Only a Minnesotan…

The Great Blizzard of 2009, aka, tsnownami 2009.

In NW DC, not far from Bethesda, we got about two feet of snow, lesser amounts as you moved toward the National Mall and National Airport which received 16-17 inches. Farther out in Maryland there were reports of 28 and 30 inches. A good time was had by most, though not the subconsciously suicidal who went for a drive—so many went out, only five succeeded: another sign of the grace of the Lord.

My fellow Fellows, most of whom live closer to the Capitol Hill than me, gathered into a couple of groups for snow angeling, creating a snobama, or skiing down Capitol Hill. Other than a trek walking down the middle of Connecticut Av to the local bookstore (Politics & Prose) to pick up a book (on politics, of course), I stayed in and enjoyed the quiet and read all the things I missed during the final ten days of the 2009 report-writing season—putting the H1N1 virus to bed until January.


This morning dawned brilliant, cloudless, and 28 degrees. I thought I had taken my time to check out the news sites, eat breakfast, etc., but when I got out to look for my car I saw that no one had done any shoveling, nine o’clock. Now 3 hours later they are out there, but no noise—just like the old days before snow blowers. I can’t recall so much snow with such quiet the next day; it makes me think of the ‘60s. I found the car under two feet of snow, except the hood was under 4 feet of snow. It was impossibly light snow for the 30 degrees maintained all day, and it was a fast shovel. An hour or so later I got a knock on my door, a woman, neighbor she claimed, who said, “Only a Minnesotan would have the car and driveway completely shoveled out so quickly. Could I borrow your shovel?”

When I figure out how to insert some photos I incorporate a few.