Could it be the Great Tennessee Blizzard of '06?"
If you saw yesterday's forecast, it certainly could, but the reality is that it is yet another near miss. Am I disappointed? Maybe a little. Here lately, I have found it necessary to travel to see a real snow.

There are some areas such as the Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau, where snow is accumulating, but the best we have here in the valley is about l.27 centimeters on the wooden rail of our deck. The squirrels and I can still see hickory nuts out in the grass.

But Tennesseans still react to a snow forecast. Supermarkets and other stores were jammed yesterday with people preparing for a blizzard. All schools in the area are closed. And why not? It's Saturday. Roads have been pre-treated. So what if the forecast was only 1 to 4? Experience has taught us that such a forecast really means less than one or more than four. This time we seem to be getting less than one.

There is still the matter of travelers. My sister is scheduled to leave Boston's Logan airport in a few days to visit relatives in this area. Maybe the runways will be cleared by then. My son-in-law, who flies cargo in a 757, is on the ground at Dulles in Virginia, where snow is heavy and expected to continue. But taking off in those conditions is easier than landing, so he could be home on time.

Oh well, maybe I can drive up to the mountains.
Howard 8 <-snowman