posts tagged with 'snow'
not enough!
It snowed, and there was a delightful amount of snow in the air: yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening, overnight, this morning, this afternoon... but not, sadly, enough on the ground. It was right around freezing the whole storm, so for large swathes of time the snow was accumulating very slowly or not at all. I think we got two and a half inches all together, but even that was compressed to under two inches by its own weight. Some people shoveled their driveways, which I thought was entirely unnecessary; though I was delighted at the energy Zion showed in clearing off the front steps and the porch (and Elijah had fun with the back deck). We of course thought of sledding, but there wasn't enough for that, either—at least, not enough to drive to any sort of hill. If we'd had a slope in our yard we would have gone for it for sure. But the kids did get outside with friends for a wild couple hours of snowball fights, snow wrestling, and snow-cat making, so the day wasn't entirely a bust. The forecast high for tomorrow in 47°F, so I'm afraid the snow won't stick around long. I do hope there's more; this winter's been kind of a bust so far, and we do love snow!
all the weather
Every time it's gotten warm the last few weeks I ask the boys if they think we're going to get more snow, and they always say no. And they're always wrong. Wednesday close to two inches of snow fell on us in the couple hours we spent at the park, and Thursday morning we awoke to this beautiful wintery scene.
well, it is still winter
But the snow didn't stick around. Thursday was warm—not hot, but plenty mild—and the March sun made short work of all the new snow except in patches of deep shade. Today was even warmer, at least until this evening when we were gathering outside with friends, with the kids sunbathing shirtless on the shed roof mid afternoon. You could almost see the daffodils growing as they started to push their way out of the ground. Of course, tomorrow is going to be another winter storm: mostly rain for us, but sleety rain into wet snow with a high in the low forties. Elijah's party has been postponed until next weekend. Yay for March in New England!
blizzard
It snowed on Saturday. We were anticipating it: it was in the forecast since at least the beginning of the week, but the amount kept changing. Would it be seven inches? Or 19? In the end the forecasters decided to give us a blizzard warning and lots of news chatter about a potentially historic storm. Some of that chatter was probably because we haven't had a big storm yet this year, and the first one always gets the most press. But even so, it was certainly a real blizzard. We didn't get two feet of snow, but we got plenty.
Elijah demonstrates the depth
It was actually hard to tell how much, because the main feature of the storm was the wind. It was relentless all day, and it blew the snow clear off some areas while depositing it thickly other places. And it was the wind that kept the boys from spending more than an hour and a half playing outside, since it was kind of hard to open your eyes if you were facing anywhere between north and east. Their game of "push snow into your friends' faces" also maybe limited their ability to stay out, but not as much as you might expect. In that time Harvey's hair picked up a dramatic amount of snow—from the air and from his friends combined.
it's a good look
Then yesterday dawned bright, clear, and calm; as dramatic a difference as you could imagine. Still cold, though. The dogs were eager to get out, since after their morning walk Saturday they weren't able to go anywhere: we couldn't drive, since our little street was unplowed, and the sidewalks on the big street were worse than unplowed since the plow debris from the street left them completely impassible (and walking on the street didn't feel wise under the circumstances). They didn't mind too much—they mostly just hunkered down with their tails over their noses, like their wild cousins but on couches—but even though we still didn't have sidewalks Sunday morning they weren't going to wait any longer! Lucky we don't like too far from the woods.
so much energy to burn!
We didn't have the energy for sledding Sunday—plus we didn't want to face the hordes of Sunday sledders—but we're super looking forward to some fun times this week!
snow day
Today we saw our first real snow of the winter. It started overnight and there was easily three inches on the ground by first light, but the boys didn't even realize it right away. We're so used to just getting a dusting at a time. At breakfast they noticed that it was piling up on the outside table—maybe four inches by then—and somebody said, "wait, it's really snowing!" Yes indeed. Leah, who had already been out with the dogs, could have told them that! We had a little work to do before they could go out and play in it but when a neighbor friend rang the bell at around 9, there was no holding them back. They spent the next three hours roaming the snowy streets, shoving snow in each others' faces (and each others' faces in the snow), and, in Elijah's case, working hard to make a snow fort.
snow is to dig
I made them a hot lunch in acknowledgement of all their hard playing, and then after lunch we spent some time in that other great snow-day occupation: board gaming. By the time we finished the game (Harvey won, as usual) the snow had stopped falling despite some people's gear being quite wet we pulled the sleds out from the basement, got dressed again, and headed out to go sledding. Despite the kind of late start and the distance we drove to be able to sled with friends on the slopes of the golf course conveniently located across the street from the their house, we made the most of the remains of the day and got a great many runs in before it was too dark to see where the bumps were. It feels like we've waited quite a while for a real snowy day, and when we got it we were ready to enjoy it to the fullest. Plus it gave us five more hours to add to our total!
snow day is done
April snow brings wet fun
On Friday morning when Harvey announced it was snowing Mama denied it without even looking. Yes it was chilly and rainy, but snow in mid April? Well, sure! It's happened before. And over the next half hour the big flakes mixing with the drizzle got more frequent until they took over completely and the snow started piling up. By lunchtime there was a couple inches on the ground—enough that we altered our plans to hike with our friends and went sledding instead.
spring in New England!
