Posted tagged ‘Snow’
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
March 16, 2015
Yesterday Boston broke the record for most snow ever in a winter. There were no celebrations, no sparklers or fireworks, just groaning and complaining. Snow stopped being pretty about 13 or 14 inches ago. It snowed here as well, and the night was cold with a howling wind. I was lying in bed listening and thinking in black and white about Dracula or the Wolfman.
The morning was busy starting with the dentist at ten. It was an interesting experience. First I had a different hygienist then came the coup de foudre. The new hygienist’s chair was heated and had three different massage settings. It was wonderful. My back felt better and my teeth were whiter.
I also stopped in a couple of other places for St. Patrick’s Day stuff, and I wanted to check to see if the store had cut up turnip. They did not but did cut it for me. Now I just have to skin it. Tomorrow will be the rest of the shopping.
I went to St. Patrick’s Grammar School so we always had March 17th as a holiday. The public schools in my town didn’t have the day off, but those in Suffolk County which included Boston did. It was for Evacuation Day which celebrates the date when the British troops evacuated Boston during the American Revolutionary War. Nobody really calls it that. They all call it St. Patrick’s Day.
When I was a kid, I walked everywhere and was never late. In winter I got to school in the morning with enough time to freeze while waiting in the school yard for the bell. At the movies I ended up eating half my candy before the cartoon even started. In high school I’d wait for the bus, and if it was raining, my hair and shoes always got soaked. I used to tell my students that punctuality is the sign of a civilized society. They were never impressed.
I don’t like waiting for people who are late. It seems as if they don’t care about keeping me waiting. They always have an excuse.
If I’m alone and not expected anywhere, time doesn’t matter. I move at my own pace. The day is broken into activities, not hours. I don’t even wear a watch.
Categories: Musings
Tags: Dracula, Evacuation Day, howling wind, punctuality, Snow, snow record, St. Patrick's Day stuff, turnip, walking everywhere, Wolfman
Comments: 6 Comments
March 5, 2015
Yesterday, after the day and night of heavy rain, I could see my entire brick walkway and sections of my street right down to the pavement. Grass was sticking up in a couple of places in the backyard. When I went out, yup fifth day in a row, I noticed the plowed snow piles on both sides of the roads had become ugly and black. Today, however, everything has disappeared or has been changed. Out my window I can only see fresh snow, heavy fresh snow covering everything and it is still snowing. The layers on the tops of the branches are getting taller and taller. The Cape is the only part of the state with no school. What a horrible distinction. To add to the misery, biting cold is coming starting tonight. My string of five days ends today. I will not be going out nor will I even be getting dressed. I am wearing my around the house flannel pants, a sweatshirt, socks and slippers. I am in my winter uniform, my sloth clothes.
All three animals are asleep in here with me. One cat, Maddie, is on her chair while Fern and Gracie are asleep beside me and each other on the couch. All I can hear is deep breathing, mostly from the dog, but if I pat Fern, she begins to purr. They are my inspirations for a warm, cozy afternoon nap under the comforter. A roaring fire and some cocoa topped with marshmallow Fluff melting on the top would make this the idealized picture perfect winter’s day, a card-worthy day, but it’s freakin’ snowing again and its prettiness wore off quickly.
The first look at snow is the best, an oh moment. After that come the darker, less welcomed visions of shovels and plows, of me throwing and re-throwing de-icer on the steps for the dog and my cleaning off the car for what is, I swear, about the hundredth time. Why I bother I don’t know. The car will just slide up and down the road and right pass my street. My shoes will get snowy and wet. I don’t own boots. I don’t want to own boots. I don’t want to hear the crunch of my tires on newly fallen snow. I want grass and flowers. I want the songs of birds heralding the day and the sweet scent of a spring morning. I don’t think I am asking all that much.
Categories: Musings
Tags: biting cold, black, cats and dog sleeping, cleaning off the car, deep breathing, dirty snow, freakin' snow, fresh snow, naps, no school, sliding cars, sloth-like, Snow, street and pavement, visions of shovels and plows
Comments: 10 Comments
February 14, 2015
When I first woke up, it was 7 o’clock, and I could see sun and blue sky outside my window. I smiled, turned over and went back to sleep. The second time I awakened it was 8:30. The sun was gone as was the blue. Today is now like all the other days: grey and cold and uninviting. The snow will start tonight and come in waves. The biggest wave is due tomorrow.
Now where would I be if I could be somewhere else? Much as I love Ghana, the 100˚+ degrees is just our weather turned inside out. Back to Morocco is a possibility. It is winter there but a sweater is enough. I remember the colors in the spice market, the aromas of meat cooking and glasses of mint tea. Colorful rugs hung from balconies. Cranes nested. Okay, Morocco is definitely on the list, but then again perhaps it should be where I haven’t been. I love exploring new places and being by myself never matters. All of the sights and sounds become fodder for my journal, my hand written journal. The markets are for losing myself, for following unfamiliar paths. They are the places for discovery. That restaurant in Marrakech in a garden at the back of the furniture store is one of favorite finds, but I had help. A small boy led me there.
