G+ Migration Blog

* It's official. This is the coldest February (here) on record since the official formation of the National Weather Service in 1870. Average daily temperature: 11.1 F. The last record was 1934 with 11.6. * We have had 30 consecutive days below freezing, which ties for the fifth longest stretch of that (might get a few more days on that one, which could move us into 4th). * This is only the second time since records were kept that the entire month of February was below freezing. Last time was 1978. * And finally, we are tied for first place for the most days below zero (F) with 10. * Out of random interest, our snow totals thus far are 102.7". We will never beat the record in that department, which was the winter of 1976-1977 (including the infamous blizzard of '77). That total was 199.4 inches of snow. That's ok. We wouldn't want to get greedy. Good night, folks! #crossingtheHelcaraxë

I need an excuse to make this: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cocoa-nib-chocolate-and-citrus-dacquoise-351263 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cocoa-nib-chocolate-and-citrus-dacquoise-351263

Not overfond of CNN morning news shows, but caught intelligent moment this morning. Apparently, a survey among Republicans was done and results are being dissected. One of the questions it asked was whether Christianity should be the official religion of the USA.  ... ... ... Aside from my immediate reaction to the fact that such a question was asked AT ALL, I was pleased to note the pointed observation that in addition to violating the US Constitution ( Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ), the same people are all for getting rid of religious extremists in other countries. They don't seem to see themselves as such. How convenient. I'm wondering whose version of Christianity they think is going to win this hypothetical little game.

In 145 years of recorded weather history, the coldest February was 1934, when the average temperature for the month was 11.6 F. It has not been above 32 F since Jan 29. Depending on what happens tomorrow, we may break that record.

I am a sad puppy, and his last tweet just aches, right now. http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/leonard-nimoy-star-trek-s-spock-dead-at-83-1.2975593 http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/leonard-nimoy-star-trek-s-spock-dead-at-83-1.2975593

Woke up in the middle of the night, all freaked out about not remembering what time my flight was and omg I hadn't pre-ordered a cab to get to the airport. Only I'm not going anywhere. I was so freaked out there's lingering freaked out feelings. What is with you, brain?

I think the weather is practicing for this weekend, when it is supposed to snow. Apparently, it wants to make sure it gets it right. o_o

Random weirdness, or a story of interesting bedfellows: My extremely strong impression has always been that physicians historically didn't respect dentists as healthcare providers. Other than the small blip of oh, yeah, your mouth health affects your cardiac health. Which, if it really mattered, people would have been battering down the insurance industry's doors to demand that dental care be regarded as integral to health insurance, not some random separate thing many people can't afford.  Anyway, there was apparently some foofaraw in NC where the state dental board had said no, random cosmeticians in a mall can't offer tooth whitening procedures. The FTC felt otherwise. As far as I can tell, the AMA (that is, physicians) was part of how this went to the SCOTUS. They were looking to protect the role of professional regulatory boards. They lost. Professional boards of various types exist specifically to regulate "practitioners", ideally this helps protect the ...

Cute thing that's going around: http://properlyridiculous.com/tag/sliced-bread/ http://properlyridiculous.com/tag/sliced-bread

Courtesy of Lara Beaton  http://www.buzzfeed.com/joannaborns/fix-your-body-trouble-areas#.cjopQjodV

The place this is cross-posted from included several comments claiming this was possibly untrue/made-up and noting that you can't really find out because you can't know the names of the participants, since they are children, etc. Know what? If it's made up, it is illustrative of what I wish everyone had and did choose to use as an approach to this kind of nonsense. Granted, if adults addressed sexual harassment in an intelligent way that involved discussing adolescent hormones and normal behavior versus abusive behavior, you know, educating and guiding kids through a confusing experience, you might completely alter certain dynamics. But why would we do that? So until that happens, and people are taught to respect each other, by all means encourage people to defend themselves from unwanted touching, particularly when people don't want to hear "no".  http://www.geekfill.com/2014/02/24/this-girl-did-this-after-the-boy-at-school-twanged-her-bra-what-followed-is-go...

