Final Tally - 16 inches

Had fun shoveling snow this morning. Roads are pretty clear. Lots of sun to dry them out.

Snow total so far is 8 inches

This is a picture of my patio this morning. Measured several spots around the yard... 8 inches deep and snowing moderately

Even more snow????

The latest trends have led to increased snow amounts in the forecast. Nevermind 12 inches... how about 24? That could TOTALLY happen.

Winter Storm Warning

This could go down as the biggest snowfall from a single storm I have ever seen first hand. My new prediction is for 12 inches. But if the 13-17" forecast verifies, that would be my "personal best". Tune in tomorrow!

Major Snowstorm Looking Likely Saturday

It looks like all the weather ingredients are going to come together Saturday for a major snow storm here in the Lake Linganore community. Based on my latest analysis, I believe it will start to snow at about 6 a.m. Saturday, and snow all day and overnight into early Sunday morning, about 24 hours worth.

My preliminary snow total forecast is for 8 inches at my house.

Speed Control on Mussetter?

Alcohol may be involved, but could it have been road rage? Based on what I've seen firsthand, those who understand the recent history of this segment of road are going the speed limit. The ones who don't get it tailgate, and get fed up with going 35 when they're used to going 50.

Relaying from the FNP:
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=96132

Crash injures three

Monrovia -- Alcohol is suspected in a head-on collision about 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the 5200 block of Mussetter Road, according to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

Three men were taken to different hospitals to be treated for injuries, although none were considered life-threatening, Cpl. Mike Easterday said.

Witnesses told deputies the collision occurred as a 2000 Ford Mustang was headed north at high speed on Mussetter Road, tried to pass on a curve at a hillcrest and crossed a double yellow line, Easterday said.

The Mustang collided with a southbound 2003 Dodge Caravan head-on, deputies said.

Deputy First Class Ben Whitehouse is investigating the crash; no charges have been filed, Easterday said.

Chance C. Siros, 25, of Ijamsville, the driver of the Mustang, and his passenger, Sean M. Donahoe, 30, of Kannapolis, N.C., had to be cut out of the car, authorities said.

Siros was flown by helicopter to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma in Baltimore. Donahoe went by ambulance to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda.

Hospital authorities could not be reached Monday for condition reports.

Steven Gerard Boie, 45, of Clarksburg, the driver of the Dodge, was taken by ambulance to Frederick Memorial Hospital.

He was released after receiving treatment, a hospital operator said Monday.

-- Kate Leckie

Mussetter Speed Check!

For those who commute on Mussetter Road, the Frederick County Sheriffs are protecting and serving the county these days. Watch your speed especially during the commuting hours.

Is this why my dogs bark?

I really like this picture. Chewing on the grass, eh little miss?

Storms Down Trees

Various roads are blocked by downed trees due to earlier thunderstorms. Ijamsville Rd. and Boyers Mill Rd. are probably clear by now, but watch out your path may be blocked this afternoon!

The Long Overdue Triathlon Post

This year, I decided to try to achieve the goal of competing in a triathlon. After searching for regional events, I targeted the Hagerstown Sprint which is a 300m swim, followed by an 11 mile bike, then a 5k run.

The pool - I hadn't done laps since swim team in high school. My breathing routine was so rusty at first.

The bike - I had to get my bike tuned up, and the training in my neighborhood is much tougher than the 11 mile course.

The run - I have jello legs after biking, so I know the 5K will be super tough!

Rain

The birds don't seem to mind the rain. Feeder visitation remains high. The birdbath is full once again after the recent deluges.

Garden!

So, after a vacation to the Black Hills, I had a little weed-removal to do in the garden, but it wasn't too bad. It rained last night which was good, because the soil seemed pretty hard on the surface. A fresh dose of rain is nice.

Now open at a theater near you

The Mussetter Road project is complete. The new roadway is less sloped, I believe.

Groomed Dirt

This is the state of the construction on Mussetter Road. Groomed dirt. I think we might be looking at another week or two before it's open. The weather hasn't cooperated lately. It looks good most of next week, though.

Our Urban Dare

On April 18, The Rock Lobsters (myself and hubby) embarked on a grand adventure in DC called the Urban Dare. We had a great 3.5 hour fun-filled tour of miscellaneous statues.

Our Dare started at McFadden's near Washington Circle (Foggy Bottom Metro). Our race started fashionably late at about 12:15 p.m. or so with a list of 11 clues that sent us to various locations across the city. Thus began our worst mistake... we wasted a good 30 minutes at least using our laptop to google all the clues (which led to statues or circles) without moving. A better option would have been to just ride the Circulator over to Union Station, the first stop we figured out from the clues.

So after walking to Gandhi's statue near Dupont Circle and then over to Logan Circle to do a 3-legged race challenge, we were way behind the 8-ball. Once we got moving on the Circulator, our pace improved as we had mapped out every location and how to get there quickly.

We found our way to Gallatin's statue at the Treasury building and lucked into a bonus picture of Lafayette. We also got a bus to save us some walking over to the Art Museum where we photographed a bust of Longfellow... oh WAIT, the one they meant for us to find was way back at Dupont Circle!!!

The highlight of our day was smashing through the spelling challenge. It was a basic cipher where letters had numerical values. Nerd power!

So, we will use our lessons learned tomorrow when we compete on the Great Urban Race, a similar Amazing Race style adventure with cryptic clues and physical challenges.

The Mussetter Mess

Do you commute to Montgomery County or the Beltway from New Market by using Old National Pike (MD 144) and Mussetter Road which joins with Ijamsville Road? Well, you won't be able to do that beginning on or around April 6.

According to Frederick County Government, Mussetter Road will be closed 30 days for construction, pending weather conditions of course. Good luck to the local traffic between Hyatt Rd and Royal St. Andrews, which is the segment to be worked on according to the signs that are posted on the route.

Snow no Snow

I cannot believe that Frederick County cancelled school the other day, and yet there was hardly any snow whatsoever. There was way more snow in Montgomery County and they had school. A delay I could see (Carroll County, good job). A complete Snow Day? What is this... Alabama???

Frederick YMCA

There was a "fire drill" at the Y today. Not sure what was going on, but in the middle of racquetball, there was announcement to leave the building. On the way out, I saw a couple firemen. No alarms were going off at the time, but they did start later. I don't know if it was a drill or something else that needed to be looked at. There were two fire engines I saw. One was out front and the other on the side street near the alley.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here's wishing everyone a happy new year 2009.