# Fed up already!!! More snow!



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

ARGH!! I know you must have all heard about that Nor'easter making it's way up the eastern coast and into Canada as well. What a mess we had! Nothing like some of the stories of flooding I've heard, so we are grateful for that at least! 

It started Sunday, snowed all night with ice rain in the morning along with winds from 50-80km/hr. We ran out of power at 8 and it only came back around 3. House was pretty cold so I packed up the dogs and went to my friend's house for some warmth and company. I had already used my fondue pot to make myself a morning cup of joe! LOL

Sammy and Ricky are ecstatic about all this snow of course and they do stay much cleaner than when they're walking through mud puddles, but still ..... enough already!!! 

Here's a link to youtube where I have a video of the 'boys' playing in the snow. It was dark, so quality of lighting isn't so good, and it was just starting to snow.






Did any of you get hit with snow/ice/rain and all that fun stuff?


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

> Did any of you get hit with snow/ice/rain and all that fun stuff?


Not to rub it in, but I can't even remember the last time I saw ice or snow here.

Seriously though, I hope it ends for you soon. I can't imagine living where weather hits like that. Give me the occasional shaking ground any day.


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

I just viewed that video and a couple others of yours. It looks like the dogs really love the white fluffy stuff. Ricky is adorable in the "Playing with the Bottle II" video. He's a hoot.


----------



## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Feeling your pain, we do not have snow but the city I live in just declared a state of emergency for flooding, I live so close to the merrimack river it scares me . We had the same thing happen last year and I only got a few inches of water in my basement, hopefully we will be o.k. this year. I know a lot of people in New England are feeling it. Try to stay warm and dry everyone.


----------



## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

We didn't have snow, but we did have tornados a few days ago! 3 in the midcities...which are heavily populated cities...only one person that I know of died though..we have good warning systems where we live. I had parents and everyone from up in New England calling to make sure I was alive! I just told them it was further south than what I was so they wouldn't worried..even though I spent 20 minutes hunkered down in the bathroom!


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

No snow on LI but plenty of rain. Thank goodness it doesn't flood where I live, but it does where I work. We were lucky though. 

The poor dogs were stir crazy, so I let them out. Five minutes later, I didn't know which one to grab first. They were covered in mud. So my Mom grabbed one, and I got the other and in the bathtub they went. Then I had to get in the tub - it was the first time I had to bathe them together. I didn't need a bath, but I got one anyway  Your video was great! I have to remember to charge my video camera


----------



## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

Okay, I am feeling a little sheepish because the other day Laurie wrote to me saying she is preparing for Nor-easter. Me in my brilliant little brain though, "oh, another type of Easter celebration!!" So, I told her that I hope her it goes well for her and hope that she has a great time!! Sheesh, now I know I better get up to speed with all these phrases. I feel like as if I had been in isolation that I had never heard that term before!! Now that I look back, I feel so silly Sorry Laurie


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

LOL Helen! I hadn't heard that term used more than once or twice, but it came during a weather report, so the context was easy to figure out. I think your response was pretty natural, especially with Easter having just been so close. (And it was funny, too!)


----------



## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

Kimberly, it is funny when I look back, but I can only imagine what Laurie was thinking??! LOL


----------



## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Helen, that is too funny, now every time we are getting ready for a nor-easter I'm sure I will remember this story and laugh.


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Thanks for the chuckle, ladies.


----------



## JodiM (Dec 28, 2006)

They look like their having fun.

Sorry you keep getting all the crappy weather. We got it on our way home from Chicago, but luckily we were leaving as it started, so we didn't get it too bad.


----------



## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Helen, I did kinda wonder what you meant - haha  We got hit very badly in central Jersey, we have several towns still under water. Since I am an insurance agent, I can barely breath with all the claims coming in and the upset people to deal with. On top of it all, I got flooded in my house too, but not from rain, my washer overflowed. We are cleaning out now, throwing several carloads of stuff away - lots of storage stuff lost. 
I agree though that now whenever we have a noreaster, I am going to laugh!!
Laurie


----------



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Helen, that is just too cute and funny!!  