In case you needed something to warm the cockles of your heart. http://cuteoverload.com/2014/01/30/hamster-in-a-very-small-sweater/ http://cuteoverload.com/2014/01/30/hamster-in-a-very-small-sweater

Fun with Winter, #3 in a series.  Last, but not least. Observed when walking past a building. A building that seems to have needed to leave the taps dripping. That is all ice, although the base has a dusting of snow cover, and it is all from 'flowing' water accumulating this entire month. It's kind of beautiful, as long as you aren't the one who's going to have to pay for the eventual repairs.

Fun with Winter, #2 in a series.

Fun with Winter, #1 in a series.

So, the latest is that there is bone and nerve damage in my dad's spine, probably related to the main issues and their treatment, and options may be limited to surgery. I don't know in detail, because my dad started talking to me briefly while I was going in and my parents were going out. That, and my mother interrupted him when she came in so he couldn't really say what he was going to say, and then when he stepped out her comments were things like, "It's interesting how things get interpreted." and comments about imagination, and that's not what was said, etc. And then there was the bit where he said he could always get a second opinion and my mom said you already got one and you guys can probably write these posts by now, right? It's entirely possible that my dad's presentation wasn't precise. It might even have been inaccurate. It has been known to happen. However, he's the sick person, so he gets to say whatever he wants however he wan...

Charmingly apropos.

One of you piqued my interest so I looked up the movie. And find this nonsense. Gotta love the "apology": ... I know I’m not thinking wrong but I’m probably saying it wrong from time to time ... http://www.today.com/style/amy-schumer-responds-trainwreck-critic-calling-her-chubby-review-2D80500546 http://www.today.com/style/amy-schumer-responds-trainwreck-critic-calling-her-chubby-review-2D80500546

You know how you're supposed to stop and think before you post things? Yeah. I didn't. Just so you know. You can probably figure the rest of this out without reading it if: a) you know me enough to know that blatant chauvinism triggers me, and b) I tell you that my mother just told my father "She probably has her period." by way of explaining their observation that I was not perky and fluffy merely at the return of their presence. Because there must be a reason! Other than the fact that I am not a Pomeranian. So, you know, general irritation and annoyance at something they had done, which they do a lot, which would have faded away within moments and gone unremarked, turned into a fairly incandescent rage at the unmitigated insulting ignorant stupidity of that comment, which would have pissed me off coming from anyone, but is especially enraging coming from someone who is constantly pissed off about people belittling her.  Let the ranting begin. ... ... ... There are a...

Today is my parents' 50th anniversary. Neither of them is in the right place mentally/physically/emotionally to want to do anything about it, and none of their kids are in a place to do anything about it due to life, etc., so nobody is doing anything. This sucks. This is where some big party with all the friends and family was supposed to be set up so people could think about good things for a while and maybe enjoy themselves a little bit. Please tell me that by this time next year everything will be much, much better for everyone.

Oh, ha ha. Just checked the temp reports and got "-0.9, feels like -1.0" Really? headshake

It is unclear, but some sort of temperature records may have been set overnight. If so, could we please confirm, agree mission accomplished, and move on to weather patterns not backed by Vladimir Putin?

This is just cool. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/china-kazakh-horsemen-hunting-golden-eagles-snow-covered-mountains-photo-report-1486959 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/china-kazakh-horsemen-hunting-golden-eagles-snow-covered-mountains-photo-report-1486959

In other signs that the end is nigh, besides the US and Canada there's snow in the near and middle east - Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan. It would seem this is not a usual occurrence.

In the category of will never happen but I want it anyway, could someone please pass a law that any and all campaigning, fundraising, public speculation, posturing, news coverage, etc. relating to Presidential elections may not, will not, and cannot start prior to May 1 of the year prior to the election date. That's a year and a half*. Surely you can annoy, harangue, and waste enough tax-payer/citizen time and money in 18 months to satisfy even major political animals' narcissism, egoism, and power-grubbbing urges. I don't want to hear any of it anymore. Is even one full percent of it substantive? Just shut-up already. *I would say one year, because, Eru, that should be enough, but even I know that won't leave them enough time to get all the orders printed at Kinkos/FedEx.

