Posted tagged ‘Snow’
February 8, 2016
I’m not lying. I swear I saw a herd of reindeer romping through my backyard then leaping, almost flying, over the six foot fence. I tried to watch the them as the deer ran through my neighbor’s yard, but I lost them in the storm, in the blizzard with almost zero visibility. The wind is so heavy it whistles. I keep waiting for a train.
The larder is full, the animals have plenty of food and my house is warm. I’m happy to hunker down until this storm is over.
Happy New Year! It is the year of the monkey. We celebrated last night with Chinese food and then tried origami of the various animals of the Chinese Zodiac, known in Chinese as Sheng Xiao. We did the monkey first, and it seemed easy and even looked like a monkey when we were done. The origami dog, however, was a different story. We just couldn’t get the tail right. We folded and refolded the paper so many times it looked like an accordion. My friend Clare gave up on the dog and folded a perfect tiger. If we gave prizes, she would have won. Tony, though, wouldn’t even get honorable mention. He couldn’t even finish the monkey.
Mohammed and I had had quite the conversation around midnight last night. My Comcast e-mail doesn’t open. An empty page does. He said they were working on improving service. I think he said that as an answer to every question I asked. I wanted to know why everything on my computer worked except for my e-mail. Guess what-it is because they are working to improve service. He then said he hoped he had helped solve my problem. Nope. I asked again about the e-mail: same answer about the service. I then decided to get chatty. Mohammed was in India, it was 11 in the morning and the temperature was fine, but it was a bit humid. I do think we bonded a bit. He then gave me a phone number, said good-bye and went on to his next poor customer who will find out there is maintenance.
The snow will end in the late afternoon.
Categories: Musings
Tags: blizzard, e-mail problems, Happy New Year, India, Mohammed, origami, reindeer, Sheng Xiao, Snow, whistling wind, year of the monkey
Comments: 12 Comments
February 5, 2016
I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t some yet unknown connection between humans and hibernating animals. This morning I first woke up at 8:30. It was pouring and the rain was pounding the roof and windows. It was not inviting so I got comfy again and went back to sleep with Fern and Gracie as bedmates. Jump forward two hours. I finally stirred and dragged myself out of bed. It was still raining. I ran out for the papers. That’s when I noticed the rain was turning to snow. Little beads of ice were on the grass and the walkway. When I let Gracie out a few minutes later, I saw the ice on the back stairs and immediately threw out the deicer. I don’t want a repeat of last week when Gracie fell.
The prediction is for 4 to 8 inches of wet, heavy snow. It has already covered the lawns, the roads and the tops of the branches. It will snow all day into the evening.
I’m still hooked. Snow demands my attention. I like to watch it fall. I love the world covered in white. All the blemishes disappear.
I just lost my electricity for about five minutes. I didn’t panic. I groaned. I’m thrilled it returned so quickly, but now I have to go around and reset clocks on the appliances. I suppose that a minor complaint compared to the loss of electricity.
My iPad is locked. I forgot my password and tried too many combinations so it locked me out thinking I was an iPad thief. Now I have to go hunting to find out how to get into that infernal machine.
I keep opening the front door to check the amount of snow on the ground. It is falling quickly. The backyard is a winter wonderland. Some branches are already lower to the ground burdening but he wet snow.
It just happened again-the electricity went off for a few minutes. Now I’m getting nervous.
I am a picture straightener, and I want my clocks in sync so I just corrected the ones in the kitchen, a mistake. The electricity just went off for a third time. Now I’m making sure my iPhone is charged, the lantern is here with me and the heat is high for just a bit to warm the house just in case. I am not happy.
Categories: Musings, Uncategorized
Tags: 4 to 8 inches, beads of ice, covered roads, disabled iPad, hibernation, no electricity, pouring, rain, Snow, winter wonderland
Comments: 10 Comments
January 25, 2016
The snow is still pretty because the town doesn’t sand or salt. Along the side roads the snow stays pristine. My street is down to pavement. When I look in the backyard, I can see clumps of melting snow falling off branches. The smaller branches are already clear. The snow on the roof drips off the eaves, mostly in the front yard. This morning the steps were icy so I threw deicer on them and on the steps in the back for Gracie. It isn’t the warmest of days, but it is warm enough to melt the snow.
Today is a beautiful day with a brilliant sun and, according to the Crayola color chart, a turquoise blue sky. The snow on the ground is glinting, shining in the light. A sunny day always looks glorious after a snow storm. I think it’s a reward for abiding the snow.
