Oh Boy. Oh Boy. Snowmaged- ... what?

The forecast for the past few days has been progressively doomier-gloomier, with snowfall total starting around six inches and increasing to 14-20" as of late morning today.

Every school in the county closed preemptively. Most of the services and shopping closed early. The YMCA. Meals-on-Wheels. Etcetera.

I drove downtown around 11 for a service appointment on the truck. The roads were generally wet with a bit of slush where things had drifted. I picked up MrsZ from work around 2 and we moseyed home - still on wet roads. School buses would have been able to handle things just fine.

I shoveled the sidewalk and steps and deck clear of the four or five inches of fresh/drifted snow and went to bed. Got up around 7, had a leisurely dinner, and went back out to shovel the sidewalk and deck, as well as the driveway. Sidewalk and deck took a few minutes, as there was only a couple inches of fresh snow. I headed to the driveway, and did a double-take ... because it was clear. Turns out our neighbor down the street came down and cleared us out with his tractor. We wandered down there (a brisk half-mile walk in 25-degree snow, minus wind chill) and took them a loaf of fresh-baked bread MrsZ had made, sat and chatted and had a drink and half-watched the end of "Idol".

We came home around 10, and the sidewalk I'd cleared two hours ago had two inches of fresh white stuff on it. Inch an hour. Not bad. If we catch one of the "heavier narrow bands" they're forecasting, we might end up with some real snow, otherwise there will be another 6-8 inches overnight for a total of maybe 14 inches. Nice snowfall, and slow. Keeps things pretty.

The money quote from the local rag, though, is this:
"This is not a "snowicane." "This is really a typical storm. It's nothing unusual. We've had them before, we'll have them again," said New York State climatologist Mark Wysocki.

Precisely. I went through the store after getting the truck worked on, and there were still plenty of french-toast fixin's there. I got marshmallows, baguettes, and some cheese and crackers. We've got plenty of staples. I spent half an hour this morning making sure the generator was running well and that the chainsaw had fuel and oil and would start. There's a hair over a half-ton of coal in the cellar and plenty of food and water. We wouldn't suffer for several days, just smell a little funky.

Life is good. I like snow.