Asia comes to mind. I want off the beaten path, maybe Laos, Nepal or Myanmar if it gets its act together.
My family worries when I travel alone, but they don’t share that with me. They know I’d pooh-pooh the notion. My brother-in-law was the designated rescuer when I was in Morocco. He would fly there and accompany me and my injuries home. They were thinking broken leg. I didn’t even get a scratch.
I don’t ever mind getting lost as there are discoveries to unearth and I know I’ll always find my way.
Categories: Musings
Tags: blue sky, Discovery, following the unfamiliar, garden restaurant, getting lost, grey day, markets, Morocco, Snow, sun, traveling, uninviting day
Comments: 8 Comments
February 3, 2015
During the night, the temperature plummeted, and the rain turned back to snow. We got a couple of inches, a couple of dangerous inches, just enough to hide the ice underneath it. My road had been slush. Now it is frozen. When I went to get the papers, my neighbor drove by ever so cautiously, and his car made crunching sounds as it was driven over the ice. When I got back to my door, the push knob on the storm door would not work. I pounded it with my fist but got nowhere. I was freezing. I then got a little desperate and pounded so heavily I hurt the edge of my hand, but that got the knob to work. I opened the door and ran inside, happy for the warmth.
We have sun and blue skies, but nothing is melting. It is just too cold.
Last night wasn’t a great night. Miss Gracie had stomach issues so I had to give her more of my spider plant fronds. At 4 o’clock, she seemed a bit better so I decided to try sleeping on the couch. Gracie jumped on with me and fell asleep. We woke up at 8. Just a while ago she again was gulping so she got the last three long fronds. Now she is fine and sleeping beside me on the couch. I am exhausted.
When I was a kid, I still had to walk to school in the freezing cold. I remember walking by the field at the foot of my street and fighting the wind blowing across. The layers weren’t much help. I think it must have been a bit like the Siberian steppes during a Russian winter. The cold seeped to my bones. My face was red and raw. Sometimes we walked backwards to avoid the wind in our faces. We didn’t have the comfort of down jackets. We layered. I wore snow pants under my skirt and knee socks inside my boots. My mother even bought me some pink underwear which went down as far as my knees. I wore a hat, a knitted one which tied under my chin. Winter was the bulky season.
Watching the news, I saw a man commenting about the foot of new snow in Boston. He was asked about walking on sidewalks and the street. He said it was treachery. I thought about it for a bit and decided he might just be right.
Categories: Musings
Tags: bone chilling, cold, freezing temps, hats, ice, long underwear, no sleep, Siberian steppes, sick dog, Snow, spider plant fronds, treachery, walking backwards in the ownd, walking in the freezing cold
Comments: 17 Comments
January 28, 2015
You were probably not expecting a posting today but Birgit asked me to give you a weather up-date.
We have at least 20+ inches of snow, but the drifting from the heavy winds makes an accurate measurement difficult. Luckily, the snow ended up soft and fluffy so the dire predictions of electricity problems never happened here. The house is warm and the coffee freshly brewed.
The one big problem is Gracie and her getting outside to the yard because both storm doors can’t be opened because of the snow, but even if they could be, the snow on the steps and the path is far too high for her to trudge through which keeps Gracie house-bound. She won’t go on the newspapers I put down for her which made her restless all last night. I then had an inspiration and went down the cellar and found I could open the door and I noticed the snow was much less under the deck. The problem was Gracie won’t go down the cellar stairs. They are open stairs which scare dogs. Oddly enough, though, there are two sets of open stairs going from the deck to the yard and Gracie doesn’t have a problem going down either one. I decided to get her downstairs. She wouldn’t come to me suspecting the worst. I grabbed her collar and got her to the top of the stairs. I had to hold her body around her belly to keep her safe. Her legs fell through the stairs, but I got them back on track and kept going. All I could think about was being run over by the bins when I was taking them down the stairs, and here I was in a similar maneuver but with a dog who could struggle against me. I don’t know how but we both got down the stairs safely. I opened the door, Gracie went a couple of feet and squatted. I swear I could hear the loudest sigh of relief.
We have the same problem now, but she’s asleep so I figure she must be able to wait a bit. I’m not looking forward to the down the stairs struggle again, but it is the best I can do until Skip, my factotum, comes and digs me out.
I have a book, tasty food, warmth and a few good movies. I’ll be just fine. I hope Gracie will be too. Come on, Skip.
Categories: Musings
Tags: drifting, high piles of snow, open stairs, relief, Snow, snow under the deck, the poor dog, winds
Comments: 22 Comments
January 26, 2015
Naming hurricanes is a long time tradition, but now we have to name blizzards. Juno is the one we’re braced for now. As for me, I espouse keeping the snow at a distance. Giving it a name seems to personalize it too much.
