Blizzard Dogs

(Vicki over at catching light is host for this week's Fun Monday. She asked us to post a photo of the view from our front door. Since mine is rather dismal, I'll take a bit of leeway and show you the view one morning in January 1994 when things were much more dramatic.)

Who hasn't gone to bed on Sunday night in the depths of winter dreading the thought of Monday morning and the start of a hectic work week? That was my situation on January 16, 1994. I had been away from home on business the week before. Here it was, Sunday evening. The laundry wasn't done, the house a mess, the dogs were wild and unwalked, and the work week ahead was a grind of too many assignments and not enough time. Plus, that evening freezing rain had fallen for several hours complicating the Monday morning commute.

Early Monday morning I was awakened by thunder. That was unusual enough for me to get out of bed and peer out the window. The snow was falling like crazy from still dark skies. I later learned that this phenomenon is called "thunder snow." By morning we had 16 inches of snow, a dramatic change from the freezing rain at bedtime Sunday night. This was the view out my front door on Monday morning.
By Monday afternoon we had a 24 inch snowfall and temperatures had dropped at a dizzying rate. Monday morning temps were low 30s and then dropped to 10 degrees by evening and lower as the night went on. On Tuesday the temperature continued to drop to an amazing -22 below zero in Louisville and down to -36 degrees out of the city. Bur-rr--rr! This was an all time record cold for normally moderate Kentucky. For two days we were immobilized. All state,federal,and interstate roads were closed. The governor declared a state of emergency for all of Kentucky.
However, Southern Dogs Love a Blizzard -- If this weather was a novelty for me, it was thrilling for the dogs as you can see. Their first run out that morning brought out their "inner husky"! They plowed through the snow drifts trying to find a spot to squat that wouldn't tickle their butts. When they succeeded in that, it was time for a three dog celebration pile up. They were a joy to watch.


For almost a week we were delightfully marooned on Summit Court. Thankfully the electricity and cable stayed on so we were warm and connected with the outer world. The dogs had plenty food and treats. Our only minor crisis was that Dan the Golden got a hacking cough that wouldn't stop and we couldn't get to the vet. So, I gave him a home remedy: lemon cough drops crushed with honey and a bit of whiskey, warmed slightly. He lapped it up and the cough disappeared! Unlike Zack the Border Collie, I thought he was balanced enough not to become an alcoholic from that brief walk on the wild side. . .

There have been many Januarys since 1994 when I wished for another blizzard. Thanks a lot Al Gore,and your Inconvenient Truth, for bursting that bubble!

(Want to count snowflakes? Click on photos to enlarge.)