Hope the schools play it safe...this time.

overspread is a word?

Oh, yuk.

We've still got snow (on the back lawn) and an icy driveway from the "weather event" a week ago...

When one has 8 tanks with tropical frogs and the possibility of power outages, it leads to having to do some serious planning. We don't have a generator nor are we ready to go down that road just yet, so I had to come up with a plan.

When we travel during the summer and have a pet/house sitter, I had to devise a "Emergency Frog Evacuation Plan" for the poor sitter who asked the question, "what if the power goes out, will the frogs get too hot?". That plan is about a page long and ultimately the frogs go into 16 quart lidded containers and then placed in the cool basement. Mark and I had to do this when our power was out for 3 days this past summer.

However, with cold weather, it is more of a dilemma, how to keep them warm. In the long run, I need to buy (on the internet, not sure if they can be purchased locally) some heat packs that are used when shipping live frogs. But for now, I have several packs of the packets used to slip in gloves and shoes to keep warm. The frogs will go into the 16 quart containers and then I will be placing these packets taped to the under side of the lid of each container. These will all be placed in an inside closet and covered with blankets. I know we could take the 8 containers with us to the hotel, but then we may have to explain what is in them.

So imagine freezing in your own home trying to catch frogs and putting them into these containers! Life is exciting at the Harmon house.

Get a kerosene heater for such an emergency.

I have a kerosene heater for just such an occasion. A friend bought the thing years ago but his wife was afraid of it so I 'inherited' it. It's still in the original box and has an extra wick.

Just be sure there is adequate ventilation in the area you plan to heat. I wonder, too, if exotic frogs may be sensitive to the fumes from these things.

Just got this on WBIR's Facebook page posted at 2:50PM:

NWS has Cancelled a Winter Storm Watch for Anderson, Blount Smoky Mountains, Claiborne, Cocke Smoky Mountains, Grainger, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Morgan, NW Blount, North Sevier, Northwest Cocke, Northwest Greene, Northwest Monroe, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier Smoky Mountains, Southeast Greene, Southeast Monroe & Union Counties.

That followed this post of 1 minute earlier:

NWS has Continued a Freezing Rain Advisory for Anderson, Blount Smoky Mountains, Claiborne, Cocke Smoky Mountains, Grainger, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Morgan, NW Blount, North Sevier, Northwest Cocke, Northwest Greene, Northwest Monroe, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier Smoky Mountains, Southeast Greene, Southeast Monroe & Union Counties until 07:00 PM

Emphasis mine.

KNS: Knox Couny government delays opening to 10 a.m. Friday

The freezing rain was an addition for Knox. I guess such an advisory is a little more serious than just a general winter storm advisory.

Guess Knox County Schools is waiting until it hits the ground.

Really calls into question the Central Office's claim that the safety and security of the students is their biggest concern. Actually, it completely refutes it.

Blount Co. Schools may not decide until 6AM, according to a statement on their website.

WBIR reporting that Anderson Co. schools will be closed.

WBIR reporting Sevier Co. schools closed. Also reported earlier today that Roane Co. would be closed.

Knox County closed according to a robocall.

Good move.

If it doesn't do a thing, it's the weather people's fault, not the schools.

Based on the information available, McIntyre and the others made the best decision.

American Airlines preemptively cancelling all flights in and out of BNA for Friday.