I have achieved amateur Auntie-face status. I stared down the plow guy who is supposed to plow our driveway who JUST DROVE BY and ignored the driveway. He eventually came back after doing, like ALL the other houses and said well, he couldn't do better than I had. I informed him he could try, and removing the rest of the snowcrete at the end of the driveway was probably something he could do. So he did. Dude. No matter what I managed after an hour with our artifact of a one-cycle, carbureted snow blower and hand carrying actual boulders out of its way, you have a bloody truck with a big old push blade on the front. DO SOMETHING USEFUL. -_-

I am kind of amused in a sick way that there is a locality nearby that is reporting half a degree of temperature. That's right, it's 0.5F. People are so desperate to deny the reality that they will round up anything to get that reading over zero. #crossingtheHelcaraxë

Happy Year of the Sheep/Goat/Ram! (If there was a DFS zodiac, it would always be the Year of the Hobo Goat.)

Heard this on CBC radio today. I kinda like it. Sorta Beach Boys-ish. https://soundcloud.com/vaselines/01-high-tide-low-tide?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=Google+&utm_content=https://soundcloud.com/vaselines/01-high-tide-low-tide

Other cooking adventures of recent: - White bean soup, made with several types of white beans, herbs, wine, onions, celery (just for the flavor building - you don't know it's in there), garlic. I decided to use some bacon and render that fat, use it to cook the onions, garlic, and celery, then later, for thickening, mashed up some of the beans with it to make a thickener. Finally, serve the crumbled bacon on top. Could have used fish sauce for umami, but there's plenty of salty flavor in the bacon, so didn't. - Massaman curry with traditional beef, potatoes, and onions. Didn't use peanuts, but I like it as is. Yay for stores with real Thai curry pastes without msg (I don't always, but I can get really bad headaches from it). Only downside of that is that my mom, who is moderately allergic to peppers (read: lots of bad coughing but eventually able to breathe, as opposed to straight up anaphylaxis), cannot eat anything with the premade pastes, because they all hav...

Tonight's meal: Baked haddock, "breading" consisting of ground almonds, fresh minced parsley, fresh lemon zest, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic and onion powder, and ground black pepper. Drizzle of olive oil and baked. The accompaniment is kale sprouts browned then braised in wine and broth with shallots and caraway seeds, and a pan sauce then made with those and butter (instead of cream) and dijon mustard.

I guess the temp did get above 20 in some places today, but it's back down below that, so. There was also some desultory snow flurries.

I am super sad they had to take this down after the media coverage of it, but Ithaca got fed up and told people to go to Key West. http://www.today.com/money/ithaca-new-york-so-cold-tourism-site-directs-visitors-florida-2D80496236 http://www.today.com/money/ithaca-new-york-so-cold-tourism-site-directs-visitors-florida-2D80496236

Oh, lol. They are offering drive-through ashes at churches around town today. For people who are just soooo busy. My irony meter is amused because I figure if this is an important religious observance to you, it probably ought to rate highly enough for you to at least get out of your car . If they'd just offer a free car wash at the same time, the puns would write themselves.

Depending on which weather report you note, they are promising to break the 20 degree barrier today. I suspect this is untrue as most are not this generous, and, in any case, we shall be dragged back across it immediately even in the most optimistic of models. The real tease is that this weekend is supposed to be close to, or, perish the thought, above freezing. I'll believe it when I see it. Which probably involves something to do with the physics of why frost forms on your glasses, or some such. #iamskepticant

I got to have steak and buttery potato for dinner, and you, well, I have no idea what you had.

Happy Paczki Day! I've had mine, have you?

WE HAVE TWO WHOLE DIGITS OF POSITIVE TEMPERATURE. I may be disproportionately enthused.

I may have neglected to show you the back of our house. At first, the icicles just blocked the back door, so I removed them. Then, they decided that was insufficient, and grew into columns that merged. I successfully removed all of that, too. Guess what keeps re-growing? Yeah. It's laughing at me.

