Rick did not go to work today. A state of emergency was declared by the state of New Jersey. We got dumped on royally. Hammered. Slammed with snow. At least it wasn’t heavy, wet snow.

Would someone out there please remind me the next time I want to get more or less snowed in? Would you remind me that sitting by the fire with the snow falling outside and watching Lord of the Rings is a lot of fun and all very nice but the price one has to pay the next day is not as fun? Digging out is hard work! We probably got about 20 inches of snow on the level and drifts that are much higher. The snow on our deck is around 30 inches I think because it blew off the roof and drifted pretty badly.

And the price one pays for having a cute little sports car sitting snug in its little cover in the garage is digging out the poor old Suburban that now lives outside in the driveway. Mia, I hope you realize how good you have it!

I tried to get on the deck from the driveway but I had trouble getting up the stairs so I had been letting the dogs out the basement door since we could not get out the sliding doors to the deck without letting a lot of snow fall inside the house. I let Bella and Hailey out downstairs, then came back upstairs thinking I would let them in in a few minutes. I heard Hailey bark and it sounded like she was down there wanting to come in, so down I went. Bella was happily laying in the snow bank, but no Hailey to be seen. I went back upstairs and it occurred to me that she might have tried coming up on the deck and maybe was stuck. I went to the sliding door and this is what I saw. Hailey. Wanting in.

After seeing that sad face I couldn’t turn her away, so we let her in and dealt with the avalanche of snow that came tumbling into the house with her. At least now there was a path through all that snow! Oh, and by the way, she is standing up!

After I shoveled a bit it looked like this:

Poor Rick looked like the abominable snowman on Johnny with the wind whipping the snow around.

I don’t think we’ll be eating at the table outside on the deck anytime soon.

Or by the pool for that matter!

Bella is probably the only one who is having fun today.

We are as “dug out” as we’re going to be and are now in for the rest of the day! Whew!