Here is what it looks like in Lynnster-land (aka, Memphis)!!!

It’s on its way!!!!!

Coco has it right on the money:

Man to be a kid in the south. Granted, the country ice-covered roads are a good reason to close the schools in wintry weather, but the kids in my hood have it made. For serious they could go to the movies if they have transportation and the inclination. They are not homebound.

She takes a stroll down memory lane about snow days in New York. It sounds similar to memories my husband, who grew up in New Jersey, has about winter wonderlands.

SistaSmiff threw caution to the wind and went to work anyway!

The newspeople made it sound like the Blizzard of the Century…”DON’T leave home unless you HAVE to” they said…all a’twitter.

I think it took me 15 minutes to get to work and I live in one of the “hard hit” counties.

The newspeople SistaSmiff referred to must have had Middle Tennessee confused with East Tennessee. Go take a gander at what’s going on in K-ville.

BlondeMom wonders:

The girls woke up and ran to the front window, although we really just have a dusting of snow. What is it with the wimpy snow in Nashville the past few years?…it’s kind of nice for winter to have one last hurrah, even if it is kind of wimpy. At least the girls get to stay home for the day

For Ivy, today’s snow means everyone must go to the doctor with her!

We got another snow day today, which would normally be great, but I have another appointment at the gynecologist’s office today. … The problem is that because of the snow, I don’t feel comfortable leaving everyone at home with my 13 year old. That means I have to bring everyone with me to the appointment. This should be fun.

Emily of On Awesome Avenue took a picture of the fluffy white stuff at her house:

Well…that’s a quite bit more than at my place!

Tennessee Mom has pics at her place, too.

More as I find them…

Busy Mom reminds us of tonight’s very special lunar event:

The full moon will turn a rust color as the Earth will line up directly between the sun and the moon will be covered by the Earth’s shadow.

I also heard on NPR today that the moon will be flanked by Saturn and Regulus to form a perfect triangle. It should be quite the show.

Unfortunately, thanks to the clouds that have rolled in this afternoon, most of us here in Nashville will likely miss it. Though NashvilleWX says there may be a few breaks in the clouds during peak viewing times (between 9 & 10pm locally, with the peak being around 9:26pm, according to shadowandstubstance.com).

Paul Chenoweth pointed this blog out in regards to how some folks are communicating at Union University. He encouraged in the comments here to read the comments. And I encourage you as well.

Yesterday, Jack Lail sent me this Tennessee Red Cross blog set up by a citizen after the tornadoes.

These blogs were started within the last 48 hours which I believe is significant to see how the blogosphere immediately deals with a disaster.

Also, Memphis blogger Monkeyfister is also putting up information to help Tennesseans impacted by the storms.

Updated: Photos from Jackson 

More as I find them …

Jennifer at Finnspace liveblogs while her husband and canine sleep.

Sharon at A Whiff of Smiff weathers the storm with her children.

Dirk at Dirkmonster who experienced the weather at the Sommet Center.

Sharon at SharonCobb.com theorizes that the storms might have an electorally-related cause.

Chris Wage at My Quiet Life with a fascinating pic.

Mike at Enclave reports that Hillary referenced our severe weather this evening.

From Lean Left:

Polling places in McNairy, Tipton, Fayette and Dyer counties were closed a half-hour early.

Those places in Tennessee are just outside of the Memphis area, and those storms went through our area. They were nasty, spawning tornadoes that stayed on the ground for a long time. Just to the north of our house there was fairly significant damage to homes and trees, and some damage from another tornado to our south. But the airport received damage, one business collapsed in that area (no word on fatalities, but apparently some people were trapped), there was damage to an airplane hanger, and the roof of the Hickory Hill Mall fell in at two separate places.

Most of Arkansas, Mississippi and the western portion of Tennessee are under a tornado watch and strong storms are all over those areas. There’s a pretty vicious-looking storm perched on top of Tipton county, just north of Memphis and home to The Momster. She lost a tree (fell 12 feet from the house) last week during last week’s storms and I hope that the news won’t be worse after this one. And that the storms will die down before they reach middle Tennessee. Nashville WX indicates that the risk is just moderate for us, thankfully.

