustainable, organic, non removal snow program”…..that actually cost a few hundred grand.
We’ve driven over in the 4 wheel drive truck— as my husband thinks he could drive on owls grease and be perfectly fine— owls grease is supposedly very slick I’m told — we’ve brought the generator- lucky neighbors—-and the lines are so bad we’re in line for an electrician to come out first, with the bill on us, then the power folks are to come hook us back up as the other neighbors are already hooked back up— but brenton and Abby, which is so much our luck, are sol— sigh—so much winter fun 😑
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging and commented:
Praying all will be well SC 🙏⛄
Prayers that the animals are Ok and that things clear up soon. I know things come to a standstill when it snows down south, but take heart, all that snow will help the flowers grow again.
All these giant pines are gonna have to go!!!!!
Ooooh nooooo
Oh, my… what a terrible time you all are having! And we prepared here in Northern Virginia… and simply received your “light dusting.”
Praying for your son… glad your daughter-in-law chose to head to your house. God was definitely in that decision! Love and Hugs!
We’ve brought the generator and are waiting in line for the electrician to first come rewire the house before the power folks can reconnect to the pole —
😑
@lynnabbottstudios
Stole my lines!
😆
@Julie (aka Cookie)
Having been through several hurricanes, I think we are better off with the weather forecasters, but weather forecasters are only guessing, and public officials are only guessing about the quality of their guesses.
I think they hit hurricanes better— mainly because they can see those spinning suckers— these cold fronts, mixed with precipitation, are a bit more dicy 🌪❄️💨🌨
@Julie (aka Cookie)
Maybe, but I think we are just more frightened of hurricanes. People are a lot more relieved and thankful when a hurricane is not as bad as predicted.
That is so true— my aunt who lived in west palm beach would practically need to be sedated whenever they mentioned the possibility
We have it now in the UK Julie. Eight inches today in the Midlands. More across the border in Mid-Wales. We haven’t left the house today. Our neighbour who works for the power company was called out 14 hours ago and still isn’t home.
We’re siting at brenton and Abby’s while the electrician is repairing the wires from the house — I can see my breath in the house- I do hope he hurries — either way we’ll be taking Abby back to carrollton with us as their school is canceled but staff has to report — it’s pretty for a day— I’m now ready to move on!!— stay warm
I hope it all gets sorted out quickly Julie. Our house is connected via buried cables, but older properties are via overhead cables. Not many schools are opening tomorrow. Temperatures are plummeting and it is not going to be good on the roads in the morning.
Funny sounds the same as here ☃️❄️
And so far we have no snow! Keep safe!
The temporary inconveniences of such snow are soon forgotten…………..but the lasting impressions of those otherwise colorless flakes………….when collected……………appear so so so snow white……..and the beauty of creation and order………… dwarfs our frowns because it upsets the customery apple cart. 😉
that’s why weather, of which is most always more powerful then mere mortal man, is such a reminder, to me at least, that there is One who remains so much greater—so much more powerful—yet so masterful, artful and creative in the Awesomeness known as weather…both good and bad
Aww, the bad side of such beauty. I love snow as it comes down but I want it to be got pronto. We are very dry in Okla. right now. Rain or snow would be welcome.
Usually I do love it—but right here at Christmas, it killed business for a good 3 days as my husband has lamented the loss—our son and daughter-n-law have had to make due with her being pregnant and him starting a brand new job—all without heat and power—but these things will pass with the melting of the snow…and as it will be on the ground longer than 3 days….we know what that means—-more snow later on 🙂
Julie, I feel everyone’s pain! We here in the South, just don’t have the resources (nor should our local government pay for them as it would be wasted dollars) for these types of events.
We too were told we’d only get a dusting as the ground was too warm for anything to stick and it would be mostly rain, Needless to say, it wasn’t rain and after about 2 hours of HUGE, fluffy snowflakes it started to stick, then the snow kept coming and kept coming!!
We only lost electricity for spurts here and there, the same for the internet. Ours pretty much had melted the next day and by yesterday, virtually all of it was gone. Of course, 60* weather the next day did a lot to help. We are now experiencing mid-50’s.
I’m so sorry to hear about your son and daughter in law’s loss of power. I’ll be praying for them.
I was concerned for all the poor animals caught in the extremes of the weather, the snow especially.
Blessings~
It’s funny how the older I’ve gotten, it’s nice to see and for about an hour, I enjoy it…then I’m ready to move on 🙂
I too worry about the animals—-they either get soaked, baked in the sun or frozen in the winter…I have always said, I would never want to be a cow!!!
I’m the same way, I would rather see it from inside!
I know, poor cows!
🤗⛄️❄️
🙂