We have been told to prepare for the probability of losing electricity. The last time that happened during a snow storm my house got down to 37˚. I can’t think of many more ways to prepare. I have food which doesn’t need to be cooked, and when Gracie and I do a couple of errands, I’m going to add tomatoes and avocados to the larder. Everything is charged though the charges won’t last all that long. I have a lantern but I need a few more batteries. Burning wood to keep warm is almost futile as most of the heat goes right up the chimney though I love the look of a good fire. My father always called a strong and long-lasting flame a Hollywood fire. I still do. The snow won’t start until late this afternoon, and by then we’ll be home, warm for the meantime and the bird feeders will have been filled, my only other chore for the day. I’ll turn up the heat to warm the house as much as I can. It will be tropical for just a bit.
When I was a kid, snow like this was perfect to build forts and caves. The forts had protective walls to keep the snowballs at bay. The caves had rooms, but we used to have to crawl in and out the door. We’d bring something to sit on between us and the snow, and we’d pretend the cave was a house of sorts. I remember bringing my sandwich and having lunch in the dining room of our cave. The best cave we ever made was huge. It was built in the pile left by the plows. We used water to ice the ceiling and walls so they’d be firm and last a long time. Eventually snow melts, but parts of my cave lasted until almost spring. It was the only snow left.
If I don’t post tomorrow, you’ll know why.
Categories: Musings
Tags: batteries, bird feeders, building forts and caves with snow, fires, huge storm, Juno, lanterns, no electricity, Snow, wet snow
Comments: 28 Comments
January 25, 2015
This morning was a small triumph of sorts. I went outside to get my yesterday’s mail from across the street and today’s papers from the driveway. As soon as I stepped on the road my shoe slipped a bit. The whole road was black ice from yesterday’s rain and last night’s freezing temperature. I took the chance anyway despite my history and shuffled over to get the mail. The small steps I was taking reminded me of when I was first learning to ice skate, when I walked in skates instead of gliding on the ice. Next stop was the driveway for the papers then I managed to return to the house without falling, slipping or tripping. That is a diary entry!
Snow is coming starting tomorrow night. This time it is a real storm with a potential of several inches so we are under a blizzard warning which includes heavy winds, the possibility of downed power lines from the wet snow and white out conditions giving zero visibility. This storm has been late in coming as the winter has been a snow bust thus far. We have had probably an inch in total. The predictions, still iffy as to the amount, have been as high as 20 inches here and 29 or more off-Cape.
I’ll fill the bird and the suet feeders tomorrow so my birds will have food. Yesterday I noticed the red spawn has a girlfriend or a boyfriend. Either way they have been chasing each other in what I think might be a pre-mating ritual. They go around and around on the tree trunks and this morning chased each other across the top of the fence. That’s all I need, baby spawns of Satan. I have to figure out how to attach the wire to keep them off the feeders. I am devoid of charity for red spawns, and they better not be expecting a baby shower from me!.
Categories: Musings
Tags: black ice, ice skates, mail and newspapers, mating rituals, red spawns, several inches of snow, small steps, Snow
Comments: 12 Comments
January 22, 2015
When I woke up this morning, I could see snow on the tops of the branches of the pine trees. I checked outside my bedroom window and we’d had a dusting overnight. It is the first snow of the season but not much of a showing by Old Man Winter. Mind you I’m not complaining but a fluffy dusting of snow is just annoying. You can’t sled or build a snowman or even make a snowball. The driveway was clear for some odd reason as were parts of the road. Now, an hour or so later, the temperature is above freezing, and the snow is gone from the branches. The sun even made a short appearance.
Gracie and I are venturing out later. I need some of life’s essentials: cat food, light cream and bread. I might also do a bit of shopping. I need a scoop to form meatballs and a metal masher for potatoes.
I’m thinking of a contest. Similar to a random guess of the number of marbles in a jar, I’m wondering how many unanswered calls will be made here before the caller gives up. The calls are from all over the country: the latest was Texas. The phone rings a few times then the caller hangs up. Names have recently been added to the caller ID, but they don’t tempt me to answer. Most calls are just after 9 AM and 6PM. I called the number. Surprise, surprise, the call could not be completed.
Here is a mystery for you to solve. What three well-known, popular to many people, singers have never appeared here. The reason is because I don’t like any of the three despite their popularity. I change the station on the car radio if I hear anyone of them. I’m sure there are many singers I haven’t posted, but these three are the only ones I deliberately ignore. Mrs. Miller is not one of them-that’s my only hint.
Categories: Musings
Tags: covered pine branches, dusting of snow, first snow, marbles in a jar, melted snow, non-appearing singers, Old Man Winter, robo- phone calls, Snow
Comments: 40 Comments
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