Blizzard... not fun to drive in the country during one

So much for no snow! A blizzard warning is in effect today... here is a picture looking from the farmhouse back porch into the goat pasture & orchard. The farm animals (and humans) are all hunkered down for the afternoon.

A bit frightening... my sons' school (10 miles from our farm) didn't cancel school this morning (we had 4 inches snow overnight out here, less in town, but by morning it was all rain). All of the area rural schools cancelled (believe it or not, our sons attend school in the larger town 10 miles away, rather than at the smaller town school 5 miles away... it's all about where the boundary lines are drawn... don't get me going on that one). Well, we had a meeting in town anyway so I decided to let the boys hop on the bus... in spite of the blizzard warning that was to take effect just an hour later (it was pouring rain at that point). Within an hour, the school announced an early release. I still pulled them out an hour earlier than the "early release" & picked them up on my way home from town. The snow had started only 20 minutes earlier, and the wind had picked up to 30 miles per hour... and as soon as I hit the rural roads it was a mess.  I was going 30 miles per hour, and at times as slow as 20 miles per hour.  The anti-locks breaks were engaging, the tires were skidding.... I was literally white-knuckled with my face plastered to the windshield because by that point the visibility on the country roads was down to less than 1/4 mile.  Well, we made it safely, a lot longer trip than normal... but safe & sound.

The electricity has been flickering on & off.... which doesn't worry us too much because our woodburning stove heats our farmhouse!

What a first blast of winter this is.... I don't think my husband will be attempting his 40-mile drive to work this afternoon... we just heard the highway nearest our farm has been closed.  Hope all of you in the midwest are safe & sound!