Snow, Snow Plows and a Movie - Rushed Today!

I actually slept until my alarm went off, and I have to get going to the swimming pool, so this will be a bit rushed today. But ... here we go! 

We've totally escaped winter throughout the season 
this year - VERY unusual. It's going to hit over the 
weekend, however - on Friday and on Sunday. 

We're actually supposed to get snow this weekend - on Friday and again on Sunday, with Sunday being in the several inches group. It's a very late snow - some bulbs are already showing their little heads above the ground! Crazy weather! The one good thing is it won't stick around for a long time. But, it will still have to be taken care of, and it'll be a messy few days. 

We love our snowplows up here in the Frozen Northlands. 
We rely on them to get and keep our roads clear for 
safe traveling. They'll be used over the weekend, for sure! 

I thought you might enjoy knowing which names won for this year's "Name the Snowplow Contest". If you're interested in the full list, you can visit the website dot.state.mn.us/nameasnowplow and check out the whole list. The top ten winners were 1) Taylor Drift with 12,027 votes; 2) Clark W Blizzwald, 6,667; 3) Dolly Plowton (I voted for this one) with 6,315; 4) Waipahinte (Dakota word for "snowplow", 6,266; 5) Beyonsleigh, 6,016; 6) You're Killin' Me Squalls, 5,922; 7) Fast and Flurrious, 5,897; 8) Barbie's Dream Plow (I wonder if they'll paint it Barbie pink instead of the bright orange they use?), 5,787; 9) Oh, For Sleet's Sake, 5,517; and, 10) L'Plow du Nord, 5,503. Did you vote for any of these? I had two that I voted for in the top ten. 

We'd be lost up here in the "Frozen Northlands" without 
our snow plows. We do have a winner in the :"Name the 
Snowplow Contest". The top eight names will go onto 
plows this year. 

Well, as I said, the plows will be out this weekend. We're supposed to get snow on Friday and again on Sunday with 3-5 inches expected on Sunday. DH may have his chance to take out the snow blower for the first time this season. 

I'm looking forward to seeing "Kung Fu Panda 4", 
although it pushes into my sleep time a little bit 
by the time I get home from the movie theatre. 

Tonight, Chickie and I are going to the movies to see "Kung Fu Panda 4". I'm really looking forward to a relaxed night with a good friend and a funny movie. I'll be exhausted, but that's usual for my end of the week stuff. At least I can sleep in until 4:00 am on Friday. Have an excellent day, and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Winter Stopped By Very Quickly - Now It's Gone Again

Earlier this year I had discussed the "Name a Snowplow" vote that we hold in Minnesota each year - at least for the past few years. Well, yesterday, driving home from the gym on icy roads - because we finally got a real snow and had a total of 5"-6" (depending on location in the Cities) dumped onto us - the plows were out. I found myself driving behind a plow proudly displaying the name "Sweet Child of Brine", and had to laugh. Just seeing that name brightened my whole day. 

These were the "Name the Snowplow" winners in 2022 - 
"Betty Whiteout", "Ctrl, Salt, Delete", "The Big Leplowski", 
"Plowasaurus Rex", "Scoop Dogg", "Blizzard of Oz", 
"No More Mr. Ice Guy", and "Edward Blizzardhands". 
They all earned their names during our record snowfalls 
of 2023. I rarely see any of the named plows - we have a 
LOT of roadways in the state, and the names are used statewide 
(with some special Native names in tribal lands). So it 
was a real treat to be behind a named snowplow yesterday 
coming home from the pool. 

I have a sealed Priority Mail box sitting next to my garage entrance door and ready to take to the Post Office today. It's just as well I didn't get a chance to drop it off yet, because two other things I had ordered for Sharon arrived yesterday. So I'll be opening the box and adding them to the box, then resealing it, printing out a mailing label and dropping it at the Post Office today. You're on notice, Sharon. You have a package coming to you next week, so keep your eyes open and let me know that it's arrived safely. 

I have a large Priority Mail box ready to send to Sharon, 
but ended up with two more items I had ordered 
coming in yesterday. So I'll open the box up, add the 
two additional items to the box, and then reseal it, 
put a label onto it, and drop it at the Post Office today. 

I'll try to remember to discuss one of the items I bought for Sharon, Chickie and myself next week. I'd rather discuss it after Sharon's box has arrived, so as not to ruin the surprise of opening and exploring it. Then I'll go through the one "unusual" item I have in there, and how it can be used in many different ways to ... well, I'm not going into any details yet. LOL

The best gifts are the ones that are unexpected. So, 
Sharon, if all goes as planned, I'll be dropping a 
Priority Mail box at the Post Office for you today. 
If it doesn't get sent today, it'll for sure be 
tomorrow. So watch out for it! 

