Scarlet Pimpernel

Seems the Reaper is wheeling-and-dealing for those lost souls!!

Hmmm, tough one! Make the second option have a couple of moderate warning-level events (not necessarily double-digit), and I'd go for that one without question! Would be similar to 2013-14 in that regard. But even without that, I guess it would imply snow cover that sticks around for awhile (and persistent cold) and you just add to it. I can live with several 1-3", 2-4", 3-5" type snows if that were the case!

So hey...this is a great forum to argue hotly debated political issues and controversial subjects, correct? And maybe discuss weather? Asking for a friend... (That was serious snark, by the way, as if I need to say that!)

Yup! Just like the Titanic and a "Night to Remember", this will absolutely be a "Winter to Remember!!" (I have a "sinking" feeling, hahaha!)

Classy high-powered lawyers...love it! I wonder if they'd do pro bone-o work for those who need counsel but don't have an unlimited bank account. (Oh, I'm sorry, I put "classy" and "lawyer" in the same sentence, my bad! No offense to any lawyers out there! )

Oh, we knew you must have been working on something good! Just a little concerned is all, having heard nothing from the Reaper in so long! Brilliant fortifications, to keep the extreme weenies out who might otherwise ruin the establishment! I guess you have guards at the gate taking people's temperatures to make sure they'e OK to come in! Is that from "Jason and the Argonauts" (or maybe I'm thinking of "Clash of the Titans)?? Great movie! Love it! No x-rays required!!! Whoa! The amenities of this place are just over the top! Couples therapy for the distraught snow weenie looking at models every night while their significant other falls into depression due to lack of attention! Looks like this guy fantasizes over 384-h GFS snowstorms more than the woman he's with!! I think Dr. Bones will set him right!

[email protected] is this year's Panic Room? Reaper taking an extended vacation? There were so many promises of upgrades! I was particularly looking forward to the snakes you advertised, as long as they've been better trained, and don't spill the drinks when they knock on your door! Is it social distancing issues, and limited space as a result? Can't keep people 6 feet under...errrr...6 feet apart?? No bone sanitizer available? Reaper working with a...skeletal crew this year?? (pun very much intended!!) I'm sure this will be a record-breaking year for you going by some of the discussion. Consider it the inverse of winter 2009-10! @Ji might ask for his money back if he isn't allowed in...hasn't he reserved a penthouse suite years in advance, using his "I cancelled winter first this season!" coupon?? He must get as many of those as I do of the Bed, Bath, and Beyond 20% off coupons!! But in all seriousness (if I can be)...hope you are doing well these days!

So for the "Washington Football Team", is this what can be said of them every week when they screw up?... WTF, WFT?!?! JFC!!

Ohhhh, tasty!! And I like the "Wine! How classy people get wasted!" coaster/hot-pad thing there in the background! Reminds me of this, which always makes me laugh...

Happy Halloween, everyone! Here's a "blue" Blue Moon for you...the 2nd full moon this month. Tinkered with the white balance to give it this effect:

Yeah, heard about that...RIP, James Bond!! And of course he was iconic in so many other roles as well. I especially liked him as the doddering, semi-absent minded old professor/dad in the 3rd Indiana Jones (Last Crusade). He was perfect, with so many good lines in there, and actually could humble Indiana Jones with the stare and raised eyebrow. One of my other favorites was "The Man Who Would Be King", with Connery and Michael Caine. Sad news...as if we haven't had enough in 2020.

Congrats! Cue the balloons! Party time!

Is that something like the definition of insanity? Not for you, but for those asking the questions, hoping for a different answer!!

Hello there, Mrs. J!! How are you my friend? What amazing photos! I was in Chincoteague around mid-August, hope you had a great time there! The sunsets from Chincoteague were amazing!!

Some photos from today... Streaks of mid-level clouds (black/white, with red filter applied): Those clouds stuck around to create an awesome, amazing sunset!!

I hear you! My daughter is a senior this year. College visits? Not happening the way things are. It makes things very...surreal. I honestly at times don't even know what to do (not to mention how things are done now compared to when I was applying a century ago, it's a lot different!). She's putting in applications, but that's about all one can do right now.

