It's now Day 5, going into Day 6 of this shit. Four days since I've seen my lawn. And I can still make my way across it on ice skates easier than I can on any sort of boots or shoes without crampons. For the tards, crampons are those spiky things that mountain climbers use. Sold out here, like 5 days ago, thus matching the number available here, basically.
Btw, this is what I'm talking about ...
![Image](http://www.tulsaworld.com/images/2007/070116_A15_Trapp11222_a15jogger.jpg)
That's not snow, motherfuckers. It's a combination of layers of ice, followed by sleet, followed by ice, followed by sleet, followed by ice. In other words, it's ice.
And not the really bad white rapper dude, SissyCrown.
That shit is still three inches thick, on my yard and on most streets as of right now. There's not a lot of breaking through, but there is ice-skating on people's tennis courts here. Seriously.
And the really mind-boggling part is that Tulsa wasn't even close to being the worst hit.
Here's one place that was:
![Image](http://www.tulsaworld.com/images/2007/070116_A1_STATE41904_a6ice116.jpg)
That's McAlester, Okla., where 90 percent of the town of 18,000 or so has been without power since Saturday. Oh, and it's probably going to be 10 days to two weeks before most of the city has power again. The poor saps out in the rural areas in Pittsburg County, outside of McAlester, may have to wait 4 weeks, before they get power.
More pics:
URL (flash player) Most of the kids' and jackasses having fun pics in that montage weren't used in the paper, which is why it may seem a bit strange. The last few photos are amazing, though, including a larger version of the last one I just posted.
I was born in Milwaukee and attended elementary school there, and had to walk 8 blocks to school in tons of snow ... and uphill both ways, yada, yada. I also lived in Lawrence for 10 years.
But I've never experienced anything like this shit. Ever.
Usually here, an "ice storm" means ice, for a day or two, then the sun comes out, and it's done. This shit started Friday, and our forecast highs are in the mid-30s for the next 2 days, at best, until another cold air blast comes in. Even if it gets to 40 here, two days in a row, no fucking way can I see the skating rink on my lawn melting anytime soon.
Oh, and the NWS is forecasting a 50 percent chance of freezing rain or sleet for this Saturday.
Todd, too bad you weren't on a bus that got stranded here. I'd have fun watching you fall on your ass, and I'd definitely help you out by placing an icicle in the right position, just so you could call me dad ... err, mom.