My Pats lost yesterday, no Super Bowl this year. I guess I’ll have to turn to baseball and spring training. Pitchers and catchers report on February 18th and position players on the 23rd. The Sox have been in last place twice in the last three years. The year in between they won the World Series. I think all the planets were aligned that one year.
I live on a small street in the village of South Dennis. There are 8 houses on my street, 2 of which are summer houses. It is seldom a busy street except in the summer when the kids, 8 from 2 houses at the other end of the street and 1 from the house beside me, ride their bikes and scooters on the street. I leave the front door open because Gracie loves to watch. This morning Gracie wanted that door opened so I complied. She stayed there looking out for an hour. I can’t think she saw anything as nothing went by the house, and the kids are all in school. She just likes to look. Dogs are interesting.
Categories: Musings
Tags: clumps of falling snow, looking outside, melting snow, pavement, pretty snow, Snow, turquoise blue sky, village of South Dennis, warmer day
Comments: 14 Comments
January 23, 2016
Today is hunker down day. The strong, howling wind is making the air feel even colder. It is dark like almost night time darkness. The snow is expected to start late this afternoon. The cape will get more than Boston. The last prediction I saw was at least 9-12 inches of wet, puffy snow. The worry isn’t the snow but the possible loss of power because of the heavy wind and the weight of the soon to be falling mushy snow.
Earlier four or five of the boys who live down the street were riding their scooters up and down in front of my house. Gracie loved watching them. I figured their mothers were thrilled the boys could play and ride and tire a bit before they are all housebound.
I have issues with snow. My house was 37˚ because the weight of the snow brought down wires. Once I was stuck in the house for almost a week before they plowed my street. I complained but it didn’t matter. You never know winter.
Despite everything, falling snow is still a wonder to me. I keep checking the windows hoping to see the first few flakes. Watching snow never gets boring. The angles and rhythm of the falling snowflakes are often mesmerizing. I stand at the door and watch, leaving only when I start to get cold. Gracie loves running in snow. When she comes inside, she is always panting, not from exertion but from excitement. Her fur is covered in snow, her face in Boxer spit. Gracie runs with her mouth open.
Five minutes ago I looked out the window, no snow. Just now I looked again and it’s snowing. The storm seems fierce because the wind is blowing the snow everywhere, in all directions. The flakes are big and are already covering tree limbs. It’s coming fast. I think they may have underestimated the amount of snow. I’ll keep checking and let you know.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 6-9 inches of snow, Boxer spit, darkness, freezing, housebound, hunker down, running in the snow, Snow, watching snow, Wind
Comments: 14 Comments
January 22, 2016
The paper is filled with news of the weather and the Patriots. A snowstorm is expected here by Saturday night. The amount of snow keeps changing, but it appears the Cape will get more than Boston. The Patriots play the Broncos Sunday in Denver. The Pats are 3 point favorites which is nothing given their horrendous record in Denver.
This morning was sunny but the gray sky is back but not dark enough to hide the light. It’s cold so I’m staying home and keeping warm and cozy. Last night around 6 I went to the store for a couple of things. The roads were just about empty. The parking lot at the market had 4 or 5 cars, usually I have to go around a couple of times until a spot opens. Inside, most of the stores were closed, but I did manage to find some goodies including shrimp fried rice, clam chowder and a couple of cod cakes. My larder is well filled.
When I was a kid, weather reporting was simple. We didn’t have warnings about when the storm might start and stop or how many inches to expect. My mother never raced off for groceries like bread or milk or water. We kids always had high hopes they’d be too much snow for school, but we wouldn’t officially find out until the next morning when the fire whistle blew.
Meteorologists now do the weather reporting on TV. They follow storms for days and tell us what might be coming. They even know how much snow we should expect. Gone are the markers, the white boards and the maps on erasable boards. Everything is computerized, no more guessing, no more fire whistles. Everyone now knows when to rush out to buy their water and bread. Tomorrow morning should begin the onslaught of frantic people facing a huge snow storm and bent on filling their fridge with water.
Categories: Musings
Tags: clam chowder, fried rice, grey day, larder, market, Patriots, Snow, storm, storm warnings, weather forecasting
Comments: 6 Comments
January 18, 2016
Finally we have sun, but we also have a dusting of snow and a cold day in the high 20’s. My heat has been blasting all morning so the house is cozy and warm. Sadly, I have no choice but to bite the bullet and go out later. It looks as if I’ll be scraping the windshield. I can’t even remember the last time I had to do that.
