DONNIE AND LINDA: SAFE AT HOME
A note from Donnie: "Safe at home.  After several days of cold, gray, wet, stormy weather, we arrive in Dripping Springs under sunny skies and no precipitation at all here."

Today is National "Tick Tock Day"

It's a reminder that there's not much time left before the end of the year.  If you've got something left to do in 2012, now is the time to Get 'er done!

Our snowy Friday is finally gone.  Although it snowed most of the day across the state it didn't leave much on the ground.  The highest amount was around Friendship with 4.5 inches.

With the snow gone the cold moves in.  IT'S LONGJOHN TIME IN WISCONSIN.
Saturday

Chance
Snow
High: 22 °F

 

Saturday
Night

Chance
Flurries
Low: 0 °F

 

Sunday

Mostly
Sunny
High: 25 °F

 

Sunday
Night

Mostly
Cloudy
Low: 13 °F

 

Monday

Partly
Sunny
High: 20 °F

 

Monday
Night

Partly
Cloudy
Low: -4 °F

 

New Year's
Day

Mostly
Sunny
High: 12 °F

 

Tuesday
Night

Partly
Cloudy
Low: 4 °F

 

Minnesota became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858 and was originally settled by a lost tribe of Norwegians seeking refuge from the searing heat of Wisconsin 's winters.

Minnesota gets it's name from the Sioux Indian word "mah-nee-soo-tah," meaning, "No, really... They eat fish soaked in lye."

The state song of Minnesota is "Someday the Vikings will... Aw, never mind."

The Mall of America in Bloomington , Minnesota covers 9.5 million square feet and has enough space to hold 185,000 idiot teenagers yapping away on cell phones.

Madison, Minnesota is known as "the lutefisk capital of the world." Avoid this city at all costs.

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was set in Minneapolis , Minnesota , and was Mary's first real acting job since leaving the "Dick van Dyke Show. The show about a single woman's struggle to find happiness in the big city was originally titled "Life Without Dick," but that was changed for some reason.

Downtown Minneapolis has an enclosed skyway system covering 52 blocks, allowing people to live, work, eat, and sleep without ever going outside. The only downside to this is that a Norwegian occasionally turns up missing.

Cartoonist Charles M. Shultz was born in Minneapolis , Minnesota and grew up in St. Paul. He was the only artist to accurately depict the perfectly circular heads of Minnesota natives.

The Hormel Company of Austin , Minnesota produces 6 million cans of Spam a year, even though no one actually eats it. Spam is a prized food in Japan & Hawaii--Spam sushi!!

Minnesota license plates are blue & white and contain the phrase "Blizzards on the 4th of July - you get used to it."

Frank C. Mars, founder of the Mars Candy Co. was born in Newport, Minnesota . His 3 Musketeers candy bar originally contained three bars in one wrapper, each filled with a different flavor of nougat -chocolate, Spam and lutefisk.

Tonka trucks continue to be manufactured in Minnetonka, Minnesota, despite the thousands of GI Joe dolls killed by them annually in rollover accidents. No airbags, no seat belts. These things are deathtraps, I tell ya!

Author Laura Ingalls Wilder was raised at Walnut Grove, Minnesota, and was famous for writing the "Little House" series of books, as well as inventing the "Spam diet" which consists of looking at a plate of Spam until you lose your appetite. Much like the "lutefisk diet"

The snowmobile was invented in Roseau , Minnesota so as to allow families a means of attending 4th of July picnics.

Logo Design by FlamingText.com

There's still some SNOW coming down this afternoon but it's tapering off.  By mid-morning central and eastern Iowa reported less than an inch of snow.  Southeast Minnesota and WESTERN WISCONSIN HAD AROUND 3 INCHES OF NEW SNOW on the ground.

As the snow ends the colder air comes in.  Tomorrow night will bring SINGLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES HOVERING AROUND ZERO.

May can't come soon enough.

No sun until Sunday.  I hate it!

