As a silent protest to the commercialization and corporatization of the weather in recent years, I refuse to use the contrived names the Weather Channel gives to out storms now. Like dogs, storms are being commercialized and emotionalized and personalized, they have become  yet another source of compulsive anxiety for people who are being hammered for days, even weeks, with alarms and cautions, near hysterical announcers and grim videos.

The weather was once non-profit, and that was a better place for it, as is almost everything that corporations get their greedy hands on. They used to call it winter, nor Harry or Joan. The only thing I like about the Weather Channel is the lightning app that shows how close the lightning is to my farm. That’s pretty cool.

Our storm was more or less advertised. It was serious, we got between 12 to 14 or 15 inches. We got another inch or two of ice, and then another two or three inches of snow. I went outside with my camera around 2:15, I could see things were slowing down and I believe I caught the very end of the storm, as the skies opened up a bit and nothing was coming down from the sky.

Maria and I shoved for hours and hours, and then scraped for more. Now, we are going upstairs to paint our bedroom green. No lying about here, perhaps later I’ll get a nap and some time to listen to my temporary musical fave, Janelle Monae of Moonlight fame.

I’ll take some photos of the bedroom operation, lots of people love to follow Maria’s design instincts. Lunch was Spaetle with broccoli, goat cheese and pesto. Dinner will be salmon for Maria, I think. Probably a turkey burger for me.

As predicted, a brutal cold front has landed, -13 tonight and a high of 0 tomorrow. The animals are holed up in the Pole Barn, the dogs don’t stay out for more than a few minutes. I want to write some tonight, if there’s anything left in the tank. I’ve been shoveling all day, everything hurts. I can’t handle this kind of cold for two long.

The end of the storm was lovely another beautiful sky. Time to go paint.