Cold this morning.

Cold, cold, cold. I thought we were done with frost on the ground.

Foolish me.

As I headed back from my frustrated lek survey this morning, the statewide dispatch came over with a winter storm alert for our part of the state.

A rare event, announcing a weather warning over that system. In fact, I'm not quite sure I've ever heard them do so. Except maybe for tornados.

A fact even more incongruous because I was in the middle of the alert area, and had almost totally blue skies. A bright, sunshiny spring day.

But they're talking nine to fifteen inches of snow tonight and tomorrow, with northerly winds.

An honest to gosh blizzard.

So much for all the flowers I saw on May Day.

And so much for our plans of going down to University Town this evening, also in the storm alert area, to retrieve youngest son's belongings from college.

No, we did not want to be on the road with an SUV packed full of gear on icy roads in the dark. But the wife had to work 'til five, so I took the afternoon off, and made the run to University Town by myself.

They also had blue skies. 'Course it snowed the hour before I got there...

But I and his worldly goods are safely home, through nothing more than rain.

He, however, was not done with university functions until a couple hours ago, and is still there.

And is banished from his dorm room as of noon tomorrow.

Not to worry, though. On the assumption they're going to close the highways and strand him in that town, we got him a motel room for Saturday night.

And Sunday night, too.