<p>There are propane emergencies in many midwestern states. We have a contract so are getting filled regularly. 1 S1 bought his house in December and is having a terrible time getting his tank filled since they weren’t a regular customer. They have run out two times and have to keep calling the places to see who will deliver some amount. Of course, also paying premium prices.</p>
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<p>Yes, some have called on Disney to quickly release a film called Thawed.</p>
<p>Just got the call. Off tomorrow.</p>
<p>School for tomorrow was cancelled for BHG this morning at 8:00 a.m. LIke Sally305, new semester began today, but no school for 95% of the state today and tomorrow. MN is experiencing gas and propane shortages to the point that our Governor opened up military armories for people to go and stay warm. </p>
<p>I can’t wait until Wednesday when the high will hit 20* ABOVE zero and no wind chill factor. My local weatherman stated before the wind chill scale was changed back in 2001, today’s temperature in the Metro would read -70* below zero or colder. Crazy. The weatherman also stated that this winter is closer to normal here in MN than the previous 10 years. I do not ever remember it being this frigid growing up or in the last few decades. I’ll admit, I took a 7 year deture in Texas, but I still do not remember this level of coldness. </p>
<p>Ugh… I was going to run up to the library tonight to pick out a new book, and found out it closed early due to the cold weather. </p>
<p>Univ of Michigan announced classes cancelled tomorrow. First time since 1978. </p>
<p>Just came to post that, too, SLS. The funeral was tonight and he was a HUGE blue fan. We all went out to dinner after the funeral and found out while there. We were joking that it was his last gift to us :). (He devoted his entire life to helping kids. This seemed fitting.)</p>
<p>Funerals are never fun. Sounds like he was a good guy and a life well-lived. </p>
<p>It wasn’t fun, but it was heartwarming to see everyone come together. He was very much one of those pillar of the community types. Worked at the schools as a para pro and a coach/statistician/anything anyone needed and at the youth rec league that I work at for well over 30 years. We literally had thousands of letters and emails pour in when he was losing his battle with cancer and tonight there were almost 500 people crammed into a tiny church. Even Senators and Congressmen (both parties) came.<br>
So while not fun, just therapeutic I guess. </p>
<p>@HImom
I’ve found that I don’t. When I’m on the beach, I use a spray that has an SPH of 70. I do not get any blotches or feel discomfort. </p>
<p>Wow, Michigan State is staying open despite this: </p>
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<a href=“Campus safety information | Michigan State University”>http://msu.edu/emergency/</a></p>
<p>It takes WAY more than 15 minutes to walk across campus. </p>
<p>In regards to the funeral, it’s somewhat comforting to see the trial a cars, that seem to go on for miles, following the hearse from the church to the cemetery. Well…it was comforting for me. :)</p>
<p>Moments like these makes me foolish. I repeatedly ask myself, “Why did you leave those boots at home?”…“Why did you leave those sweaters?” </p>
<p>Florida. You have fooled. You have fooled me, indeed. </p>
<p>@romanigypsyeyes Yet, Walsh College is closed. One building, large parking lot, but one building which is mainly a commuter campus and has a lot of online and blended courses. </p>
<p>The South is not handling this weather well (we rarely do, but this time seems worse than usual.) A major hospital in our area cannot be reached due to iced over roads. All commuting routes have sections that are iced over. Police are only responding to accidents resulting in serious injuries to people, and are having trouble getting to those incidents. Schools closed at 11:00 - 11:30 a.m., but many parents are unable to get through the snarled traffic and blocked roads. Officials knew it would be a problem, but didn’t want to cancel. I hope they have sense enough to cancel tomorrow.</p>
<p>I asked dh to stay home today, but he had an “important” meeting and wasn’t too concerned. The snow didn’t begin until after 9 a.m., but came down heavier than expected. He will probably be sleeping in his office tonight since all downtown hotels are booked. </p>
<p>Cell phone service is spotty; I’m glad we had our landline reinstalled after the last big storm. I just hope we don’t lose power. I’d enjoy a night to myself, watching old movies and eating popcorn for supper. </p>
<p>University of Minnesota was closed all day yesterday, but only until noon today. </p>
<p>This morning my little pup</p>
<p>I have a colleague in GA who just reported that her kids are stuck at school for the night because the buses can’t take anybody home. Can you imagine!? Why wasn’t the school closed?!</p>
<p>That colleague went into work this morning for reasons that boggle the mind, she could have worked from home. She left to go home hours ago and still hasn’t gotten home. Our colleague in NC worked from home today, thank goodness! I have been worried about them.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I hope to have my new Edge in the next few weeks… just wheeling and dealing with the dealership to figure out which car I want to get. I was going to lease a 2013 but they don’t have one in the color I wanted, and I can only get my second choice color with a really high cost package I don’t need that makes it basically the same as the 2014, so now I am looking at 2014s. The 2014s are dirt cheap right now anyway, we are talking a $20/mo difference. Fingers crossed I can get what I want and get it SOON. I want my AWD!</p>
<p>I really feel for those in the south who are now getting hit with snow. There are no salt trucks, no real preparation for it. (I still don’t feel bad for those in “frigid” 40s :p). My mom tells me about the time that she lived in Arizona and they got several inches of snow. It was gone within a day or so but everything just shut down- EVERYTHING except emergency services. Banks were closed, schools, etc. I don’t blame them but she had just moved there from Omaha so it gave her a good chuckle.
It really amazes me that in this day and age, so many companies still expect their employees to risk life and limb to go to work when many jobs can be easily done from home (I fully recognize not all, but many can). I was very grateful when the state office I was working for last year gave us the option to work from home in extreme weather situations (they’ve received three such days this year, I had none when I worked there lol). I guess that’s what paid vacation is for if you’re lucky enough to work for a job that offers that. </p>
<p>Employers requiring employees show up is a major issue in my area the last several days (and during the first blast a few weeks ago.) We have been under a “snow emergency” (no travel allowed) and yet far too many employers (factories especially) are giving employees “points” for not showing. People who are very pressed for money feel there is not alternative but to try to get to work if they want their job.</p>
<p>It’s just not right, sry. I know several of our counties have been under snow emergencies. We’ve been told by the state, county, and police to stay off the freeways unless absolutely necessary several times. But nope, gotta make it to work or else risk losing it.
Not right IMO</p>
<p>The last big snow we got, almost nobody came in-- none of us were told it was okay to work from home but we called our bosses and said we were doing it, and most of them did, too. One department told everyone who worked from home after the fact that they would have to use a vacation day or forego pay “because the whole rest of the department was here.” Liars. It makes me sick. Especially since there is absolutely zero reason we can’t do our jobs from home just as well as here, it makes no difference.</p>
<p>There was absolutely NO way I could have gotten to work in the last blas unless I picked up my car and carried it to the main road. We had over 10 inches of snow and the street wasn’t cleared, my car isn’t tall enough to go through that without getting stuck. Right now, we’ve had hardly any snow here, it’s just record breakingly cold, and that’s fine-- I’m here! But with 10 inches of snow? Forget it.</p>