It’s snowing out today. And I’m making homemade caramel rolls. Wanna’ come for coffee this afternoon?
Well, it’s not really snowing according to Minnesota standards – just dropping a few flurries thick enough so that you know they are there; not sticking to the ground yet as the ground is still too warm. But it’s a sign of things to come, which could come any day now considering the time of year.
Usually we start our winter weather out with freezing rain. I guess that’s great if you like to ice skate, but not much fun if you’re trying to drive somewhere. About three years ago we had several days of freezing rain that started Thanksgiving weekend. The ice built up so thickly on the power lines, and with the strong winds and the weight of the ice the lines went down. We were without power for six days, and at that time of the year things can get a bit on the frosty side if you don’t have heat in your house. But good old Ole was prepared, as you have to be in our area, and he had three generators up and running in no time flat. We have one big enough to run everything in our house with the exception of the hot water heater, the microwave and the kitchen stove. But we had heat and lights and TV and all those other necessary things. We just cooked and heated water on the gas grille and did fine. A lot better than many folks who didn’t even have heat. He parked one generator over on Lovely Daughter’s deck to heat and light her house, and she has a gas stove, so we did a lot of eating over there. And then the third generator ran the heat in his shop so that nothing would freeze up. At first it was kind of fun – making do – toughing it out ALMOST like the pioneers (snicker). But after the third day it got a little old.
One of our worst blizzards took place before Ole and I were married, although we were engaged. I was working for a court reporter at the time that was a real a—hole, if you know what I mean. Weather warnings had been issued for 24 hours in advance of the storm hitting, but like most Minnesotans you go to work anyway and then head for home when things start to get bad, which was about noon that particular day. I was young and naïve and thought I had to obey my boss, who told me that I had to finish out the day before he would let me leave. I had ten miles to go home over open country roads; he had about three miles through the city. I was a stupid idiot and stayed until 5 o’clock. By that time it was too late and difficult to even get through the streets in town not only due to snow buildup but poor visibility. Ole, who lived in town at that time, called and told me not to move until he got there. So he broke the path in his car and I followed him over to his parents’ house, where I ended up staying a week because that’s how long the storm lasted. Seven whole days. By the end of those seven days it was questionable as to whether I really wanted to marry him or not. But a lot of that had to do with his dad, not Ole. I just didn’t know if I wanted to get mixed up in that family or not. I was driving a 1963 Corvair at that time – a little car – and by the time the storm was over the only way we could tell where it was was by the antenna sticking out of the snow bank. What a job to dig that out. Driving down the streets at that point was like driving through a tunnel. The snow banks were 10 feet high on either side, and the snowplows had cut out indentations in the snow banks for cars to pull into when you met a car, as there was only one lane to travel in. It was such a relief to get home after that storm for many reasons.
Then in 1975 we had a three-dayer. I remember this one vividly because we had just moved into our new house two weeks prior to the storm. We had no wind protection whatsoever – we were just out there for the north wind to hit full force. We didn’t know it at the time, but snow blew through the roof vents up into our attic and lay there waiting for the blizzard to be over so it could melt and ruin the ceilings in our new house. The snow banks were so deep a train got stuck. I think that was the same year the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior due to the storm.
Then there was the year we had so much snow during a blizzard that the roof of the Metrodome collapsed.
The year Lovely Daughter was about 10 years old we had another doozie. She wanted to go spend the night with my sister, who lived in our little town at that time. She had packed her bag and Ole had given her a ride to my sister’s house. While he was gone I happened to look to the northwest and could see this strange looking cloud very low to the ground getting closer and closer. There had been no weather warnings, but I just knew there was something that wasn’t right. Ole had barely driven back into the driveway when I asked him – no told him to go back and get Lovely Daughter and bring her home because we were going to get hit with a blizzard. At that moment a warning came across the radio and he hightailed it back the mile to my sister’s house. He gathered her up, tossed her in the truck and blew for home. As he turned in our driveway a wall of white hit and he couldn’t see the front end of the truck. He made it up our long driveway by “feel.” That storm lasted many days and dropped a lot of snow. I’ve never seen any storm hit so fast since.
Lovely Daughter was still of trick or treating age when we were hit with a storm on Halloween that lasted for several days. Our community postponed Halloween until the storm was over so the kids still got to wear their costumes. It was just difficult getting around in the snowdrifts.
Then there was the winter of 96-97. Eleven blizzards from November to April, and the worst flooding on record that spring. I don’t even want to go there. It was awful.
Boy, this ended up being a long way from making caramel rolls, didn’t it? I often wonder just why we live here.
Usually we start our winter weather out with freezing rain. I guess that’s great if you like to ice skate, but not much fun if you’re trying to drive somewhere. About three years ago we had several days of freezing rain that started Thanksgiving weekend. The ice built up so thickly on the power lines, and with the strong winds and the weight of the ice the lines went down. We were without power for six days, and at that time of the year things can get a bit on the frosty side if you don’t have heat in your house. But good old Ole was prepared, as you have to be in our area, and he had three generators up and running in no time flat. We have one big enough to run everything in our house with the exception of the hot water heater, the microwave and the kitchen stove. But we had heat and lights and TV and all those other necessary things. We just cooked and heated water on the gas grille and did fine. A lot better than many folks who didn’t even have heat. He parked one generator over on Lovely Daughter’s deck to heat and light her house, and she has a gas stove, so we did a lot of eating over there. And then the third generator ran the heat in his shop so that nothing would freeze up. At first it was kind of fun – making do – toughing it out ALMOST like the pioneers (snicker). But after the third day it got a little old.