It's all melting away now. it's going to be a lovely weekend, thankfully! Can't wait!

Thanks for the compliments on the videos... like I said, they aren't that great a quality, but I still smile when I see them. Today's been a lazy day so far, but will have to get off my butt and get these pooches moving too.

Poor you, Laurie!! A busy time for you, for sure!


----------



## Rita (Jan 1, 2007)

I am ready for Spring too. We had rain all day Sunday and then from 8 inches to over a foot of snow in parts of Northeast PA. It just kept snowing and snowing. It stinks. If it snows in May I am considering moving. It will only be me and Houston though. My guys love the Northeast and won't move with me. But give me surf and sand and I can be happy.


----------



## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Rita, I will move with you to the sun and surf - then we can have a house full of pups too!! We stay in the northeast just because our business is here and all our family is here. As soon as we get ready to retire, we are heading south!!!
Laurie


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

I just let the dogs out because they were barking, and it's RAINING!!!!!  My sciatica is killing me, but I think the dogs got used to the rain now.


----------



## Cosmosmom (Jan 12, 2007)

I heard from a friend In Montreal and they had snow again . She was voicing the same feelings .. Enough already !!
I will just keep quiet as even though it has been a weird winter here in the desert - high winds and temperatures way below normal amd many silver cloudy days when we should see blue skies - it is nothing like the east coast ..
I am sure by tax day it is getting old ..


----------



## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

My brother lives in Fullerton and he said it has been gloomy and chilly. It's been a weird winter. We were warmer than Calif at the beginning of the winter, and then you got really warm weather. I hope things even out soon. They said it will be 60 degrees here by the weekend - big whoopee.


----------



## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

It's raining and windy in Nova Scotia, not as bad as New England.

Helen, thanks for the laugh. (I'm not laughing at you just with you) I started to laugh so loud my husband had to see what I was laughing about.

Spring has to come sooner or later, doesn't it!


----------



## CapotesMom (Apr 3, 2007)

*Fed up?*

Well, there ya go people..just gives you more reason to believe in global warming! Since we're all talkin about the weather, here's a few things around the house you can do to help out the environment! I saw these on Oprah..and if everyone does these simple things it would save THOUSANDS and help out the environment..maybe someday we'll have less snow and more normal winters!...and who doesn't want to save money?? Maybe we can buy more bully sticks for our babies with the savings?!

1. *Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)* CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

2. *Install a programmable thermostat* Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

3. * Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer*Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

4. *Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner* Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

5. *Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases* Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models available.

6. *Do not leave appliances on standby* Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.

7. *Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket *You'll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.

8. *Move your fridge and freezer* Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.

9. *Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly* Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.

10. *Don't let heat escape from your house over a long period* When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.

11. *Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing* This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.

12. *Get a home energy audit* Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.

13. *Cover your pots while cooking* Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!

14. *Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full* If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.

15. *Take a shower instead of a bath* A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximise the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.

16. *Use less hot water* It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

17. *Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible* You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

18. *Insulate and weatherize your home*
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how to better insulate your home.

19. *Be sure you're recycling at home* You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area.

20. *Recycle your organic waste* Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.

21. *Buy intelligently* One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can
You will also cut down on waste production and energy use!

22. *Reuse your shopping bag* When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.

23. *Reduce waste* Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.

24. *Plant a tree* A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.

25. *Switch to green power* In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what's available in your area.

26. *Buy locally grown and produced foods* The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

27. *Buy fresh foods instead of frozen* Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

28.* Seek out and support local farmers markets* They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. You can find a farmer's market in your area at the USDA website.

29. *Buy organic foods as much as possible* Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we'd remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

30. *Eat less meat* Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.

31.*Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible* Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.

32. *Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates* Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free national service connecting commuters and travelers.

33. *Don't leave an empty roof rack on your car* This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea.

34. *Keep your car tuned up* Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.

35. *Drive carefully and do not waste fuel* You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car mantainance.


----------



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

All great tips!! Thanks for posting this.


----------

