Tag Archives: michigan

Feb20

the weather is so crazy they can only forecast it as ‘liquid’

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 yesterday, it hit the 40+ degree zone. it was the first time in 5 weeks, this has happened. however, we are told not to get too comfortable, for today, and the next 24 hours, we are expected to be hit with a variety of ‘liquid’ weather events. 

“We’ll be exchanging one weather headache for another over the next 36 hours,” National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Tilley said. “It’s going to be a very active period.” Most of the Lower Peninsula should get at least one-half inch of liquid. The western Upper Peninsula will have most of the precipitation fall in the form of snow. 

The weather service is predicting:

 a drop in temperatures to the low 20s overnight 

followed by:

 an early morning wintery mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

the majority of the mix will be freezing rain

 road surfaces should be pretty manageable, just be a matter of how much snow we get

 expecting rain throughout the day and maybe even a rumble of thunder or two

with the storm drains clogged with snow we’re going to get some ponding on the roadways that could be difficult 

 rain is expected to fall on the region between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. as temperatures reach the mid 40s. milder air coming up from the south is bringing the warmer temperatures but will also lead to fog in the afternoon and evening as it sweeps over the snow on ground

we could be looking at some very impacted visibility between the snowfall and the fog. and we haven’t even gotten to the wind yet

the wind is expected to move in along with a cold front Thursday night between 8 p.m. and midnight

gusts up to 50 miles per hour, it’s going to be very substantial

 the front will be bringing temperatures back down to where they had been. not quite as bad as when we were getting the polar vortexes, but certainly bringing the highs back below freezing for the weekend

with the drains clogged there could certainly be some risk for ponding on roads and some other flooding problems

not exactly sure how to dress for this series of ‘liquid events’ but it is sure to be one wild ride.

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Jan29

‘i am two with nature.’ – woody allen

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michigan, united states – shot in january from space

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and on the ground, in michigan, the falls are so cold they have stopped flowing. 

 

 

it hits me like an avalanche on fire – i am in the united states, and talking to my daughter in australia, and i realize, that while we are both sharing this exact same moment in time, on the exact same planet earth, we are simultaneously experiencing extreme weather temperatures that are 100 degrees apart.

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australia – shot in january from space

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and on the ground, in australia. the trees are so hot they have not stopped burning.

as my aussie grandson, m, once said, on his first winter visit to the states, when looking out the window of the cottage –

‘look peaches, there must be a fire!’

‘oh, m, don’t worry, that’s just blowing snow.’

‘oh, then there must be some snow on fire.’

has hell frozen over?, i wondered.

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. – William Shakespeare

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image credits:the ann arbor news, andy mcfarlane, http://www.esa.int/, inhabitant.com

 

 

 

Jan6

the pop of culture

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after yet another severe weather update, i decided to stay in for a while longer and indulge in a bit of pop culture – trashy mags courtesy of my daughter, a blitz of mad men season 6, and music from the 80s. 

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but, now i see that i should have gone out on my snowmobile for a trip downtown to see the movies on the big screen

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image credit: jbrindleyadams

 Life is more than sunglasses and hit movies. Reality – that’s the main event. – Sylvester Stallone

 

Jan6

okay, okay. i can take a hint, i’m going with the snow angels option

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Advisory from the Office of the County Sheriff: Avoid MI Ave/US12, Tecumseh to Saline. 3-4′ snow drifts across road, it is impassable. No further information is available at this time.

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here is the first book that i taught myself to read. and i shall read it again in its entirety today.

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there was talk of ‘thunder-snow’

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When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels. – Unknown quotes 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jan4

today’s agenda – january 4

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I think Michigan keeps you sane and on an even keel through the ups and downs. In Michigan, I do fireworks, shovel snow and live life.

Jeff Daniels

Nov24

crashing into kindness

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 with the day’s sudden onset of a 7 minute mini white-out,  a few slick portions appeared on the local roads. soon after this winter-tease display tossed out by mother nature, i happened to encounter one of these slick spots firsthand. it was on a little bridge leading back from the library towards my cottage.  

‘black ice’ is a phenomenon known to those in the northern climates – innocent looking, shiny, invisible, traction-less, and extraordinarily slippery. this was the day that black ice and i crossed paths on the bridge, and as i tried to brake, my car continued to move forward, and i slammed smack into the car stopped right in front of me. 

after the crash, we drove ahead and popped out of our cars to assess the damage.  i was happily surprised to find that we were both fine, and that our cars had somehow each suffered nothing more than a scratch on our bumpers. 

the extraordinary surprise came when i soon realized that i had smashed into one of the happiest, friendliest, people on the planet. he was smiling, and kind, and calm, said he was happy nothing bad had happened, he understood why it happened, and that it had happened to him before.  i apologized profusely and he shook his head telling me not worry about it at all. 

he gave me his card, and as we talked, i found that we both work with young children. he, working with children in the foster care system, pursuing a masters in social work to continue helping in that field, and me, with my kinders, trying to teach them about life. he told me to keep in touch, that we may be able to help the children in some way, or who knows?  it was just like crashing into santa claus in his sleigh. and with a jolly chuckle and a wave goodbye, we were both off on our way once again, and felt somehow better for having met. 

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The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances  – Aristotle

Nov19

take in the view

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mackinac island, michigan

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Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. – Albert Einstein

Aug26

if you tent it, they will come.

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all it takes is a few balloons, a length of police tape, local radio, a pop of color, and of course, a tent. people love a reason to flock together and create a festival out of most anything.  

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while stopping by my local grocery to pick up a few items, i once again found myself sucked into one of their parking lot extravaganzas. this time we were celebrating our state in all of it’s food and drink glory. combine watermelons, wine, granola, coffee, tortillas, and coupons and you have a state worthy of celebration. my check-out girl was absolutely giddy, anticipating her upcoming shift outside at the festival. embrace the cherries and jump on in!

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Let the tent be struck.  – Robert E. Lee