Winter at 7,200

This morning…

Let’s be clear.

This is not the first snow to blanket Laramie this year. 

The first snow fell back in October.

The teenager has walked to school in 11 degree temps with nothing but a little hoodie and gloves jammed into his jacket—and only because I stuffed them there.

Over Turkey Day temps plummeted to -35.  

Late Friday afternoon on December 9, the wind gusts were so severe that tiny snow pellets blew horizontal—sounding like gravel against the windows and doors—and left a sheet of ice, everywhere.  

The morning after--what was left of the ice covered sidewalks

That afternoon the legal dude was out there—on the roads—returning from getting “ice” tires installed on his little black “pet hearse.”  He said the roads weren’t too bad.

Is it possible? Has the legal dude turned into a Wyomingite? 

Nah, but maybe a Laramie—ite…

Me?

I’m working on it.

Like clockwork…

The western sky has turned dark and ominous.

The eastern sky is blue and clear.

Shortly after noon, the westward expanse foretold what was to come.

I’ve been watching the encroaching cloud cover, looking for all its worth like an ominous Hollywood horror set.

Lightening, in it’s own frighteningly beautiful way—white shards of vertical static electricity—has been flashing in the near distance and quite possibly touching down.

The poor little trees in our yard once again bravely battle against the Wyoming winds.

The rain has since moved in and as it pelts the house—the windows—the trees, the thunder shakes, rattles and rolls.

Par for the course the storm passes quickly, lasting not more than 10 minutes.

The sky has flipped flopped, leaving the western sky its usual bright blue and white as the storm moves eastward in the direction—I’m afraid—of you my peeps.

I hope not.

I hear tell Chicago’s been pelted, not once but twice, this season.

Here’s hoping it continues to stay dry...

♫♪ It’s a beautiful morning ♫♪

It is suppose to be near 80º today—awesome!

The wind is slight, by Laramie standards.

The sun is shinning, although through cloud cover.

The grass has been green for sometime, but today, most of the trees are covered with what looks like green felt.

Oh happy day!

Yep. It is truly a beautiful morn...

Stormy Weather...

Like much of the rest of the country, Laramie is (once again) getting ready to experience severe weather.

In addition to the—almost daily—recurring strong winds, we're currently under a Tornado Watch until 9 pm this evening.

Entering Laramie from I-287 and points SE, i.e., CO

I’ve been told Tornados are rare in Laramie and that the rare one that passed through two-to-three years ago brought damaging winds that required roof replacement on many of the homes, including the one I’m sitting in.

TWC has been flashing photos of 8 to 10 inches of ice pellets, or in other words, hail, just NE of Denver.

Yep—A blanket of 8 to 10 inches of hail covering the ground, like snow.

That storm is heading NE, but still encompasses our locale, and as I sit here typing, I hear the battle of the Titans—thunderous and ominous—in the distance.

Then there is the wind, which has been gusting all day, and may reach hurricane gusts of up to 75 MPR—again.

I had hopes of attending a spinning class—the wool kind—at the local yarn shop this evening.

In the garage, my car is safe from the softball size hail they just experienced around Denver, and which is purportedly making it’s way here.

I’d rather my car not be pockmarked, or suffer another broken windshield.

I’m beginning to wonder—perhaps winter is the mild season in Wyoming!

Stay safe, dry and cozy—wherever you may be.