I noticed the snow cover summary for our area south of Indianapolis listed us as 3 to 6 inches of snow. Never trust a hill-billy weatherman to extrapolate snow fall. (Or spell “extrapolate.”) Tuesday we received almost five inches, followed by several hours of freezing rain, which added about a half inch of ice. Then, after dark, more snow; easily another 5 to 6 inches on top of the ice. Where the wind drifted the snow, we had almost two foot deep snow drifts. I guess our farm must have experienced localized, pond-effect snow. And then of course, the temperature plummeted back to zero, and this morning it is -4.

Our autumn was very cold, and then early winter was so warm I kept anticipating planting my potatoes early this year; like by February! But then the jet stream shifted and we have been flirting with zero degrees and below for almost a month. I think we are actually getting used to it. I must admit, those flannel lined jeans really help. I have closed several of the barn doors on the windward side of the barns, locking in the bored and unhappy llamas. Even when the sun is out and the temperatures reach into the teens, the wind has been a factor. Despite the rumors, I know we have had worse winters. I also know other places like St. Louis have been hit with more snow. But I am tired of this! I guess this must be what they mean by global warming. They are predicting 40 degrees next week, and that will feel like spring, even with the snow cover!

This is the first time in my 27 years at my job in Indy that I have missed two consequetive days of work due to snow. The first day, we were prepared for the weather, and with potential blizzard warnings in the forcast, my husband handled an all-day conference call while I worked on my laptop that I brought home from work. Afterwards, we began trying to dig out. That was when we realized one of our “all” wheel drive vehicles couldn’t handle the snow and ice. We barely got it moved. Our Navigator came through for us, but by the next morning, dressed by 4:30 am and ready to go to work, my trustworthy Jeep got stuck in our drifted driveway! The second day the roads were not plowed either. We gave up trying to get to work, but Fred spent hours using the tractor and front loader to clean our driveway. What a relief to see black top again! He then helped our good neighbors out with their long driveway. By the time all was finished at nightfall, we were quite tired. The next day, the Navigator would not start. Of course, our gator and mule would not start either! I guess the more rolling stock you have, the more problems you have too. At least the roads are clear and the sun is shining. More snow on the way, though!