I have said many times that I do not know why anyone lives in New England. The past day's events have only served to heighten my feelings in this regard. It started with the Governor of Rhode Island declaring a state of emergency and a ban of all vehicles from the roads after 7:00pm last night. That was a first for me, having lived in RI for 28 years to date. A classic Nor'Easter then hit us last night and its sustained winds and massive snowfall amounts had its classification upgraded to a Blizzard and then went on to break records. The official snowfall amount at TF Green airport in Providence as of now (it is still snowing a little) is 32.8 inches/83.3 centimeters and winds were blowing as high as 70mph/112kph. When you get that much snow so quickly and when the winds are blowing it around, you end up with some amazingly high snowdrifts and you suddenly have to start worrying about furnace or dryer vents being frozen up or blocked by snow. Apparently, people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning due to blocked exhaust vents. This blizzard has broken the record previously held by the Blizzard of '78 (I unfortunately experienced that one, too.) There was so much snow on our driveway and sidewalk that I broke two of my rules, which are 1.), never clear your driveway before the street plows have come through and 2.), never clear your driveway while it is still snowing. We just got in from breaking both of these rules because, if we waited much longer, the snow might have been too high for the snowblower to handle. We will still have to go out tomorrow after the snow stops and the street plows come through, but it will be to move much less snow as a final clean up. Yuck.
I feel terrible for you guys, but I want all the folks from your neck of the woods to stay where you are, along with your funny accent. I went to a local flea market the other day, and half the sellers and buyers there spoke what felt like Massachusetts or New England. America is a free country, and I get it, but I think local governments need to make it harder for people to move willy-nilly anywhere they want. Florida is predominantly conservative, and all these newcomers bring so much nonsense with them. We endure 95°F summers after summer and never whine. All these newcomers have this funny way of whining about everything. Anyway, pardon my rant, but I feel for y'all! Keep digging!
Here, we also get crazy snow drifts — half a meter of snow overnight, the wind blows everything around, and you start worrying about vents, exhausts, and cars. I also break the “don’t shovel while it’s still snowing” rule, because otherwise it’s even harder after the blizzard