Day 4 - 89 -- Messy Weather Day

No snow day declared for today on campus -- a good thing. The walk into the office was through falling snow with about 4-6 inches down in the yard that required a bit of wading to break trail to Main Street. It was quiet as many businesses were closed and few people were out walking. Parts of campus hadn't been cleared well, but there was enough done that let me get where I needed to be without a lot of deeper snow. All three classes were held and Student Research Day was buzzing with excitement as all students shared their experiences from the past year with the campus community. Each year I'm amazed at the caliber of research completed by undergraduate students. Many functioned at a grad student level. This year we had over 100 presentations as posters or oral papers -- a record turnout despite the weather.

Throughout the day, the wind steadily increased. On the walk home, most of which faces north, I was walking directly into the wind. It was strong. I felt a bit like a mime at times when the wind did it's best to stay my progress often assisted by the snow it had drifted across my path. The wind did manage to push me around a bit on the sidewalk, an activity that made it difficult for people behind me to be able to pass. The worst part of the walk home involved the wind driven ice pellets that stung when encountering any exposed facial skin. I did stop to pull up my scarf a bit to cover my cheeks. This was like Nature's facial dermabrasion or peel -- it felt as if several layers were being removed as I walked. I'll let you know if younger brighter skin appears suddenly in the night <smile>. The wind continues to howl into the night with gusts rattling windows. The total amount of snow is enough to make shoveling difficult as it is wet and heavy, but it seemed to be less that some forecasts noted. I left most of the removal for tomorrow, just clearing the porch and stairs and the small sidewalk in front of the house.

When I was stopped in my tracks several times or buffeted around like a leaf or small branch, one line went through my head. I share that song here, though it has been used in the past on this blog. There didn't seem to be a better lyric to fit today. Enjoy!

Against the Wind -- Bob Seger