We're definitely not gonna win. I say Massachusetts takes the top 3. Any bets? http://goldensnowglobe.com/all-snowiest-us-cities/ http://goldensnowglobe.com/all-snowiest-us-cities

It's hard to get a picture that really shows it, but there are multiple rows of icicles like shark teeth hanging off a maybe 10" thick wall of ice on our neighbor's lower roof. The longest ones are at least 8 feet tall. Plus the ones on the upper roof. There are also the snow overhangs. All hanging over our driveway, just waiting for gravity to kick in.  Bunzilla seems to be doing ok, though. We have informally decided that he or she is named Bunzilla.

Yeah.  It IS that cold...

They have revised the estimates upwards, so we are unlikely to set a record low tonight. Seriously, if we have to go through all this, you'd think they'd at least give us something. (The estimates were -15; the record is -16, but now the estimated low is -12.)

Hello, -3. From my venture into the wilds for groceries this am. #crossingtheHelcaraxë

Lulz Originally shared by Kathy Russell #agriculturalerotica

I scared a bunny :( I didn't mean to. It seemed to think under my car was a good place to be. Until I turned it on. [P.S. My car is AWESOME!!! It lives outside and it started right up at -6F (I waited until it warmed up outside).]  Anyway, the bunny didn't like that noise, and it jumped up a 4 ft snowbank and ran and made a burrow in the 4+ ft deep snow in the yard. I was impressed, I did not know bunnies could make 4-5ft standing leaps. I am also impressed that it made a new entrance to its burrow that fast. We presume the actual burrow is still in the ground under the back porch. Probably, the bunny has been making snow tunnels somewhere to get to it. However, this is the first top-down burrow entrance we have seen. Poor bunny.

Well, there was a point this afternoon at which I lost my sense of humor about this winter. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Well, that changed quickly. We went from 4-8" possible total accumulation between today and tomorrow at 8:30am to 8-14" by 9:30am. The weather apparently thinks this is funny. Or The Lady and Blind Io are messing with it.

Happy birthday Katherine Heywood!

Aw, puppy. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/02/13/dog-walks-20-blocks-owner-hospital/23345157/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/02/13/dog-walks-20-blocks-owner-hospital/23345157

Hm. Actual air temp of -5. This is why there are tunnels and enclosed walkways in places like Rochester and Minneapolis, MN. I am not there. #crossingtheHelcaraxë

Things that make me stare, and then wonder why I bother having any reaction, at all. A few weeks ago, it was discovered that the thermostat needs batteries. Why no one knew this, I'm not sure. Apparently, batteries last a whole lot longer than the manufacturer intended and no one has ever had to replace them. The discovery was prompted by the thermostat flashing a "low batt" message. The first reaction seems to have been the sensible one. Go find batteries and replace. However, the battery drawer was out of this particular size of battery. Next steps logically would have included going and buying some. Nope. Hissy fits were thrown, great big hissy fits. Eventually, I involved myself and after determining that no, it wasn't going to shut off at any moment and freeze us all in our beds, arranged that I would pick up some batteries in the morning. Which I did. I gave the batteries to my mother.  This morning, my dad walks by the thermostat and comments that it is showing...

We are number one! http://goldensnowball.com/ http://goldensnowball.com

Favorite excerpts: Wind chill values...as low as 30 below.  ... The wind will make it feel like it is 25 degrees below zero or colder for several hours. Those planning to venture outdoors should use common sense and dress warmly. Just a thought. Common sense would dictate not going outside if you didn't have to. http://www.wunderground.com/US/NY/010.html#PUB http://www.wunderground.com/US/NY/010.html#PUB

Off to snowblow before the temperature drops below salt. MgCl, that is. Why am I suddenly channeling The Beverly Hillbillies? Oh, right, throwback Thursday. Yeah, that's it. Omg, now I'm channeling old SNL. Stop it, Thursday!

Wow. There are so many places to get paczki around here. What to do, what to do.

Oh, look. It's snowing, again. #shocksurprise

Fun things you come across:  http://bravetart.com/blog/ThePits aka Why You Should Eat More Pits or How to Denature Cyanide http://bravetart.com/blog/ThePits

I love that Seventh Son , supposedly the competition, is getting even worse ratings than Jupiter Ascending . Which horrible movie should you see?

The subject lines on some of my research emails are getting a little click-baity. Jump Your Way to Stronger Bones is what was on the link. The actual title of the article was Kids can jump, skip, spring, and run their way to stronger bones .

