Winter Storm Lemuel blew into Mitchell early Tuesday Morning. Too late for Winter, but then weather system's can't read the calendar. It was rather inconvenient to discover that I was not able to get into the Library due to the weather, so I set up a temporary home office in the Corn Palace. I was not the only visitor, as a couple of out of town tourists stopped in to take a look around. They were concerned about "making time", or they would have stayed longer. They sure seemed like nice people. I hope they got to their destination safely.

I was just a tad nervous about the weather possibly preventing me from getting to work at the Hut Tuesday night, so at around 2:30pm I started scraping the ice from the windshield, the side windows, and the rear window of my car so that I could move the home office to my usual booth at the South McDonald's. After getting there, ordering a double cheeseburger meal, and setting up, I watched "100 Eyes on SD Politics". They promised a big announcement on the Facebook page, but I must have missed it because I was 15 minutes late. To top it off, they ended early because one of the panel members had an interview with Senator Johnson, so that was a kind of a big disappointment (I just now figured out that the interview may have been the big announcement). The big picture windows at the McDonald's gave me ample opportunity to see the blowing snow.

By 4pm the prediction was for nearly a foot of snow to fall and blow around. As 5:30 rolled around, I decided to head for the Hut. I was stuck in the parking lot of the McDonald's temporarily, but I managed to get on the road and make my way carefully to work. I pulled into the parking lot at 5:47, so I was able to relax a while before starting my 6pm shift. I knew that one of two things would happen:either I'd be done by 6:30 or I'd be swamped. As it turned out I was able to keep up, while at the same time making sure the kitchen was super clean before I left. After all I don't get paid to smoke cigarettes and drink beer, ya know!

As I left work at around 9:15, I thought I'd go to the Ramada and check on some things online. The TV in the lobby had Keloland on, so I glanced at that every once in a while. I had planned on leaving by 11 pm, but got way too involved in the Letterman interview with Lindsay Lohan. My heart really does go out to that young lady. So after all that drama and an almost funny comedian, I started for home, only to get stuck on the corner of 6th and Sanborn. I managed to dig my way out and get home by 11:54.

Wednesday morning, I made myself a promise that I wouldn't go anywhere that I couldn't walk. This proved to be difficult at times, but I did manage to get to the Library at around 11 am, but had to leave at 5pm because they were closing early due to weather. I walked to Taco Johns, stopping occasionally to catch my breath. Shortly after I entered, I met a lady from FUMC here in Mitchell who asked me why I was walking. I told her I didn't feel like digging out my car just yet. I stayed there until 7:50, when I got the feeling they were getting ready to close. I wanted to get home before it got too dark.

   

     Which brings us to today. After a lot of digging, I freed my car from the snowbank that formed around it Tuesday night. according to the thermometer on my car it's 33 degrees outside. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. But there the best news I heard all day was that while I was sleeping the Winter Storm Warning was canceled, so Lemuel is gone! I thank God he never lost power here in Mitchell and hope that all of you who have lost power get it back before too awful long.

     What's next? One of our readers seems to wants to name the next Winter Storm Mordecai. If we get another one (and we'd better not) We will name it that. I'd whole lot rather to a special report on Severe Thunderstorm Ann-Marie. In either case I hope everyone is OK. Those of us who survived this mess really have some stories to tell, and I hope they end as happy as this one.

God be with you and do the best you can!