Today is the first Friday of Lent. I'm making salmon for my dinner, and DH said he'll drop by McDonald's on the way home for some "fishies and fries". I could have made his usual meal of baked crispy breaded fish from a box, but he felt like fast food. So, that's just fine, and I'll just deal with my own meal. I'm rather looking forward to my salmon, but Lent is always a fairly long time and by the end of it, I'm happy to put my recipe back into my recipe stash until next year. Have an excellent Friday, enjoy your first Friday of Lent, and I'll be back tomorrow with cleared roadways and just a couple of inches of snow left on the ground. Still, at least Winter hasn't forgotten us completely - Yippee! LOL Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Join The Fun - Name A Snowplow

It's time to name a snowplow. Join in on the fun. But you only have through Sunday to go online and put in your vote. "What the ???" you're asking? I ca head you in my mind. "Of course they'd name a snowplow. It's Minnesota. It's cold. There's lots of snow (except for this year where I'm seeing bare ground and brown roofs). But, yes. This is the fourth year that MnDOT (MN Dept of Transportation) has held it's "Name a Snowplow" contest. 

For the past three years the MN Department of Transportation 
has run a "Name the Snowplow" contest, and it's been VERY 
popular. Why not join in on the fun? I've listed the names 
and the website below. Read through them, choose up to 
eight, hop over to the website and put in your votes. 

The snowplows are used state-wide, and last year's winners were: Yer a Blizzard, Harry; Blizzo; Clearopathtra; Better Call Salt; Han Snowlo; Blader Tot Hotdish; Scoop! There It Is; and Sleetwood Mac. There have also been three additional named snowplows to honor our indigenous population. Two in Ojibwe - Giiwedin (The North Wind) and Goonodaabaan (Snow Vehicle), and one in Dakota - Icamna (Blizzard). These names acknowledged those plows operating adjacent to tribal lands. 

In a normal winter, our snowplows see a LOT of use. They're 
huge trucks. Sharon and I usually climb into the display 
plow at the MN State Fair every year. They're such amazing 
vehicles! They aren't getting much use this year, at least not 
up here in the Twin Cities. But elsewhere in the state, yeah. 
They're getting used. We've just been "lucky" up here in the 
Cities. It's a rare year that I'm seeing grass - and green grass 
at that - poking up from the snow in my front yard in January. 

So, if you want to vote, voting is open through Sunday the 28th at the following website: www.dot.state.mn.us/nameasnowplow. The finalists for this year are: 

A Little Salty

A Plow Named Sue

AaronBrrrr, Sir

Alice Scooper

Barbie's Dream Plow (although I doubt they'll paint it Barbie pink)

Beauty and the Blade

Because Ice Said Snow! 

Below Zero Hero

Best in Snow

Beyonsleigh

Blizzard Buster

Blizzard Wizard

Can't Snow Me Down

Clark W. Blizzwald

Dashing thru the snow

Dolly Plowton

Don't Flurry, Be happy

Everyday I'm Shovelin'

Fast and Flurrious

Flake Superior

Flake it off

Frosty the Snowplow

Highway Hercules

I Came, I Thaw, I Conquered

Just Scraping By

Lady Slippery

Land of 10,000 snows

L'Plow du Nord

Make Snowbegone

Minnesnowta N'ice

Miracle on Ice

No More Mr. Ice Guy

Oh, For Sleet's Sake

Oh Snow You Didn't! 

Plower Power

Scrape, Rattle and Roll

Shiver Me Blizzards

SKOl Plow

Snowmageddon

SnowMNator

Snow White and the 7 drifts

Star of the North

Storm Rider

Sweet Child O' Brine

Taylor Drift

The Great MN Plow-together

Waipahinte (Dakota word for "snowplow")

Who let the plows out?

You're Killin' Me Squalls

You can select up to eight names, and voting isn't restricted to people who live in the state. My dear friend and "sister of another mother", Sharon, votes every year. I sent her the link last night. So, if you want to have a bit of fun with those of us in the (Un)Frozen Northlands, go onto the website and vote for the name that appeal to you. You can choose up to eight names. 

On that note, I'm cutting this off and starting my day. Lots to do today, so I'd better get to it. Have an awesome Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slave Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.