Today is Martin Luther King day. I looked through my archives and decided to repost last year’s Coffee. It says everything needing to be said.
Martin Luther King Jr. has now been dead longer than he lived. But what an extraordinary life it was.
At 33, he was pressing the case of civil rights with President John Kennedy. At 34, he galvanized the nation with his “I Have a Dream” speech. At 35, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. At 39, he was assassinated, but he left a legacy of hope and inspiration that continues today.” from the Seattle Times
I was in high school when I began to notice the world around me in a different way. All of a sudden it was far bigger than my small town. Back then I didn’t know a single Black person. There were none where I grew up, but a parish priest began to open our eyes and through him we met Black teenagers from Boston. Through them I became aware of social inequities, of Jim Crow and of the struggles of Blacks to register to vote. My friends and I were too young to go South, to march or register voters, but we were more than willing to do small tasks for even they had impact. We worked with snick, SNCC, going door to door to raise money. We attended NAACP meetings and passed out pamphlets. We did what we could.
Without realizing it, I had developed a social conscience which would forever be part of my life. It helped define what the 60’s meant to me. During college, I picketed and marched for a variety of causes I had come to believe in. I joined the Peace Corps, my recognition that we all have a responsibility to make this world a better place. I still feel the same way.
Categories: Musings
Tags: cold, MLK Day, scrape the windshield, Snow
Comments: 8 Comments
November 12, 2015
Cloudy still, but finally the rain has stopped. Even the wind of last night has calmed and everything is quiet. Some leaves still hang from oak branches despite all that weather. Pine needles are everywhere covering lawns, driveways and my deck. If I had awakened from a coma and looked out the window, I’d know it was fall.
Each season has its own identity, but the identities sometimes blur when moving from one season to another. A few weeks ago was late summer and shirt-sleeve weather. My friends and I ate on the deck. Winter then sneaked in for a bit and we had temperatures in the high 30’s. Now, though, summer has finally gone and fall is here. The days are in the 50’s but the nights are colder, into the high 40’s. It isn’t yet jacket weather. A sweatshirt will suffice.
I saw where many places got snow: my sister got 3 or 4 inches in Colorado, but the mountains got far more. She said it was cold, down to the teens at night. It was sort of a run of the mill storm for her because her first snow is usually in late October or early November. She says 3 or 4 inches is nothing. I agree. I think of a snowstorm with so little snow as a sweeper, a broom instead of a shovel.
When I was a kid, any amount of snow was worthwhile. A huge storm was always the best as that would mean no school and a day spent outside building forts, throwing snowballs or sledding down the hill. A storm of tree or four inches meant fun after school, but it also brought the horrors of snow boots and ski pants. I could never get my shoes out of my boots without taking the boots off and pulling the shoes out. The ski pants went under my uniform skirt. I hated the look of the skirt over the pants, but my mother insisted as my legs would be so red from the snow and the cold when I’d get home if I didn’t wear them.
I can remember sitting at my desk looking out the window and seeing branches bent lower from the snow, the outside windows sills holding snow piles and snow falling from an occasional squall. I think all of us, my classmates and I, spent the day sighing.
Categories: Musings
Tags: boots, cloudy, fall, leaves falling, pine needles, seasons, ski pants, Snow, snow squalls, sweatshirt weather, winter
Comments: 8 Comments
October 30, 2015
Mother Nature has blessed us with another lovely day. Though not as warm as yesterday, it is still in the high 50’s, breezy and sunny. Every time the breeze blows more leaves fall and the trees become barer. I kept the front door opened and stood for a while watching the leaves flying and twirling in miniature eddies. I can see my neighbor’s deck for the first time since the beginning of summer. Fall has begun its annual wrap up to make way for winter.
I have never had the urge to go south for the winter. I am a New Englander who abides all four seasons. Admittedly, winter is my least favorite for the cold, not the snow. Ever since I was a little kid I have loved snow. I’d stand at the picture window, my head resting on my hands bent at the elbows, and watch the snow fall lit by the streetlight below my house. I could see individual flakes in the light. Sometimes they fell sideways blown by the wind. The street would disappear. I’d see the hand-rail but not the steps which led to the sidewalk now buried under snow. My father’s car was a mound of snow. When it was time, I’d go to bed hoping for a snow day, hoping to hear the whistle blasts from the fire station announcing no school. That would give me a whole day to play in the snow, to sled down the hill and to have a snowball fight.
I still love watching the snow. I go from front door to back door to see how much has fallen. My deck disappears and sometimes I can’t get the door open. I worry for poor Gracie who tries to get out but the snow is too deep for her. Sometimes I brush away enough for her to get right outside the door where she barely squats before running right back into the house.