One of our worst blizzards took place before Ole and I were married, although we were engaged. I was working for a court reporter at the time that was a real a—hole, if you know what I mean. Weather warnings had been issued for 24 hours in advance of the storm hitting, but like most Minnesotans you go to work anyway and then head for home when things start to get bad, which was about noon that particular day. I was young and naïve and thought I had to obey my boss, who told me that I had to finish out the day before he would let me leave. I had ten miles to go home over open country roads; he had about three miles through the city. I was a stupid idiot and stayed until 5 o’clock. By that time it was too late and difficult to even get through the streets in town not only due to snow buildup but poor visibility. Ole, who lived in town at that time, called and told me not to move until he got there. So he broke the path in his car and I followed him over to his parents’ house, where I ended up staying a week because that’s how long the storm lasted. Seven whole days. By the end of those seven days it was questionable as to whether I really wanted to marry him or not. But a lot of that had to do with his dad, not Ole. I just didn’t know if I wanted to get mixed up in that family or not. I was driving a 1963 Corvair at that time – a little car – and by the time the storm was over the only way we could tell where it was was by the antenna sticking out of the snow bank. What a job to dig that out. Driving down the streets at that point was like driving through a tunnel. The snow banks were 10 feet high on either side, and the snowplows had cut out indentations in the snow banks for cars to pull into when you met a car, as there was only one lane to travel in. It was such a relief to get home after that storm for many reasons.
Then in 1975 we had a three-dayer. I remember this one vividly because we had just moved into our new house two weeks prior to the storm. We had no wind protection whatsoever – we were just out there for the north wind to hit full force. We didn’t know it at the time, but snow blew through the roof vents up into our attic and lay there waiting for the blizzard to be over so it could melt and ruin the ceilings in our new house. The snow banks were so deep a train got stuck. I think that was the same year the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior due to the storm.
Then there was the year we had so much snow during a blizzard that the roof of the Metrodome collapsed.
The year Lovely Daughter was about 10 years old we had another doozie. She wanted to go spend the night with my sister, who lived in our little town at that time. She had packed her bag and Ole had given her a ride to my sister’s house. While he was gone I happened to look to the northwest and could see this strange looking cloud very low to the ground getting closer and closer. There had been no weather warnings, but I just knew there was something that wasn’t right. Ole had barely driven back into the driveway when I asked him – no told him to go back and get Lovely Daughter and bring her home because we were going to get hit with a blizzard. At that moment a warning came across the radio and he hightailed it back the mile to my sister’s house. He gathered her up, tossed her in the truck and blew for home. As he turned in our driveway a wall of white hit and he couldn’t see the front end of the truck. He made it up our long driveway by “feel.” That storm lasted many days and dropped a lot of snow. I’ve never seen any storm hit so fast since.
Lovely Daughter was still of trick or treating age when we were hit with a storm on Halloween that lasted for several days. Our community postponed Halloween until the storm was over so the kids still got to wear their costumes. It was just difficult getting around in the snowdrifts.
Then there was the winter of 96-97. Eleven blizzards from November to April, and the worst flooding on record that spring. I don’t even want to go there. It was awful.
Boy, this ended up being a long way from making caramel rolls, didn’t it? I often wonder just why we live here.
7 comments:
I remember the metrodome collapsing and the Halloween blizzard and the bad winter of 96-97. Nice to look back, isn't it? I think one reason why people live here through winter is just for the bragging rights. Who else but us Norwegians could survive winter in Minnesota???
Ooooohhhh! Your caramel rolls look great! I think I gained another 5 lbs. looking at it.
On another note, I just wish we'd get snow here this year. Not a blizzard, just some that'll stick around a few days.
man! that caramel roll was super duper!! yum yum!! i used to be hardy like you and brave the blizzards!! but i lost my thick skin. pass the coffee, please!
I don't even wanna think about winter o'96. That was the year everything that could go wrong did. I remember many winters as a kid where we made national news because the mercury was at -40/-50 below. You had to cover everything or it would freeze in minutes. My dad would get out the loader tracter to clean the snow out of the hard so we could get in and out. If he hadn't cleaned it that morning my brother and I would have to wade thru knee deep snow to get to the bus. Luckily my dad was extremely good about that sort of thing. I also remember leaping snowbanks on many a Halloween.
In a nutshell, that is why I moved to California. I just couldn't handle another winter. I lived on a snow emergency route that was surrounded by snow emergency routes. I had to park my car at least four blocks away. It was so very unpleasant.
Yep sure do remember 96-97, that is when we moved from San Fran to Fargo. I spent the whole winter wondering why! :) That was my first taste of the area and I am still here. What does that tell ya?
I thought people made up storms like that up till then.
btw, I want a bite of that carmel roll... mmmm looks so good. :)
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