DONNIE WRITES:

A harrowing escape from Arkansas. The first hour was over country roads that were partially blocked here and there by large pine trees that collapsed under the weight of ice and snow--a winter blunderland.

Traffic inched along under 40 mph, until we reached the Interstate. We got back to Texas last night, now facing another day's drive through fog and drizzle, but have escaped worst of winter strorms.

Logo Design by FlamingText.com
Iowa was admitted to the Union as the 29th state on December 28, 1846.

The Dutch know how to celebrate and I devoted my life to carrying on that tradition.

Now, HEINEKEN is celebrating 140 years of making one of the worlds best beers with a spectacular light show.

EARLY MORNING SNOW REPORT



ACCUMULATIONS SO FAR EARLY THIS MORNING HAVE RANGED FROM A TRACE ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA INTO FAR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN.  UP TO 1.5 INCHES IN THE AUSTIN MINNESOTA TO SAINT ANSGAR AND NEW HAMPTON IOWA AREAS.

ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH THIS MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES.

UNTREATED ROADS HAVE BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY.

Logo Design by FlamingText.com

After looking over all the pictures we've had on the blog, this year, this has to be the best one yet!

 

GOT AN E-MAIL FROM LINDA LAST NIGHT.
We just headed back to Texas today and had to drive on icy roads --- thus the pic ---

We are overnighting in Greenville and will get home tomorrow afternoon.

 This is out the front windshield as we got on I-30.

The snow was so heavy on these trees that some of them came down on he road, but the interstate was clear compared to the road we had to take from my Dad's house to there --wish I would have taken some pics of the mess, but I was. Too scared!!

Over 4 inches of new snow in downtown Sioux Falls this morning.

Norweigian Medical Dictionary . The Norweigianshave the lowest stress rate because they do not take medical terminology seriously ... Medical Term Norse Definition Artery - The study of paintings Bacteria - Back door to cafeteria Barium - What doctors do when patients die Benign - What you be, after you be eight Caesarean Section - A neighbourhood in Rome Cat scan - Searching for Kitty Cauterize - Made eye contact with her Colic - A sheep dog Coma - A punctuation mark Dilate - To live long Enema - Not a friend Fester - Quicker than someone else Fibula - A small lie Impotent - Distinguished, well known Labour Pain - Getting hurt at work Medical Staff - A Doctor's cane Morbid - A higher offer Nitrates - Rates of Pay for Working at Night, Normally more money than Days Node - I knew it Outpatient - A person who has fainted Pelvis - Second cousin to Elvis Post Operative - A letter carrier Recovery Room - Place to do upholstery Rectum - Nearly killed him Secretion - Hiding something Seizure - Roman Emperor Tablet - A small table Terminal Illness - Getting sick at the airport Tumour - One plus one more Urine - Opposite of you're out

If you're planning a trip to Europe, CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE about Italy's new high speed train that will take you to several countries with luxury service and gourmet meals.  It sounds inviting!

The snow is coming!  There's already one to three inches of snow over parts of Iowa and Western Minnesota.  It will arrive here later tonight.

We'll, probably, have one to two inches of new snow on the ground by tomorrow morning.  We're looking at two to four inches by tomorrow evening.

Drive carefully in the morning!

Yes, indeed!  Now I've heard it all.  As I've ranted and raved before.  I hate potato chips that taste like something other than potato chips.

PepsiCo and Lays are selling potato chips to the Chinese that taste like pepsi and barbecue chicken.  And, they like them!

If they like that they should love our potato chips that taste like dill pickles.  Those would go good with the chicken.

I wonder if there's a kid anywhere in the world that even knows what a plain potato chip tastes like?  I wonder if they even know there is such a thing as a plain potato chip?

I usually go to Festival on Friday but I went this morning.  It's going to start snowing tonight and continue all day tomorrow.  That sounds like a good day to curl up with a book and a cup of coffee.

I have heard nothing from Donnie and Linda today.  I'm guessing they're making their way home from Arkansas.