Man, we gotta get workin'! We're still no way beating the UP. They're at something like 177" already, but we have the state beat, which is quite unusual. Now, we just gotta beat Worcester! http://goldensnowglobe.com/all-snowiest-us-cities/ http://goldensnowglobe.com/all-snowiest-us-cities

Stupid things about which to get annoyed - Don't know when or where this started, but have heard/seen on major news networks, as well as other media sources multiple times recently Sriracha referred to as Thai hot sauce. NO. Aside from any ignorance implications (it's all the same peninsula/continent/whatevs), it's on the company's website: "Hot sauce creator, David Tran, began his chili making mastery in 1975 in Vietnam." VIETNAM. Formerly known as French Indochina, occasionally part of Imperial China. Not never part of Thailand, formerly known as Siam, at any point of which I am aware in modern history. Pay your research interns more. Sheesh. P.S. Since it's made in the US at this point, you might be more accurate referring to it as American hot sauce. IT'S STILL NOT THAI. P.P.S. Per the website, Mr. Tran's travels did not take him through Thailand between Vietnam and the US. Just in case that was going to be a question.

The 15th is the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag. It's been getting some interesting coverage, but what would you send in if they decided to get national input on a new flag design? http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/02/maple-leaf-redux-a-civility-lesson-from-canadas-rejected-flag-submissions.html http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/02/maple-leaf-redux-a-civility-lesson-from-canadas-rejected-flag-submissions.html

Today's fun start was realizing that they had finally decided not just to plow the center of our street, but to clear back the many feet wide and high extensions of snow that had narrowed the street. Which meant we awoke to a literal wall of snow at the end of our driveway. A compacted wall of ice, snow, rocks, dirt, etc. that was 8 feet by 4 feet by 3 feet. This was not removable by snowblower. I am sore.

My family is going to be the death of me, I swear. Oh, yay! Let's all go to Orlando! Too much stress to coordinate. Here, you plan and coordinate! You're good at that sort of thing!  Augh, we can't make decisions!  Nevermind, nobody's going. ... Where is the smiley with the steam coming out of its head when I need it?

hah Originally shared by Sallie Alys Montuori I had occasion to do a little research on beaten biscuits, and this recipe is one of the funniest things I have ever seen.  You should read this even if you don't cook! “Honey, every time I know I'm going to make these biscuits, I get myself good and mad. Normally I think about my sister-in-law, Darlene, who ran off with my husband right after Granny Pritchett’s funeral. That was years ago, but it still galls me into making some of the tenderest biscuits around.” (Also, as a good Virginian, I must dispute that their origin was in Maryland.  However, as a reasonable person and a respecter of history, I would like to see any source documented earlier than the Apoquiniminc Cakes recipe in Mary Randolph's The Virginia Housewife .) http://www.recipesource.com/baked-goods/biscuits/01/rec0197.html

People. Right now, I am seriously disliking people.

You wanna explain to me how these ice pellets are not sleet? 'Cuz this stuff is freezing over EVERYTHING.

I don't suppose any of you have the old Time-Life series Williams-Sonoma cookbooks? I don't have mine and I want the recipe for these flourless chocolate cookies they called Othellos. I mean, I'm sure somewhere there is a recipe for flourless chocolate cookies, but I can't find a good one and I know theirs was good. Scharffenberger had a good one, as well, but they've removed it from their website so haven't got that one either.

Oh, I'm sorry. You wanted to leave the house? Yeah, the icicles that look like they are 4 feet long? Are 4 feet long. I did go out and hack away enough so the back door could open, but the base is so thick, I couldn't get rid of that at all, so they will probably regrow. I just left the ones by the windows. They are rapidly attempting to attach themselves to the railings.

This is a big deal. I remember the cases in BC when I was living there. It's important, and it's an overall positive (this decision). As far as whether doctors are the ones who should be assisting, we cannot train people other than physicians specifically to assist unless we as a society can accept the idea that death can be a choice when there is no quality to living. Counseling and palliation can only do so much. There is as much virtue in fighting for that, as in knowing when to move beyond that fight. http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268777/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=GhnBmFQQ http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268777/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=GhnBmFQQ

Hello, Hive Mind. If you have been to Orlando and environs, what, if anything, is there that you have done and would recommend that is not going to a theme park. And preferably is not more than about 1.5 hours driving time away from Orlando.

