Yes, It Snowed

Well, it definitely snowed! There was barely a flurry when I went to bed last night and around 5:30 AM I was woken up to the dulcet tones of chainsaws (ha!) across the street. It took me a few minutes to register what the noise was, but then I saw the beacon on one of the highway vehicles and put it all together. The heavy snow weighed everything down and while we have luckily not lost power so far, friends nearby have.

These first two photos were around 7 AM before Drew had a chance to go out, clear the driveway, and shake everything off.

You can see one of the branches on the pussy willow broke.

Same with this tree by the shed – the weight of the snow was just too much for it. Obviously, everything was closed. Both the governor and our county executive declared a state of emergency for the area, which meant no driving on the roads.

Believe it or not it is still snowing as I type this at 6:30 PM! The wind is supposed to kick up tonight, but I am hoping it doesn’t. We don’t need anymore branches down! All told, I think we got around 10-12″ of snow. It’s so hard to say when it is compacted like this, but it is more than enough regardless!

Waiting on the Snow

Storm, storm, storm. It’s all anyone has been talking about today. Rain or snow? How much? I thought winter was over! LOL, it was quite the day. Accumulation predictions have been reduced to 6-12″ but it’s supposed to be wet, heavy snow with wind gusts up to 40 MPH, which mean there’s high potential for downed branches and power outages. Nothing to do but wait and see!

Meanwhile, I have my meal plan ready for the week!

  • Monday: Subs
  • Tuesday: Ham, mac & cheese, steamed zucchini
  • Wednesday: Crock Pot beef stew, salad, cheddar-garlic biscuits
  • Thursday: Gyros, fries
  • Friday (St. Patrick’s Day, dispensation granted woo hoo): Corned beef sandwiches, potato salad
  • Saturday: Jake’s choice! (His last night home on spring break)

Also, we got great news over the weekend! N. was accepted into his first choice music program! I am super proud of him — he put so much work and time into this. Although this was the first acceptance letter he received, he has gone ahead and accepted. It was the program he wanted so, really, why wait and delay that decision? So we definitely celebrated his success and I can’t wait to see the amazing things he will do!

Well, I guess that is about it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with the snow update. I’m sure you all will be waiting with bated breath, LOL!

Springing Into… Winter?

What did I say? I thought it might be a snowy March and it seems to be holding true. A couple inches fell last night and we are looking at a Nor’easter on Monday that may bring 12”-18” of snow. 

The library board already canceled our monthly meeting because the snow is supposed to start on Monday afternoon. I’m expecting a snow day on Tuesday as well. Hopefully the winds won’t be too strong, but the generator is ready in case we lose power. 

Maybe we all can curl up like Marlowe here and enjoy winter’s last hurrah. In like a lion as they say, right?

Ash Wednesday

Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday! Because I had Monday off and did all of my running around then, I have been able to stay at home all day and it has been wonderful. I folded and sorted four baskets of laundry (and put my own away), made a big pot of minestrone soup, searched patterns for granny square bags (Laura saw the one the receptionist had at our hairdresser’s and asked me to make one similar), ordered a new bullet blender (after 10 years my Magic Bullet finally died), and talked to my folks on the phone for a bit. I think I definitely needed a “down day.”

Of course, it is also Ash Wednesday today and the beginning of Lent. As a pretty wishy-washy Catholic I don’t typically do much besides abstain from meat on Ash Wed. and Fridays, but this year I found this book on Hoopla and decided to give it  a try:

Every day there is a word to focus on, a scripture to read, and a meditation to think about. I thought it might even make an interesting paper craft project to journal through Lent and I have some ideas on how that might look. The ideas are spinning.

Now, like I said, normally we would go to Mass this evening, but I am not feeling well at the moment (raw, sore throat and bad sinus pressure), so it is probably best to keep my germs to myself. The weather is also factoring in tonight. After school activities were cancelled and it’s snowing right now, which is supposed to switch over to sleet and freezing rain. So, I’m just going to stay put and stay home. A big bowl of soup, sipping on tea, a hot shower, sitting by the wood stove, and hooking up a few granny squares sounds right to me.

Spring is Coming!

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold, when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.”
— Charles Dickens

A month from now we will be celebrating spring! I’ve kind of given up on winter at this point. Although we woke to a dusting of snow, I’m not sure we will get a good storm. Yesterday it was in the high 50s and today has been damp and cold. So now I’m forcing spring in the form of a hyacinth bulb and awaiting those days that Dickens describes.