UPDATE: Tornadoes spotted in DeSoto and Tate counties in Mississippi, which are just south of Memphis. They’re heading for northern and eastern Shelby county and Tipton county and will likely be heading our way in a few hours.

Soothing sounds?

I’m laying here reading my Google reader and listening to what sounds like water descending from upstairs and making its way through pipes in my wall.  It’s a nice sound, if you can imagine it, the refreshing OOOooossshhhhhooohhhssshhhh of running water.

Go see why these sounds from over at Aunt B.’s place might not be so soothing after all…

I haven’t made my way through the blogroll yet this morning, so how’d you guys fare the storm? Here in West Nashville, the lights flickered a bit and I was a little worried about that dead pine tree that looked destined to flatten my car, but this morning, it’s beautiful and clear outside and everything is still upright save for a few garbage cans.

Jim’s title is “I wish I had one of those”–I’m not sure if he means the machine or the kid. I know all parents think their kids are smart, but this kid might just be smarter than yours. Then again, you don’t have their utility bills.

Old pals Say Uncle and Les Jones have picked up on a column I found intriguing. It is about the compassion that people have for each other. This being the Holiday Season of Peace, I found what Dave Lindorff wrote in the Baltimore Chronicle and Sentinel quite interesting.

Mr. Lindorff wants Red Staters to die.

Because they have blasphemed the Sun God Algoracle. Not even the great philosopher Rodney King can help this hater.  He doesn’t want to get along. He wants the Red State scum to die, or at the least suffer greatly. 

Mr. Lindorff writes, “Say what you will about the looming catastrophe facing the world as the pace of global heating and polar melting accelerates. There is a silver lining. The future political map of America is likely to look a lot different, with much of the so-called “red” state region either gone or depopulated.”

But surely we will want to give aid to those drowning and starving wretches. Right?

Not exactly. Mr. Lindorff explains, “The important thing is that we, on the higher ground both actually and figuratively, need to remember that, when they begin their historic migration from their doomed regions, we not give them the keys to the city. They certainly should be offered assistance in their time of need, but we need to keep a firm grip on our political systems, making sure that these guilty throngs who allowed the world to go to hell are gerrymandered into political impotence in their new homes.”

I hate to tell Mr. Lindorff that the cities he is referring to, the high ground as it were, will be under water if his apocalyptic fantasy were to come true.

There’s a Tornado Warning for South Davidson County until 5:30pm

Me, I’m enjoying the rain. The kids stayed home (sick, I swear, truant officers!) from school and we’re going to have potato soup for lunch (though I am totally digging Claudia’s soups and wish she was here to cook) and play Muppet Party Cruise and have a good ol’ time. Klinde’s not so keen on the rain, though:

As much as I know we need the rain, that my yard craves it and you can nearly hear it drink it up in grateful gulps, I am upset that it is raining. You see, we suffered a bit of storm damage last week and the mighty wind that came through in gusts took off some of our siding leaving only exposed wood. I was hoping it would remain dry until repairs are completed.

And the rain setting in has turned Megan to childhood memories:

When I was a small, quiet child, on days when my friends were not in school and I was left to my own devices at recess, I would sit on the hard, cold swings and close my eyes tight until I saw blue on the backs of my watery eyelids. Sometimes I can still feel the cold metal between my fingers, and I remember myself sad and lonely in the middle of a swarm of oblivious children laughing and playing around me as I tried to curl up into myself, missing my mom. On those days I filled my head with the false hope that if I kept my eyes closed long enough, the whole day would vanish, leaving me that much closer to starting a fresh one.

Megan’s post is beautiful. Autumn has always turned my mind back to childhood.

Edit: Ha, I feel like a moron now, I published ‘Coma’s post and didn’t look at it. But Megan’s post really IS that good. Go read it.

A lot of bloggers are writing about the drought. Atlanta has less than 90 days of water left but every day millions of gallons of water are pumped to Florida for the shrimp and oyster industries.

