In comments Pat O’B reminds us that Sprinter, Wing, or Wang, whatever you call it, is not done with us quite yet.
The forecast for the Greater Duck! City Metropolitan Area calls for a rough aul’ day in the barrel, starting right about now and lasting until 2 a.m. tomorrow. From the National Weather Service:
Southwest winds 30 to 50 mph with gusts of 60 to 75 mph expected. … Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Damage may occur to mobile homes, roofs, sheds, barns, outbuildings, and fences. Widespread power outages are expected.
Oof. Batten down the hatches, mateys.
We’re semiprepared for Apocalypse Junior.
The lanterns are charged, and the headlamps and flashlights all have fresh batteries, with a candle lantern in reserve.
Jugs of filtered water abound, and a few days of nonperishable edibles are close at hand, so we won’t have to eat the neighbors. Yet.
The ovens will be out of commission, but we have a gas cooktop, and a two-burner Coleman for backup.
Staying warm might be an issue — we have a Mr. Heater Portable Buddy and two fireplaces, but have never used either of them. We could end up warmer than we like (on fire) or colder (dead). Thus, the three-season sleeping bags in reserve.
We have battery banks for our iPhones, for all the good that will do us, because our cul-de-sac is a sinkhole that cellular signals float past unmolested unless the phones can mooch off the wifi.
Finally, my main MacBook Pro is plugged into an APC battery backup. This is likewise useless since without power the Innertubes will deflate, and trying to use the iPhone as a hotspot (see “cellular signals,” above) is the hee, and also the haw.
At least I can take copious notes on the End Times. I hope the alien archaeologists who stumble upon my chronicle are fluent in Snark.
• Musical note: The headline is taken from the Planxty tune of the same name. They know something about the shite weather in the auld sod, so they do.
Tags: Apocalypse Junior
Mad Blog Media 
February 22, 2023 at 12:41 pm |
Well, nothing about the weather that a jam session and couple beers can’t fix. Two Rojos and a Diving Duck is the ticket. This would sound good on your Roadhouse; it was made for the blues. Song, key of G, only takes 4 open chords, G, C, D, and Em. Miss Mia wants a serenade!
February 22, 2023 at 1:34 pm |
Smooth. Sounds a whole lot better than the wind, which is kicking up a helluva fuss. We got what looks like a combination dust-and-snow storm barreling in from the SSE.
And, just as I typed that … it’s snowing.
February 22, 2023 at 2:25 pm |
Although your river may not flow with whisky, you can probably count on the sun shining on your back door soon. In the meantime, I suppose the tempest is blowing your blues away.
As they may say in the French Quarter: La bonne musique et la bonne nourriture éloigneront le blues
February 22, 2023 at 1:02 pm |
Sweet music. Thanks
February 22, 2023 at 4:05 pm |
We got a little wind up here in Fanta Se and a little snow. The wind was blowing up a storm between Los Alamos and Pojoaque, where it always does. Big crack suicide squads of tumbleweed periodically attacked the car as I drove up to Bombtown for a dentist appointment. Up in Bombtown, the snow was coming in horizontal, visibility down, and a real blizzard by Bombtown standards.
Back home now. All is well.
February 22, 2023 at 5:11 pm |
We’re still waiting for those fearsome blasts from Odin’s hairy schnozzola. Got a nice little haboob earlier and some sideways snow, but The Big Show has yet to eventuate.
I figure it’s waiting for bedtime so it can rattle the windows, boogity boogity boogity.
February 22, 2023 at 5:47 pm |
Look at the bright side you have sun. here in North Worst Montana, we have six inches of snow, it is 5 degrees with 20-30 mph sustained winds gusts to 45 mph and it is cloudy and freakin’ gray. expected to continue until Friday a.m. too old for this shit will pull the meat off a rotisserie chicken and make soup and some egg noodles to warm the frozen bones. power warnings are not in effect yet.
February 22, 2023 at 8:40 pm |
Man, you folks get the rough edge of weather’s tongue up to there. I’ve gotten so feeble in my dotage that 20 degrees will keep me off a bicycle.
February 22, 2023 at 9:42 pm |
No wind yet just snow. Supposed to turn to sleet. Lots of ice forecasted. You are very well prepared Patrick. I should be so well prepared for storms. Good luck everybody!
February 23, 2023 at 6:12 am |
Sheesh. Bupkis. A bit of wind, some sand, a soupçon of snow, but otherwise bidness as usual. Hope you dodged the icy bits, Libby.
A friend of Herself’s lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and got the Million Pound Shithammer the other day, as in feet of snow. Feet. Got some more yesterday. Oof. We haven’t had to deal with that sort of thing for ages, and my lower back rejoices.
February 22, 2023 at 10:22 pm |
There’s windy.
And then there’s “did you remember to tie down your train?” windy.
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B10Gtue8VGtDuP8
February 22, 2023 at 10:26 pm |
Just north of Sydney, NE. The same wind turned 18 inches of snow into basically cement, depending on which way your front door faced, lots of folks were locked in their own home for three or four days. Is there a block in the comments for an Amazon order where you can instruct the driver to tap on the second floor window, and somebody will reach out and grab the package?
February 23, 2023 at 7:51 am |
When the wizards were still preaching 85-mph gusts yesterday we got a delivery from Amazon. No Sprinter this time. Dude seemed to be driving his personal vehicle, a Subie Outback. A little lower profile for getting the cattle to Abilene.
February 23, 2023 at 1:15 pm |
Along with 640000 of my closest pals I’m out of power after ice storms. I’m going to be using every size chainsaw I own to take care of the deadfall. Hell I had to chainsaw my way out of the damn garage to fetch more generator fuel. Probably won’t see power restored until late Saturday cause this one’s a bad one- unless you selling generators and chainsaws.
February 23, 2023 at 1:50 pm |
Chihuahua, Herb old sawyer. You’ll be getting a fine upper-body workout. Probably look like The Rock next time we see you.
The good news is, come the Apocalypse, you’ll have all the firewood you’ll ever need.
We have a few good-sized old conifers leaning this way and that in the front yard. We ever get the right wind from the west and the guest bedroom will have a new rustic outdoorsy look and the whole north end of the joint will need an HVAC transplant.