[Gpdd] OFF TOPIC- SNOW STORM

[staileys]

Dee and Joe  - I live about 20 miles outside of DC in MD.  We had 30 " of
snow here over the weekend and we are expecting another 12"-16" starting
tonight. Almost all schools, colleges and even the federal government are
shut down. The Metro is only running underground but as of yesterday the
airports have reopened.  The road crews have a monumental job trying to
clear the streets and finding places to put all the snow. While you may find
the interstates passable, the entrance and exit ramps may have just had
minimal plowing. Most roads have had some plowing and people are getting
around, albeit with some difficulty. However, some residential streets are
still awaiting their first plowing. At one time there were well in excess of
100K people without power but that has decreased considerably. My daughter
and her husband are staying with us for the duration as they lost power on
Saturday and by Sunday, had lost all their refrigerated food. With this new
storm coming they don't want to return, restock and possibly lose everything
again.  If your son is working out of an office, he should be perfectly warm
and safe.  If he's outside, he'll have difficulty getting around in the knee
deep snow - it just gets to be a pain trying to walk, but he'll still be
safe. Fortunately, it isn't too terribly cold (Upper 20's, lower 30's) and
right now there's little wind. However, this storm starting tonight has more
winds predicted and with the added accumulation, could be quite damaging to
our trees and powerlines. Also, as to where we're going to put this new snow
when we shovel is anyone's guess.  Our two piggies, Sir Frodo the Vacant and
his lovely attendant, Zoe, have no idea of what is happening outside their
cage. I had stocked up with greens well in advance of the storm and they are
happily munching away without a care in the world. Hope this helps allay any
Motherly worries you may have, Dee.

Laura Stailey