SE Michigan’s Snowmageddon 2018.

It’s the day after Snowmageddon and unfortunately Mother Nature is not quite done with us yet.

This was the biggest snow storm to hit SE Michigan since the Super Bowl Blizzard in 2015 where we got a foot of snow.

Yesterday’s grand total was 9.2 inches of snow. What made it so bad was we had new snow nearly every day this past week, starting with last Sunday’s 5-inch snowstorm. I sure am glad I got out while the gettin’ was good the past two weekends.

This morning, I peered out the front door before venturing outside. I saw humungous hills and valleys of snow and it looked like skiers might come schussing down the street any moment. I didn’t see any neighbors up and digging out yet, so I decided to take the camera and capture some images of that pristine show for today’s blog.

I suited up to head outside. The snow had drifted against the screen door; good thing I had a big breakfast so I could give that door a little oomph to get it open. The sweep had also frozen to the stoop, but luckily it didn’t tear it.

Wow! It’s a good thing it was a gloomy-looking sky because all that snow would have been blinding. The sidewalk leading to the backyard had not been shoveled since I finished up yesterday at 9:00 a.m. As you see in the above picture, snow drifts settled against the fence or blew into mounds along the garden. Those mounds of snow are not bushes, but mini-mountains made by Mother Nature.

I was wearing knee-high boots and the snow came up over them in some places. The backyard looked beautiful. I wonder who visited on the back patio in the wee hours of the morn?

Maybe it was the squirrel who clambered down from that nest way up high in the tree.

I was looking for the blue jay to take a picture of him, but he was MIA. Then, all of a sudden snow flurries erupted. I wanted to take more pictures, but didn’t want the camera to get wet, so I hustled to the front yard to take them before a full-fledged blizzard ensued. There were two City snowplow drivers having a brief rendezvous out front.

Suddenly, one drove off and the other guy came tearing down the street a few minutes later, blading away all those inches of snow and simultaneously depositing ice-filled crud onto the apron of each homeowner’s driveway. Nice!

That heavy mess gave me an extra hour of work for both driveways. Our City declared a snow emergency from 9:00 a.m. Friday through 9:00 a.m. Monday, so no one can park on the City streets. Some people try and do it anyway and usually get a ticket.

Camera in hand, I paused and looked for some interesting shots to best illustrate this massive snowfall. I meandered over to my neighbor’s house, and, in doing so, put the first footprints of the day on the snowy sidewalk between our two houses. “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” may be a beautiful Christmas song, but I’d rather be walking on the perimeter path at Council Point Park on a Winter’s day, than on this loooooong length of City sidewalk which I have shoveled nearly every day this week, and countless times already this season.

In the driveway, their car was groaning under the weight of the snow.

The BBQ grill was barely recognizable – after all, we’d had about 10 inches of snow this past week before Snowmageddon. The backyard looks frozen in time .. just like it usually does all Summer, except blanketed in snow and ice.

Speaking of frozen, check out these lethal-looking icicles which I elaborated on in yesterday’s post. They look like translucent daggers ... or stalactites. I quickly took the photos, then steered clear of them in case one broke and fell down on me. It wasn’t until I looked at all my photos tonight, that I noticed some icicles on my own house, despite me crowing about having none yesterday.

This backyard was always a haven for birds, but the neighborhood birds may not feel too welcome right now.

These bird houses, as well as the various garden knickknacks sitting on the wooden rack were similarly dripping with icicles.

I’m sure the cardinals are drawn to this feeder with their likeness on it, but unfortunately it is nearly empty right now. I like how the feeder nestles right into the bare tree with its branches laden with snow. I heard the distinctive tweet of a cardinal, probably in my own barberry bush where they usually build their nests – that beautiful red bird would love to feast on some safflower seeds – I just know it.

The birdbath was topped off with more than a foot of snow, so no baths or drinks today for our fine-feathered friends.

Tea for two? That table and chairs sure aren’t occupied these days.

I finally decided to quit fiddling with the photos and get crackin’ on the snow shovelin’ – ugh. The snow is piled as high as my waist in some spots and throwing the snow to the side is getting more difficult. I have to walk a fair piece just to dump it off the shovel.

We’re getting freezing rain right now, followed by 2-4 more inches of snow.

Somebody up there please make it stop!

You can catch up on my blog posts before I started blogging at Patch in August 2013 by going here: http://lindaschaubblog.net/