The people of Georgia and Alabama are looking to their friends in Tennessee to share a little water. What should Tennessee do? Should we share? Or should we explain the idea of self reliance?

More from Life is Rich and KnoxViews.

Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

It is going to be a beautiful day!

My (and Graceless‘) favorite weatherman has the lowdown for what kind of weather to expect this weekend…

Lots of sunshine today, but afternoon temperatures no warmer than the middle 70s. The air behind yesterday’s cold front is dry (morning dewpoints in the 30s) so temperatures will really dip tonight. Early Sunday morning we’ll wake up to temperatures in the 40s, the coolest weather since May! Some clouds will mix with the sunshine tomorrow, but we’ll stay dry as Peyton and Vince duke it out at LP Field, with highs in the upper 70s.

Unbelievable that just a few short weeks ago we were stuck in the 100s day in and day out.

So after you post a most interesting item on your blog for us to link to here at MCB, get out and enjoy this incredible weather!

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Finn’s happy to see the rain, as are most of us. I’m happy to see it, too, but it has made my body do strange things, like vacillate between being sick and being not sick. I think it’s shocked by the sudden temperature and atmospheric change.

But Finn made me laugh and laugh with this:

The Bible verse, Matthew 5:45
“….for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
I can never hear or read that verse without adding the phrase, “and sometimes, it just rains” to the end. I remember my dad saying that and it always made me laugh. Still does.

Me too, man, me too.

Please stop making these lame, feeble and comically arbitrary attempts to water your lawns. You know the ones I’m talking about, like when you ran the sprinkler for an hour or so last Saturday afternoon. Or when you came home last night, caught a glimpse of your brown lawn and decided to run the sprinkler while you ate dinner.

Your lawn is dead. It is not coming back this year. Nothing you can do is going to make it come back. I know some people feel like they owe the Gods of Suburbia at least the appearance of proper lawn care, but, really, even They know that it’s completely pointless in this, the Summer of ‘07. It’s the equivalent of flossing in the morning for the first time in six months because you’re heading to the dentist later that day: you’re not fooling anyone. Give it up.

Just take a break for the season. Save the water for something (or somebody) else.

CNN has a story about the heat wave in the Southeast and the Midwest, stating that at least 44 people have died as a result.

Last summer, a heat wave killed at least 50 people in the Midwest and East. California officially reported a death toll of 143, but authorities last month acknowledged the number may have been far higher. A 1995 heat wave in Chicago was blamed for 700 deaths.

We talked about that Chicago heat wave over at Metroblogging a little while back — before this current heat wave started. I told my story in the comments:

I lived through that miserable heat wave. Street vendors sold T-shirts that said “I Survived Heat Wave ‘95.” It was crazy.

So I guess there’s a way to keep perspective, after all.

My friend Barry from Inn of the Last Home is pondering staying hydrated and if he’s doing what it takes to do so.

It’s said that we should drink Eight to ten 8-oz glasses of water a day (your mileage may vary).

Now, I drink a lot of iced tea. Sweet tea, to be precise - now there are benefits and detriments to drinking a lot of tea, but I do. I’ve always wondered how much of that 8-10 glasses of water are fulfilled with the tea? I probably drink at least 4 glasses of tea a day, maybe more depending on how many refills I get. Tea consists of obviously the drippings from the tea leaves and the equivilant of about a pack of sugar or sweetener per glass, but the rest if pure water. If I drank 8 glasses of tea a day, would I be getting the right amount of water? Or is the percentage way lower?

With the weather as hot as it is, staying hydrated is important. I was out last weekend and yesterday and got dehydrated before I knew it. Want to know if you’re dehydrated and what to do about it? Click here.

Stay hydrated folks..it’s hot out there.

It’s hailing something fierce in La Vergne, right now!

How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?

It’s hot. Damn hot! But Davis at Nashville WX has some welcome news:

The above computer model projections show a significant cold front (at least for July) heading our way later this week.

Not so fast, though. Two paragraphs later, he says:

In the short term, It will be hot and humid again on Monday with highs in the low 90s.

Can we hurry up with that cold front? I have barely left my house all day.