blizzard!

Maybe you've heard? Snow day of massive proportions here in Minnesota. After almost 24 hours of steady snowfall, it's finally tapering off. As of 6 pm the tally for Minneapolis was 16.5 inches. Yikes!!

Drifts around the back door ~ 2 pm

Drifts in the front/side yard

Backyard (I love seeing the top of the bench peeking out from the drifts by the garage)

Although I stayed inside most of the day, I did have one little adventure. A friend's casual comment online sent a shiver of fear into my heart when I realized I didn't know where my furnace vent was. So I went a-searching (just to make sure it was clear of snow and not secretly filling my house with carbon monoxide). After trudging through knee-deep snow all around the perimeter of my house, and digging along the foundation most of the way, I made it to the backyard. Above the howling wind, I could hear a fan whirring, so I hoisted myself on top of the grill and onto the fence between my yard and the neighbor's. Sure enough, there it was:

My dad was right. A house doesn't last 110 years without having a furnace vent that can accommodate a Minnesota blizzard. We still have a few inches to go before I would need to call the neighbor and have her dig it out. (My property line runs about 12 inches away from the north side of the house, so the facade is actually only accessible through the neighbor's yard because of the way the fences are constructed.)

Which got me to thinking... I wonder how many blizzards of this magnitude the house has weathered? I haven't yet located the total number, but here's a start (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

Before Saturday, here's the previous records recorded by the National Weather Service in Chanhassen:

1. Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 1991: 28.4 inches

2. Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 1985: 21.1 inches

3. Jan. 22-23, 1982: 20.0 inches

4. Jan. 20-21, 1982: 17.4 inches

5. Nov. 11-12, 1940: 16.8 inches

6. March 3-4, 1985: 16.7 inches

Interesting, huh? Needless to say, I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'll shovel out tomorrow morning. Until then, I'm working on some house projects and exploring the channels on my now-functioning TV (thanks, Dad!) Bummed to miss my brother's play in Northfield today, but otherwise relishing in the chance to relax. Stay safe and warm, MN friends.