Sending Blundervibes to the friends we've made in Okemah during WoodyFests and hoping they have warmer, safer weather real soon:

This is from AP today--

,,, On ice-covered Interstate 40 west of Okemah, Okla., four people died in "one huge cluster of an accident" that involved 11 vehicles, said Highway Patrol Trooper Betsey Randolph. ,,,

Prayers & vibes sent their way. And to the families too...

Jim and I are currently in Tempe, Arizona...he had some use-it-or-lose-it vacation, so we're travelling in the South West. It was cold and raining in Las Vegas when we landed, and cold and rainy when we left the next morning to see Zion National Park, which was wonderful. The plan was to go to Bryce Canyon the next day, but we woke in Cedar City, Utah to snow on the ground, and the road to Bryce Canyon snow covered and treacherous...chains required on the cars. So we headed south.
We arrived in Phoenix a couple of days ago, and it has done nothing but rain and hail. All the drainage canals are overflowing, and it's hard to believe that we're in a desert area. The next few days are supposed to be better down here...but we're heading north. We're picking Kevin and Laura up at the airport (leaving a friendly house sitter at home to take care of the pets) here in Phoenix and heading for the Grand Canyon. It's going to be a snowy trip...we pass through Flagstaff, which currently has 18" of snow on the ground. It should be interesting...we're stopping in Williams, taking the Grand Canyon Express train, staying a night in the lodge, and going on a Canyon rim tour, which they do by bus this time of year...then it's back on the train and back to Williams. From there, we'll again head south...and then finish up with a couple of days in Las Vegas. Not really my thing, but the kids are interested in some of the shows. We'll be home in time for Christmas.
From what the locals have said, this is unusual weather...they're not used to this much rain all at once, and it's early for the snow areas. The ski lodge people are extremely happy, tho!
We'll muddle through...we've had to change our ideas of where we can go according to what road conditions are. We feel very badly for the people who have lost their lives on the roads and who have no power from the ice storms. I used to live in the midwest, and I'm familiar with what those ice storm can do and just how dangerous they can be.

Sue, I'm sorry you're having such unusual weather... my sister just left Phoenix on Saturday after spending the week with friends. We have some ice/snow here in ABQ also... it's actually really pretty, but the snow line is now down around 6,000' instead of over 7500'. The mountain looks gorgeous, but I'm not thrilled with having to drive in any kind of winter weather.

Be careful! The road to the Grand Canyon is wonderful! You might even get to see some elk, mule deer, etc, especially once you get up to where the hotels are just outside the park. Once inside the park, there will be plenty of wildlife to see.

And if you decide to make a visit to ABQ, be sure to call or email me. The Plaza in Old Town is really beautiful this time of year.

Have a good & safe trip. Stay safe...

Who else but blunderites could go on desert vacation and have it rain the whole time? Stay safe kid!

We finally saw the sun! We've been gone a week, and we finally had our first wonderful, sunny day! We visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (just about everything was outdoors, and it was a fabulous day!) in Tucson, and we had a great day, looking at thousands of cacti and other desert plants, with the mountains in the background and the desert sprawling out across the valley. We just about walked our legs off, hiking through all their paths and trails. It's a lovely place to visit, and I think we're going to have to bring our kids there so they can enjoy it too...I see a family Christmas card photo op here!
The kids made their connecting flight, (it was iffy because of the weather across the USA, and their first flight out of Dulles left late) and they're due in here (Phoenix) within the hour. In the meantime, I'm doing laundry and taking care of some stuff, like email. Tomorrow we're off for the Grand Canyon...I understand they've had snow, and it was TWO degrees there the other morning!!
We've noticed with this trip that what we thought we could fit in in a week's time and what we've actually been able to do is totally different, so it looks like we won't make it into New Mexico. Maybe next trip! So sorry, Terrie!

Sounds like an interesting trip. Have fun. They are supposed to get snow your way so maybe you'll get to miss that...

I'm reading this with pangs of envy. If there's one thing I miss by being on the east coast it's the ease of getting to the Grand Canyon. It is absolutely beautiful in the winter, gorgeous in fall and spring and way too crowded in summer. Enjoy your time there and don't get too close to the edges.

Hi, Sue. I'm glad you finally got to see the sun in the Arizona desert. Haven't been down to Tuscon yet... was in Phoenix in late May and it's SO hot there!

You're going to love the Grand Canyon! I've been there 3 times (all in summer) and no matter how long you're there, if you move just a few feet in any direction, the view changes! The colors change! The ambiance changes! It's just amazing.

Best wishes for a safe and fun trip.

I think we are having some winter weather here....weve already got more snow then we,ve had in years and are getting a storm warning now..
My internet was mostly down last night so didn,t make blat.Stay safe folks!!
"Snow at times heavy and local blowing snow. Amount 12" to 16". Wind northeast 25mph gusting to 40mph. High 19F. Wind chill minus -14F this morning."

Sounds like summer in Canada to this old hockey player.
it ain't REALLY cold until the dogs start sticking to the fire hydrants and the snow ain't REALLY deep if you can still see the chimneys.

I was out this morning at 5AM shoveling homemade mulch onto the veggie gardens and was drenched in sweat by the time I came in at 6.
The air is thick with humidity, but I can't complain because it seems we may be getting our traditional summer season back and with it much needed rain. Hopefully we will get continual rain a few days at a time over the next few months and dams will fill up. We are on level 6 water restrictions here. We are fine because we have a big pond that never dries up completely (it's full at the moment ) and plenty of roof space on the house and barn to catch water.

Stay safe in the snow folks. Hope all are okay. The rain event we got this weekend was thankfully not as bad as we thought...

We are now only a couple of inches short of last winters total snowfall.......winter officially starts next week !!!!