@happymomof1 The USPS just announce that there will be no postal delivery for the whole state of Iowa, all of Minnesota, and parts of Wisconsin and Illinois for tomorrow
I was just able to hold my mail for tomorrow @happymomof1. My letter carrier delivers in a truck but why make her do more than she has to.
Just looking at the hourly forecast for my son’s area. Yikes! It’s 5 degrees now, and it’s supposed to drop at least a degree an hour for the next twelve hours. High of a balmy 7 below zero tomorrow with 20 mph winds. Thursday the high will be a positively tropical 3 below zero.
And here’s why schools are closing and should close: there are a lot of students at colleges who have never been in weather this cold. Like my son. OK, a student from a warmer area goes to the Midwest and they know it’s going to be cold, but they didn’t think it was going to be this cold (because it isn’t normally this cold), they don’t have local knowledge, they don’t realize how dangerous it can be, they don’t know the tricks, they don’t know what to watch out for.
Come to think of it, with this winter vortex, there are a lot of local students who have never been in weather this cold either.
You folks are also getting a LOT more snow than I’m getting in CT. It’s going to be really cold here Thursday morning. It will be interesting to see what happens.
@MostlyDolores, is your D’s Interview still on? Good luck to her
@bajamm. Where I live in Chicago we normally don’t get our mail anyway… Lol. When I do it’s usually my neighbors… 
@bajamm - Thats good news for a lot of letter carriers!
My sibs and pals in Iowa have been sharing clever memes: “Iowa cancelled til Thursday” “So you know all those things you said you wouldn’t do until hell freezes over… that’s Wednesday. Plan accordingly.”
My cell beeped for a text and then rang right as the 9:30 to 11:30 ESL class I teach was starting this morning. I checked it and saw that yup, the CC was closing at noon. So added to today’s vocab and writing activities, we included how to know if there is class tomorrow, and how to be sure your reading and writing teacher has your email address so she can send you more Snow Day homework if there is no class. 
About an inch of lovely fluffy white stuff here in Germantown, MD. Temps dropping. DH just stepped back in after clearing off the cars, and grabbed his phone to take photos of the neighborhood. About 33 right now.
Stay warm out there friends!
Whatever happened to the USPS motto of “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” 
Wait, Michigan Tech closed? MICHIGAN TECH??
That’s a sign of the apocalypse. If UA-Fairbanks or U of Saskatchewan closes, I’m heading for the closest missile silo.
Weather report in Chicago… “it’s damn cold” :((
The UMich-Ohio St. basketball game is being played this evening.
Confession: the Polar Vortex is bad for spending freeze February… well end of January.
My snow boots fell apart and I hate finding a good pair of winter boots that I’ll wear. So I ordered 4. Of course they won’t come until after this polar vortex because I stopped the mail…
Only keeping one pair of boots but ordered different styles and sizes
Serious question, my little dog was a rescue so I’m not sure but I think one of his paws is especially sensitive to the cold. He goes out and can’t get up the steps because he won’t put weight on it. I would like to let him “go” in the heated garage temporarily. Any suggestions?
If it’s a little dog, can you just carry him up the steps?
Do you have any puppy pads to put down? Or even newspaper? I would let him go in the garage on some kind of paper. It’s hard to get a dog to read your mind though.
@Hanna yes and we have been but he just came in whimpering after about 30 seconds
Do you have doggie socks so he doesn’t have to feel the ice and salt?
He had socks but won’t wear them. He also has coats and sweaters and hats and even a baseball jersey. Because he’s so spoiled!
I think I will put on his leash and walk him around the garage to see if he figures it out.