Winter Storm Warning

On Sunday night they announced a blizzard warning for northern Arizona and the White Mountains. I've lived here almost 20 years and I'd never heard the term "blizzard warning" before.

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Early Monday morning it began to snow lightly, but the wind and snow soon increased in intensity.

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Just after noon, our superintendent emailed all staff, recommending we head home as soon as our regular duties were done.
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We left school before 3:30, but the storm had already hit. Jacob snapped these first 2 pictures on our drive home. Visibility was not great, and neither was traction.
This is how home looked when we arrived.

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We finished our shopping on the weekend, so we were able to hunker down at home while winds and snow howled around us throughout the night.

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The car faces the street, with the front end by the gate, to make less work for shoveling out the next morning.
At right is the view from the street in front of our house, looking north. Below is the view looking south.
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When it snows, I feel like I live in a sparkly Christmas card!
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Flagstaff got the blizzard and had to close its highways, but we got only the severe winter storm. We've seen lots of these over the years.
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However, the wind was a nightmare. The weatherman predicted "damaging winds," and he was right. During the night, I awoke several times to the roar of a tornado trying to tear off our roof. At least, it sounded like a tornado.
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I woke again at 1:45 a.m. as our power went out.

When we got up this morning, there was only about a foot of snow on the ground. However, thanks to the wind, there was still no electricity and the house was an icy 55 degrees inside. We bundled up warmly and ate a room temperature (cold) breakfast.

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The kids were strictly forbidden to open the refrigerator or freezer for any reason.

I called the electric company. They said many trees had fallen onto electrical lines, and they couldn't guarantee that power would be restored by tonight.

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I was a little nervous. One year, after a heavy, wet snow, the houses on the next street over went without electricity for 4 days!
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At right, the view from our front window this morning.
My sons always beg for a fire in the fireplace. I love a crackling, popping fire. It's warm, relaxing, and beautiful.

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But I hate ash on my shelves, a stuffy nose, and sneezing. My allergies don't like fires.
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Today, though, a fire was definitely called for. The boys brought in firewood and spent 45 minutes working up a good flame.
10 minutes later, after 11 hours without power, the electricity came back on. For the next 3 hours the house warmed up, we did some laundry, and Sarah washed dishes.

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Then, no power again. I worried as temperatures dropped and darkness approached.

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The power was back by 5:30 this evening, and so far, so good. We keep the fireplace burning, just in case!

Due to the storm, school was cancelled for today. We just received word that there's no school tomorrow, either. Apparently the power outages continue across large parts of our region, disrupting daily activities.

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We consider ourselves blessed to have suffered so few hours of chill. We're also grateful for the many friends who called to check on us today.
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And we're thankful to have a secure roof over our heads, a fire in the hearth, and the love of family to warm our hearts on a cold day.