The morning after a snowstorm, before the plows and shovelers, is always beautiful. The snows glints in the sun like diamonds. Everyone is still housebound and the snow lies untouched. It is why I stay here in the water.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Accra, bare trees, beautiful day, flying leaves, four seasons, miniature eddies, no school day, Snow, snowflakes, winter
Comments: 6 Comments
April 13, 2015
Today is such a glorious Cape spring day with the usual bit of a chill in the morning air, lots of sun and a deep blue sky. My small dafs have bloomed, and my hyacinth has broken through its greenery and stands tall. The birds are at the feeders in big numbers. I love watching them. Dare I say winter has finally skulked away?
As a kid, I wasn’t all that attentive to the changing seasons until spring gave way to summer and vacation. I always saw the seasons as their events. Fall was the start of school and Halloween. One event was dreaded while the other meant weeks of chatting with friends as we walked to school about what we’d wear and where we’d go. Halloween was a countdown event. Winter was Thanksgiving and Christmas, the best holiday of them all. It wasn’t just the arrival of Santa which made Christmas so special. It was everything about it. The anticipation made us giddy. We had a tree and house to decorate, window lights to turn on every night, cookies to bake, wish lists to make and shopping to do. We had a ride to see the lights. Christmas was the best countdown event of them all.
It was a good thing Christmas was so busy as the rest of the winter was sort of empty of all but wishes. We wished for snow and a day off from school hoping to break the tedium. We ice skated on the town rink and at the swamp, my favorite spot. We were in the house early because the dark came so quickly. I didn’t have the sense of winter I do now. Back then it was filled with possibility. Now I mostly feel cold and complain a lot.
Spring had Easter and new clothes, new shoes and Easter baskets. It was riding my bike. It was color returning to the world. It gave me a sense of freedom. I think that’s what I remember the most.
Marching in the Memorial Day parade as a brownie and later as a girl scout was the first sign of summer. It was always sunny and warm that day or at least that’s how I remember it. The end of school was close.
Summer had July 4th but it didn’t really need it. The summer had long days to fill and Sundays at the beach and that would have been enough, but having July 4th was like adding hot fudge sauce to ice cream.
I am still loving the coming of spring with its warmth and color. Spring is filled with anticipation. Summer is still long days to fill but it’s movies on the deck and barbecues.
Now I see the seasons as their own events, as changes, as us moving in a circle. I think my favorite change is this one, the coming of spring. Every day brings surprises. How wonderful is that?
Categories: Musings
Tags: birds, chill in the air, Christmas, fall and winter, Halloween, ice skating, Sledding, Snow, spring day
Comments: 6 Comments
March 27, 2015
Home again, home again jiggety-jig! My connection problems are a thing of the past. Happy, happy!
The weather is getting colder. I was lulled into a false sense of spring when we actually reached 50˚ on Wednesday, but Mother Nature is now cackling and rubbing her hands in glee at having duped me. They, as in weathermen, are saying possible snow showers on Saturday so spring is still in the wings.
It is raining again today, and the dampness chills the bones. Francisca and I, however, are intrepid souls, and are going out when I finish here to a few shops and to the Zion Union Heritage Museum.
I give my two friends an Easter basket and have already bought trinkets for them and am hoping for a couple of more when I shop today. Some are useful while others are just whimsical. The candy I’ll buy next week. I think I’d be too tempted to eat it if it were already around the house. We, as kids, always had inexpensive chocolate. We didn’t care. Candy was candy. Now, I buy it all at the candy store.
Our Easter baskets were the best. There was candy: a chocolate rabbit which was a tradition and a necessity, jelly beans which always tasted the same no matter the color, big, hard colored beans with white in the middle and the filler candy like a little rabbit or a chocolate egg. Small toys were also in the basket. I remember yo-yos, paddle balls, a box of crayons, an Easter coloring book, a stuffed animal, usually a small rabbit, and even a pail and shovel. The grass which covered the bottom was always plastic and the rabbit with missing eaten ears used to stick to the grass. The adult me thinks it sort of gross, but the kid me didn’t care and just pulled the grass off rabbit.
Easter will come as it must, but it will not be in spring unless all of the vestiges of winter disappear.
Categories: Musings
Tags: 50˚, chocolate rabbit, cold again, Coloring book, Easter baskets, jelly beans, paddle ball, plastic grass, Snow, yoyo
Comments: 10 Comments
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