Over the last week, our TV News has shown the snow storms from the Pacific Coast and now to New York City. And even a calf working on ice in OK. So I expect that quite a number of Boyds (along with many millions of others) have been snow bound for some of the time for these past few weeks. So please let the list know how you are going. I can see that some people that I meet on my visit in October might be able to get out of the house, but find hte hill a little to steep to get back home after getting the milk, etc Mike Boyd

Mike et al, You are so right about being able at times to get down the hill much easier than I can get back up!  I definitely consider the return trip, first, when making my decision about whether or not to go anywhere.  To quote a local weather aficionado: "We are on track to have the coldest December and the snowiest on record. 28.7" for Boone and 61.5" for Beech Mountain. Quite a lightning quick start to the winter!"    On my recent Christmas visit to my mother's on the coast of NC, even they received snow on Christmas.  A local jeweler there in Wilmington had run a promotion after Thanksgiving through Dec. 11, so that anyone buying any jewelry during that time was eligible to get it free -- if it snowed on Christmas day 2010 in the mountain city of Asheville, NC.  He had found an insurance company who would insure him for this effort.  It hadn't snowed on Christmas in Asheville in many decades.  This year, it did, and the jeweler refunded approximately half a million dollars to some lucky customers!    Note: Local mountain folklore says that the indigenous woolly worm can foretell the winter weather.  The furry worms have bands or stripes in two colors, brown or black.  If the band is black, it foretells a period of harsh weather.  If it is brown, milder weather.  We have a Woolly Worm festival in October every year.  People race woolly worms and the winning worm gets to be the official weather forecaster.  This year's winner gave a black / brown / black (end-to-end) forecast.  Having just experienced the first "black" period, I think we are on schedule for some relief during January and/or February.  Our winter won't be over until the end of March normally, but we also don't plant anything much until after May 1, and some wait until after Mother's Day for good measure.  Thirty-three years ago, our area received three feet of snow on May 8.  Other years in May, we've gotten a lesser amount of snow.   Happy New Year, Boyd family! Michelle ________________________________ From: Mike Boyd <mikejboyd@bigpond.com> To: BOYD-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Wed, December 29, 2010 6:29:14 PM Subject: [BOYD] Snow in USA Over the last week, our TV News has shown the snow storms from the Pacific Coast and now to New York City.  And even a calf working on ice in OK. So I expect that quite a number of Boyds (along with many millions of others) have been snow bound for some of the time for these past few weeks. So please let the list know how you are going. I can see that some people that I meet on my visit in October might be able to get out of the house, but find hte hill a little to steep to get back home after getting the milk, etc Mike Boyd