Snow

Traveling East in Winter

~ Elizabeth ~ 10 Comments

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Most people don’t try to drive across the country in February, but that was when we had to travel and take the dogs. Between Oregon and Connecticut in the winter, snow is inevitable. In fact, our moving company decided to go south through Texas to avoid weather delays.

We tried to go about 550 miles a day. As providence, or luck,or fate(pick your philosophical choice) would have it, there was a series of storms just ahead of us and just behind us. As long as we kept up our pace, we could completely avoid the snow storms. We would come on the Interstate hours after the gates(such as pictured above)had been reopened to traffic. The next day, they would be dropped again closing the highway. The most snow we ever encountered was in Wyoming as powder blew across the road from nearby fields.

There was abundant snow everywhere we traveled, but it wasn’t snowing on the days we were actually driving. The dogs loved the snow and ran, jumped and spun in it each chance they got. It was, however, freezing. Literally. We had a zippered car top carrier to hold our suitcases, and my husband emptied it each evening to bring things into the hotel. One frigid Wyoming morning, as the dogs merrily chased rabbits across the adjacent snowy fields, my husband nearly gave up trying to repack the carrier. Finally, the zipper closed and we set out again.

The movers got stuck in the snow on their southern route and were delayed for three days.

Let It Snow?

~ Elizabeth ~ 3 Comments

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Photo of  snow storm in  New York 1948.

Well we have been bemoaning the lack of snow in New England this winter. We have had a couple of minor storms, with a few inches of snow, but nothing to remind us we live in New England. Today, we got our comeuppance with 16 inches falling at our house, and similar amounts around the state.

My husband, a “non-essential employee,” had the day off and was chomping at the bit for the snow to stop so he could go outside with his top of the line Sears snow blower. This is our third snow blower in 16 years, and we finally went for the one with bells and whistles, including a head light. Not that I have ever used any one of them! I am a firm believer in a division of responsibility at home. He gets the outside and I get the inside. So I baked bread and made his favorite Almond Granola to fortify him in the seriously cold task of moving snow.

I am in my warm house comforted by two distinct sounds. The town plow goes by about every hour with a satisfying rumble. And I hear the drone of the snow blower as my husband takes care of our home and the ones on either side of us. Thanks guys!

Remembrance of Things Past

~ Elizabeth ~ 5 Comments

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We are finally having some snow here in New England. I caught sight of our picnic table, lawn swing and barbecue grill on the back deck, now coated with the first inches of white. I really enjoy the completely different seasons we enjoy. It is hard to remember that only a few months ago we could sit outside, listening to our outdoor fountain, and cooking over the flames. But the swing cushions are stored and the grill has its cover on. It will be many months before we can enjoy them again.

Meanwhile I sympathize with friends in the deep south of the United States who aren’t used to such cold, ice and snow. They are struggling to stay warm in houses without the storm windows and heavy insulation we enjoy in the north. Their plows are inadequate to deal with the accumulating snow and drivers are struggling to maneuver the streets. Here the town plow rumbles by about every 90 minutes shining its flashing light into our house. I am grateful once again for our public works department keeping things safe and passable. We will probably send them doughnut gift cards again this season.

Meanwhile we stay warm, poring over those seed catalogs which once again arrived just in time to see us through until spring.

 

 

Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

~ Elizabeth ~ 3 Comments

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Here in New England we have just had our first bout of snow. It was only a few inches, just enough to give us time to find our mittens, hats, scarves and boots from the dark recesses of the closet where they had taken refuge earlier in the year. The little playhouse in the background is snowed in. The fence mid-yard forms a barrier between the dog’s yard and the play area. With the next snow, she will be able to walk over it. A bit of our red canoe still peeks out behind the garage, reminding us that the lake once thawed. And poor St. Francis, surrounded by zinnias in the summer, now sports snow for a hairpiece.

Seasons help me recognize parallel shifts in my own life. I need dormant times too, times to regroup, slow down and become more contemplative. Winter, with its short days, encourages me in these pursuits. And Advent is a time for reflection and stillness.

The roads are a mess as they always are after the first snow. Even the plow drivers have to get back in the groove. And people need to remember how to drive on ice and snow. By the next onslaught we will be back in the pattern of winter. Going out early to clear off the car(the garage on the left of the picture houses tools and the snowblower, leaving no room for the car!), salting the steps, clearing the sidewalk. We will once again yell:”Take off your boots before you come in here!”

Then spring will come along and startle us with buds and breezes. We will have forgotten all about it, so convinced that winter would never end.