I waited to leave work until well after "rush hour," hoping that most of the traffic would've cleared by then. Roads weren't a problem in town so long as one used common sense and drove accordingly. After crossing the Missouri River into Nebraska, the roads appeared clear--but looks can be deceiving. I averaged about 40 mph driving home. Anytime I sped up a little, I could feel the back of the truck starting to slide, especially when I reached open interstate without hills or trees around to block the wind. Cars and semis roared by me, but I didn't care. The cars I passed in the ditches appeared to have met the ground with some violence. Most of them rested on their sides or completely flipped over, instead of merely slipping off the road.
Yesterday I stayed home from work. The wind screamed constantly all day, building drifts and closing the road in front of my house yet again. The sun was shining, but its brilliant, cheerful rays belied bitter cold windchills and breathtakingly low temperatures.
Sad as it sounds, though, I would've rather been at work. My house feels like an ice palace. I couldn't even run the dishwasher, and I think it's because the water hose is frozen. Fortunately, I haven't had frozen pipes since I added foam insulators around them a couple years ago (knock on wood). Prior to that, even leaving the sink cupboards open and letting the faucet drip didn't prevent freeze because the air in my kitchen didn't feel much warmer than the outside.
The horses huddled around my house, shielded from the wind as much as possible. I supplied them with tons of grass hay, extra alfalfa hay, and an extra serving of grain (Purina Omolene 200). I also offered them warmed water periodically throughout the day so that they didn't have to brave the wind to seek out their water tank. Quimby whined and grumbled whenever I sent her outside to do her business. We all survived!!
Today the plow freed me from my chilly prison. The wind had died down sometime over night. The horses played in the snow, feeling frisky and happy to stretch their legs again. I pulled a three inch thick sheet of ice from the top of their water tank to allow them access. I fed them in the normal location rather than right by the house.
On my drive I didn't keep count of the cars flung from the road haphazardly. There were certainly many more than when I returned home Wednesday night. The interstate was clean and clear of black ice.
A few (local) photos from various news sources:
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