So, as the country endured the latest of the storm to end all storms, here in the Sun Belt we enjoyed another beautiful day – so beautiful, in fact, I took a stroll through the neighborhood just to prove it:
Yes, it was beautiful here – and a balmy 16 degrees below zero. Oh, I hear you say “beautiful and balmy” at 16 below zero? Well, compared to Fosston which was 46 below zero today. But look – it’s a bright, sun shiny day, a beautiful fresh coat of snow from Monday, little wind. Compared to most of the country, a quite lovely day. There are real weather advantages to well below zero – usually sunny, little wind, air so crisp and clear you can hear normal conversations on the other side of the lake, snow packed roads at these temperatures aren’t slippery. It’s great. We’re warming up again to the teens and 20’s the next four days – and that means four days of predicted snow fall (warmer, more moisture in the air, snow). Thank goodness, by next Monday we’re suppose to be 16 below again and all will be well and tranquil.
There were games last night. Even without Alli, the girls’ basketball team won handily as expected, 72-32, at Sauk Rapids. Lauren had 32 points, again, with 8 steals – I’m guessing if you saw the game you would have thought she had 12. Sam had 16 points and 8 rebounds; Cara had 10 points and 5 assists. And everyone else also contributed to a now 15-2 team. It’s too early for the photographic evidence, so more photos from the Trumm files from the Brainerd and St. Cloud Tech games beginning with Sam winning the opening tips:
[Lauren (above) and Joie meet and greet the Warriors.]
[Award-winning shot of Joie v. Brainerd.]
[“Beat (or words to that effect) the Warriors!!”]
[Lauren (above) and Whitney meet and greet the Tigers to JHS.]
[Whitney capably filling Alli’s slot.]
[We won!]
The girls’ hockey had another trip to the Cities again last night. Don’t know much about the game other than we lost 6-1 to Hopkins. The shots on goal were close, so I’m thinking it must have been a competitive game except for the part about sticking the puck in the net. Here’s a couple of our key players, as “borrowed” from the Echo Press, who will both be back next year:
[Rachel Finley, junior forward]
[Shelby Iverson, sophomore forward]
Meanwhile, back at the weather bureau, a further report from the kids in Central Indiana:
Well we ventured outside of the house for the first time in a couple of days (other than my mailbox skate – we did not receive mail today). With the use of our trusty hoe and a flat blade scraper we began to chip through the ice/snow/ice so that our car would not just slide down the drive when we actually attempt to drive again. Given the slope of our drive, my girth, and Newton’s 1st Law of Motion, I quickly discovered that after a few steps I could then “glide” to the end of the driveway. Returning to the garage was another story – skating uphill in snow boots. Everything (drive, sidewalks, road) is covered with a couple inches if ice/snow/ice, it’s just like walking across the ice rink at a hockey, very smooth and polished.
Anyway as you can see by the video we all three participated. We chipped loose the 1st layer and shoveled away the debris. Then we discovered a second, very solid layer and could only disturb this by using the flat edge at a low angle. Jami stayed with us until the initial layer was cleared and then retired as she is still fighting with the illness that Tom had all of last week – low grade fever, headache and a nasty sounding cough.
Tom and I remained and slowly chipped away until one side of the drive had been cleared and we could safely remove the Toyota from the garage if need be. The layers look to be about 1/2″ of ice on the top, an inch or two of snow/ice pellets, with a solid 1″ of ice at the bottom.
The next task was removing the PT from it’s protective cocoon of ice 1/2″-2″ thick with double layers on the roof and hood. Finally the PT was started and rocked free from the ice shackles bonding the tires to the driveway. We did not clear the walkway to the front door as we use the garage anyway in the winter and we were tired of chipping ice. Since Tom does not have classes again Thursday (Day 3) this can be tackle tomorrow when the sun returns.
Tom missed all of last week with an illness, returned to classes on Monday and hasn’t been back since. Fortunately he emailed his teachers and was able to stay current with his assignments.
I am attaching a video to this email, and I’ll send some more photos along tomorrow after round two of the “Big Dig”.
Hugs,
Danny, Jami & Tom
Their photos:
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About tomobert63
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! This is the follow-up to the original, “alexandriacardinals.wordpress.com,” which overwhelmed the system’s ability to handle it any more. Thus, this is “Part 2.” As the original was initially described:
10-26-07-4
“It all began in a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California” . . . wait a minute, that was Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show! Let’s see . . . oh yeah, it all began in 2003 when retirees, i.e., old people, in Alexandria, Minnesota, who had no desire to become snow birds, went looking for mid-winter entertainment here in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota. We discovered girls’ high school hockey, fell in love immediately, and it remains our favorite spectator sport to this day. Initially, and for several years, reports on these games were e-mailed to those who were actually snowbirds but wanted to keep abreast of things “back home.” It was ultimately decided a blog would be more efficient, and it evolved into a personal diary of many things that attracts tens of readers on occasion. It remains a source of personal mental therapy and has yet to elicit any lawsuits.
~ The Editor, May 9, 2014
p.s. The photo border around the blog is the Cardinal girls’ hockey team after just beating Breck for the state championship in 2008. It’s of the all-tournament team. The visible Breck player on the left is Milica McMillen, then an 8th-grader – she is now an All-American for the Gophers. The Roseau player in the stocking cap I believe is Mary Loken, who went on to play for UND; and the Cardinal player on the right, No. 3, is Abby Williams, the player we blame most for making us girls’ hockey fans who went on to play for Bemidji State.
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Photos contained herein are available for personal use. All you have to do is double click on any of the photos and they will become full screen size. You can then save them into your personal “My Pictures” file. They make lovely parting or hostess gifts, or holiday gifts for such as Uncle Ernie who wants to see how his grand niece is doing on the hockey team. If any are sold for personal profit, however, to, for example, the Audubon Society, National Geographic, Sven’s Home Workshop Monthly, Curling By The Numbers, or the World Wrestling Federation, I only request that you make a donation to the charitable organization of your choice. You have two hours and fifteen minutes. Pencils ready? Begin!
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Finally, we end again with our travel reporter, Rog, in Hawaii:
alexandriacardinals 