So, one of the things that is hard about going through certain stuff is that when things get bad, sometimes people start talking about their life as a way of processing and trying to deal. I know a lot of my dad's life was absolute crap, but "Shit, fuck, other-fucker, stupid, stupid shit-balls!" people. I can't even some of the stuff that's gradually come out. Jfam. I don't even care if these same people were nice to me when I came along. I want a time machine so I can go back and punch SO MANY PEOPLE right in the face. A lot.

Apparently, g+ has decided some of you are not sharing with me. Which is interesting, since in certain views I can still see your posts.

Guilt-inducing doggie with a haircut faces.

Interesting, but I don't agree that pointing anything out to these people is going to change their minds as a group. http://www.skepticalob.com/2015/01/what-everyone-gets-wrong-about-anti-vaccine-parents.html http://www.skepticalob.com/2015/01/what-everyone-gets-wrong-about-anti-vaccine-parents.html

'Cuz there's never enough shark: http://makezine.com/2015/02/04/download-this-papercraft-left-shark-make-your-own-mvp/ http://makezine.com/2015/02/04/download-this-papercraft-left-shark-make-your-own-mvp

For the foodies. http://www.grubstreet.com/2015/01/2015-bocuse-d-or-winners.html http://www.grubstreet.com/2015/01/2015-bocuse-d-or-winners.html

Made oatmeal cookie bars. No boring old raisins, though. Made one that I've done before where you soak dried cranberries in a mix of water and orange oil overnight and use them instead of raisins. Then you drizzle dark chocolate over the tops of the cookie bars before cutting. New experiment was using dried pineapple soaked in orange juice, coconut (not the sweetened stuff), and toasted macadamias. Also drizzled with dark chocolate. Would definitely do again, but clearly need a lot more pineapple, because you couldn't taste it. So these were coconut macadamia oatmeal bars with secret pineapple.

I suppose if you have a madeleine pan, there are worse things you could do with it. http://yummycrumble.com/star-wars-tusken-raider-cookies/ http://yummycrumble.com/star-wars-tusken-raider-cookies

Oh, wow. That Jeff Bridges thing is even weirder than I thought. I mean, it could have been a serious meditative thing. He could even have used his acting skills to do one of those soothing voice things. It tries? The cover art is like a bad trip - do not view on drugs - think Argos. One of the tracks is called Ikea. Truly. And it is a seriously trippy one minute and three seconds. But if you want a good short break from reality, this would be the track to listen to. #thedudeabides

Know Your Bird-Related Auguries http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3622 #SMBC  http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3622

OW. I is sore. I have shoveled the driveway twice, snowblown it once, and our neighbor snowblowed it twice. We can still only get in and out through one of three doors, because there was just no energy left for digging up to either of the other two (they are about 4 feet off the ground, one down a moderate landing, steps, and a longish path, the other across a deck/porch, and down several steps. The snow is about 2 feet up the one door, so you literally can't open it. The other you can probably get out the door, but you would have no idea where the landing or steps were and would probably fall and drown in the snow. The side door is clear because I keep digging it out.  I tired.

6 more weeks of winter. I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked. #groundhogbaiting

Well, somebody didn't really believe in the forecast, because the roads are minimally passable, and the companies that get paid to plow your driveway are not all here. This is ordinary and usual blizzard for around here. You'd think people would get their act together. Nope. Fun for everyone whose work and school are not closed.

Still like the Seahawks better. Nyah. #Iamfive

Tried the garlic soup thing, used a roux. It came out fine, texture is super-smooth, but it doesn't taste very much like garlic. I mean, I wasn't going for vampire repellant, but I was hoping to really feel like I was eating garlic soup. You know, something Quirmian. There's 4 whole heads of garlic in it, and it's not even offensive! I'm just going to ask Maggie Brazeau for her recipe next time.

I really like the google doodle. The music and the poetry and the illustration style are great.

Hm, there appears to be a snow event occurring.