“There is still vitality under the winter snow, even though to the casual eye it seems to be dead”
Snow is expected today, only around 2 inches, a mere dusting. Yesterday was balmy, in the 30’s, but the cold will be back. Tonight will get down to 19˚ and tomorrow will be even colder. The morning is dark, and the sky has that look of snow, a grayness different from any other. I’m just hoping it stays away long enough so Gracie and I can go to the dump and to Agway for cat and dog food.
Snow is sliding from my roof and landing on the deck with a huge crashing sound. The first time it happened Fern and Gracie jumped a bit. The second time it happened neither one of them reacted: both stayed asleep.
When I was young, I never got tired of snow. I’d sit by the picture window and watch it fall. My favorite time was at night. In the dark, I’d watch snow fall in the beam of the streetlight. Sometimes the snow fell sideways buoyed by the wind. The road in front of my house was thoroughly deserted when it snowed. Cars were parked off the street in the lot at the top of the hill. That was the only time the lot was used other than by us kids for roller skating. It was always quiet when it snowed as if the flakes smothered sound.
I particularly remember one storm with the snow whipping sideways. The flakes were blowing so furiously the storm seemed angry. It covered the mailbox, the sidewalks and the street in drifts. I stayed at the window a long time, so long I was freezing from the cold leaking through the window’s frame.
I miss the hiss of radiators. One was on the wall at the foot of my bed. At night I could hear the water gurgling as it traveled through the radiator. I could hear the steam. Sitting in front of one was the quickest way to get warm and the top of the radiator was the best place for drying mittens.
The sky is even more ominous. The snow is close. Gracie and I have to get going.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: hssing radiators, individual snowflakes, sideways falling snow, snow and cold, street light, watching snow fall
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
February 5, 2015 at 1:13 pm
It has been snowing all time here but just tiny flakes and far appart so it isn’t noticeable on the ground. It didn’t even come close to how cold they said it would be here and for once I’m glad they were wrong in their predictions 🙂
My electric radiators cracks and pops all the time but it isn’t the same as that hissing sound.
I love watching snow fall but I don’t like to see it on the ground 🙂 I do prefer if it happens on a weekend too, I don’t like to drive around in it. We never had much snow when I grew up by the ocean and I can’t say I liked it back then either even if it was fun sledging down a hill for an hour or so 🙂
Have a great day and I hope it doesn’t come too much snow!
Christer.
February 5, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Christer,
It is already 18˚ colder now than it was this morning. With the wind chill it was be -10 tonight. Huge snow storm coming Sunday into Tuesday.
I will always associate that hiss with my childhood and winter. It was comforting in a way.
We were so happy a couple of weeks ago. We had had almost no snow this winter. Since then we have set new records for snow fall in a single week.
I have PT tomorrow and then will do some errands to get prepared for the storm coming.
I’m with you in hoping for only a little snow, but it doesn’t look like that.
Have a great evening.
February 5, 2015 at 1:23 pm
The Hissing of (almost a Joni thing)
We cruised the house with a key, trying to remove air from the radiator and fill it completely with water. Once the nasty red mix had started to seep the job was done, the nozzle re-secured and position taken up next to the new warmth. It seems a long time since the home was heated by coke, coal, water and electric bars.
The snow has generally been unpleasant since Super Bowl Sunday when 30 hours of snow and 17 inches came in at 3rd all time and then got goofy as it blew around in to large snow drifts. I have wasted endless hours with the snow blower and shovel. Maggie’s “run” is kept clear and the walls are at least twice her height. The terrier and I encountered unreasonable cold this morning.
I am SO on the clock for this to be done.
February 5, 2015 at 5:42 pm
My Dear Hedley,
Almost a Joni thing!
My childhood house was always heated by those radiators. Each room had one, and each room was cold in different parts. The mittens went on the downstairs radiators. The snow would melt, and the floor below would get wet.
The weatherman just announced a new weather event for Sunday through Tuesday. I am ready to scream. Tonight, with the wind chill, will be -20 in Boston.
I kept throwing dog friendly de-icer on the back steps so they have been clear of ice but now they’ll be covered again. I can’t stand it!!!!!
February 5, 2015 at 9:08 pm
Hi Kat,
It snowed here this morning. It was relatively warm, too, so the flakes were lovely big ones that fell slowly. It was down hill from there, though. The wind picked up, the temperature fell. It’s really cold out there now.
When I was very small, we had coal heat. I remember watching the coal being delivered. They sent it down a chute through the cellar window that led to the big coal bin. I remember watching my dad shoveling the stuff into the furnace. The heat came through registers in the floor.
After my parents changed to oil heat, the floor registers remained. We kids would stand on them to get warm and my mother would yell at us that we were blocking all the heat. Or she’d threaten us with chilblains. We didn’t know what those were so we didn’t care. 🙂 I would catch her standing on the registers now and then, though. So much for chilblains.
Today was spent doing something completely unimportant. I untangled a ball of yarn that Piki Dog had tangled. A minor accomplishment but one that leaves me feeling very proud of my vast amount of patience. Perhaps it was also procrastination of epic proportions. It’s bill paying time and I don’t want to. 🙂
Enjoy the evening.
February 6, 2015 at 8:47 am
Caryn – Chilblains – I had completely forgotten about them. My sister had them, I didn’t. I’m surprised that there isn’t a debate over vaccinating children against them. Measles, mumps, hooping cough, chicken pox, didn’t miss many of the big ones
February 6, 2015 at 10:54 am
Hi Caryn,
Gracie came in from quick trips outside, and her ears were really cold and she was panting. Gracie does not love the cold and snuggles at night on the bed, no fun for me.
We had oil heat when I was a kid-there was a huge drum on one wall of the cellar. I don’t ever remember a house with registers though I have a couple here now put in when I added central air.
I have read books where chilblains were mentioned but we were never threatened with them. That surprises me as my mother was always one to make those motherly threats.
My bills are stacked in front of me, but they are for things like magazine renewals so I have procrastinated. The only big one is my car payment as almost everything else is deducted each month.
I did errands yesterday and have some today as well. It is my last PT then I have 3 places to get to including buying more dog food. I bought some yesterday, but if we are snowed in, I’ll run out of cans.
Stay warm!