If anybody is looking for an idea for a Christmas gift for me, I’m a size large snowblower.
The National Weather Service was predicting 8-12″ of snow for Rapid City on Saturday. There’s no way we’re going to get that much, I thought. Well, I was right.
We ended up with 17″ of snow.
And that, my friends, was a record for the biggest daily snowfall in November in Rapid City history. Way to overachieve! We ended up with 26″ for the month, which makes it the snowiest November on record.
Sure was pretty when it was coming down…
But once those winds started gusting to 60 mph, the snow started piling up into waist-high drifts. Which Tara and I had to tackle with shovels, while everybody else in the neighborhood had snowblowers.
This was our street, before the plow came through Sunday afternoon. Hard to believe there’s a road there!
Later on, after a few vehicles with AWD were able to navigate down the hill:
I have long been a snow lover. All my friends know this. The climate in Rapid City was actually one of the key motivating factors in moving here. After the blizzard, my friend Heidi asked, “Still loving the snow?” This is similar to comments I receive every time I post photos of snowstorms. People tend to think that I am suddenly sick and tired of snow and ready to move back to Portland.
Here’s the deal. Let’s say you love pizza, and one day, go out to dinner at an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. You end up consuming 17″ worth of pizza. Are you going to be “over” pizza forever afterward because you ate too much?
Of course not.
Snow is my pizza, only minus the pepperoni.
Is it a pain in the ass to shovel? Yes. Are the roads treacherous to drive on for days afterward? You betcha. Is my car still struggling to get up the hill leading to my house, three days after the blizzard, even when it’s sunny and pushing 50 degrees? Yep.
But there’s just something about it that I love. Maybe I’m a little nuts. But I figure, it’s nothing that a snowblower and an AWD vehicle can’t handle. Both of which are very much in my future.
And I know for a fact that my blogging friend Ron can relate.
So, let it snow!
Mark My Words 
You frequently seem to post at prime time for me to pounce.
That is a shit load of snow. I’m happy that you got to be there when records were set.
So, this may come as a shock to you, but your pizza analogy didn’t do it for me. Why? Brace yourself. I’ve eaten my fill of Chex Mix. Seriously, it no longer does it for me. I know. I know. Don’t tell the Chex Mix Guy; although, he’s going to figure it out sooner or later as those boxes he special ordered for me collect dust in his office.
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WHHAAAATTT?!?!
I assumed you and Chex Mix were a match made in heaven and would have a long and illustrious relationship for all time!
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Ha. Maybe I just need space. 🙂
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I can just see this conversation now:
“It isn’t your Chex cereal, rye chips, breadsticks, pretzels, nuts, and crackers. It’s ME.”
Good luck breaking his heart.
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I’m actually starting to feel bad now.
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After living in Miami for 60 years and now in North Carolina the occasional snows although relatively light have become threats for which to be intimidated by especially missing doctor visits. .
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Makes you wish they still did house calls, huh?
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I’ve been dealing with the snow all my life, so year round temps in the 80-90 degree range sounds marvelous to me. And I’m sure everyone would tell me I’d get tired of that! In my fantasy, my biggest weather worry would be tshirt or tank top.
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I will say, living in Hawaii made choosing what to wear every day a no-brainer! I hated the humdrum monotonous weather even living in California. I’m just a guy who needs four seasons, I guess (though really, it seems like there are only two in SD).
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“Of course not.
Snow is my pizza, only minus the pepperoni.”
Ha! Mark, that made me laugh out loud because I couldn’t agree more! And yes….I can TOTALLY relate to your love of snow. And like you, many people think I’m nuts. But then again, many people think I’m nuts just for loving Winter and the colder weather. And I say to them, go live in Florida for 20 years like I did, and then you’ll see how sick and tire you get of the sameness.
Sure, there are some inconveniences to snow (especially the amount that you get where you live), however, I love it anyway!
GREAT photos, my friend! Enjoy that all the white stuff, and send some my way because we haven’t gotten any except for 10 mins a few days ago. I’m hoping this month and next bring more!
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I keep checking your weather myself to see if it’s snowing in Philly or they’re forecasting snow for you guys. There’s LOTS of winter left – I’m sure eventually you’ll get the goods!!
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Sounds like, at least in the interim, you need to get on good terms with your snowblower possessing neighbors. I bet you could pay them with pizza.
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Clever! And pizza is a lot cheaper than a snowblower…
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I love the snow. Someday I will move to New Hampshire and it’ll be like eating an entire Costco pizza myself.
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Go a little farther north – Maine, perhaps – and you’ll have to scarf down the crust, too!
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I always save the crust for the dog.
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Hi Mark, A heck of a lot of snow. Yes, very pretty and I feel your pain. We used to live in Prince George, B.C. and we had a lot of snow. We also did not have a snow blower since we continued to think we were going to move each year. I also get it on the pizza. Pizza is my death row meal, when our family plays this silly game. What would your last meal on Earth be? Pizza, of course! The photos are very beautiful. I can (almost) smell the fresh, clean, crisp air. Erica
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I’ve played the death row meal game (I’m morbid like that). Pizza is definitely up there, but actually, I’d probably choose fried chicken. Hmm…do I need to rename this post?!
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