Thank you, my friend! Good to hear from you and hope you are well. I totally get the frustration concerning some lack of communication. Sometimes, I honestly just cannot keep up with various announcements. Sometimes, they're more on the ball with information, but other times, it's a bit opaque on what's going on. But like you...we manage as best we can. Hang in there...I have to keep the faith (or something!) that this will be over at some point. On a different...but I guess mildly related subject...I dropped off my mail-in ballot last week (yay!!). Went to one of those drop boxes that's nearby. I only bring that up because the last time I did anything mail in was as an undergrad in college, when I submitted an absentee ballot! That was...well, I won't say how many years ago! So this was a bit surreal for me in a way!

Anyone care about or paying much attention to the World Series this year? Anyone...anyone...Bueller?? Me neither! (apologies to any Dodgers' or Rays' fans out there!!)

Amen!! Agree. Whether or not schools are a primary vector for spreading the disease is almost irrelevant. If it's spreading in the community and spiking like that, better to play it safer. Personally, I think Gov. Hogan may have been a bit too quick on relaxing the restrictions more of late, and I say that as one who has been impressed and supportive of how he's dealt with this overall. Though he does allow (as I understand it) individual counties to make their own decisions. I live in MoCo, which has one of the highest rates and number of cases in the state (perhaps PG is the highest?). It was determined late in the summer that schools would be virtual *at least* through the first semester this academic year (end of January). They're supposed to re-evaluate the situation in the near future, to determine what's to be done for the 2nd semester (still virtual, in-person, or some hybrid?). But I'm not optimistic that they'll have any in-person instruction in MoCo this year at all. It sucks, we all want our kids to be in school (and hell, *they* want to be in school to see their friends!)...but in my opinion the closures and virtual learning is a sad necessity given the situation. Be glad we live in a time, at least, where it's possible to do that.

In a way, I agree with you here (no, not the part where you say that this makes you an ass...well, maybe sorta!). I personally see little difference between 6" slop spread over several events, that disappear before you sneeze...and dealing with 55-60 degrees most of the winter. Honestly (and this is simply conjecture on my part), I don't see us having quite so consistent a level of warmth as we did last year, and our single best event being...all of 1.5" total. Whether that means anything, who knows. But yeah, if we're going to have a couple of slop storms, who cares, might as well have it be "late fall" most of the time instead! I just hope we don't have mosquitos still hanging around in January, please! Interestingly, I looked up DJF last year (2019-20) and DJF from 2015-16 (year we got the blizzard). At least for DCA, last year was warmer over those 3 winter months compared to '15-16, and more consistently so. And that is after a +11.5 departure in Dec. 2015!! Take out Dec. 2015 and you see a different picture that year. I know people like to "dis" that winter as a one-and-done luck out with the blizzard that sucked otherwise, but fact is...we DID luck out. And it wasn't all luck. We were graced with a favorable pattern and a STJ on 'roids through the middle-end part of January. And in fact, besides the awful warmth in December, Jan-Feb were kinda at or slightly below normal overall (2nd half of Feb did get warmer, to be sure, as I recall). Last year didn't even give us any chance for a luck event, really. Oh, and last year, DCA did not record a single max temperature of 32 or below at all.

C'mon, if you're gonna punt, go for the best (Ray Guy)!!

Hey @WxWatcher007, is the Panic Room open yet for this season? Looks like you'll have an overflow crowd right from the start! Perhaps introduce "contactless" check-in!! And sanitize each room with tears from agonized snow weenies!

Wait...did Groucho Marx lose one of his eyebrows??

Yeah, I guess that would be true for up in that area. Closer in to the DC area, it's kind of just getting a little bit of color...so couple of weeks in this area is probably what I was thinking of. It's been pretty dry too, of late (though should get some good rain tonight), hopefully that won't inhibit things too much to where the leaves just shrivel and fall off, LOL! The maples have started, I guess they tend to be the first ones to show.

Some late summer weeds...