Not that it was easy! Boots, mittens, and mufflers had all been misplaced since the last cold weather. And the sleds were way down in the back of the basement. But we made it happen, and were only ten minutes late (no worries; our friends had the same problem with their own gear). By the time we hit the slope the snow had changed back into drizzle, but that didn't mean it was warm. Quite the reverse, at least for the grown-up type people shivering at the top of the hill! For the kids the main issue was that the wet wet snow wasn't particularly fast, but it got better as they packed it down. And it was prime for making snowballs!
the first of many
It was lovely to be there at one of our favorite sledding spots—where we hadn't gone all winter because of our friends' careful quarantining. That said, we didn't actually manage to stay very long. After a little over an hour everyone was sopping wet and ready to go home, making it easily the shortest play time we've ever had with those friends. But it was lots of fun while it lasted! And now that it's sunny and springlike again we can look forward to running around barefoot with them later this week. Ah, the joy of an April snowstorm!
snow showers, snow flowers
why don't they make ski-barrows?
After the big snow the beginning of last week, it was all I could do to shovel out the essentials: the walk, the driveway, and the path to the chicken coop (and even for that much I really appreciated some help from our across-the-street neighbor and his snowblower after our next-door neighbor's plow service buried the back end of Leah's car...). So for a few days the areas at the back of the house were completely impassible. I finally got to work there this weekend—because the compost situation was getting a little out of control, and also because I do enjoy having the back deck cleared if I can manage it. It's a great space at any point, and all the more so when it's surrounded by snow. And who knows when we might want to have a fire? But it's not been easy to get it shoveled.
Part of the problem is that I waited too long, and the first load of snow developed a crust which then got covered by more snow from the next storm or two. But even more challenging is the fact that there's just not that much room to put all the snow! Sure, some of it I could just push off the edge, but before long the level of the piles was up as high as the deck (it only stands a couple feet off the ground at its highest point above ground level). And I could only pile in a few spots, since I didn't want to bury the fireplace or bank too much snow around the chicken coop for fear of it leaking.
After some contemplation, my solution was to dig out the wheelbarrow and use it to carry loads of snow over to dump on the garden beds, where it will act as a (very weak) fertilizer. Of course, to do that I had to fashion a ramp down from the deck out of a 10-foot length of 2x10, because the snow ramp wouldn't support the wheelbarrow. The challenge of walking up the slick snowy ramp was balanced out by the fun of sliding down it behind the full wheelbarrow. Then, since I couldn't actually push the wheelbarrow on the snowy ground, I had to shovel snow from the single dump pile at the base of the ramp to all the various garden beds. Needless to say, the project is ongoing—would be ongoing even if it didn't keep snowing more. No complaints, though: I do love playing in the snow!
is this sane?
walking (and walking and walking) in a winter wonderland
Yesterday afternoon I took the dogs out for a walk in my favorite woods. It was maybe a little ambitious, given that it had snowed 18 inches the day before, but I figured—to the extent that I thought about it at all—somebody probably would have broken a trail in the more than 24 hours since the snow had stopped. That was not the case. Climbing over the pile left by the plow to get into the woods I sank up to my waist, which set the tone for the next hour.
It was strange snow we got in this storm. It has some fluff to it—it must have to accumulate so high just overnight!—but it's also super wet. The shoveling was easy where the snow was undisturbed, but where it had been stepped on or even brushed off somewhere else and fallen in a pile it was practically solid. And walking on it on the trail was kind of like I imagine it would feel to wade through not-quite-set concrete.
As I made my slow and laborious way, it occurred to me that one feature I like about the woods by the airport is the length of the loops. So the shortest one we could take would still be longer than I would have really liked. But of course I would never dream of turning back. It's loop or nothing! So on we trudged (or I trudged; the dogs bounded). At least it was very pretty!
beautiful and exhausting
(That's from one brief section of trail broken by a skier... the only place I had the energy to take out my phone for a picture.)
In trying to stick to the shortest way around I ventured onto a trail that I don't often take, and after a little ways found that it had disappeared. With the snow bending all the trees over everything looked so different! There was no going back, though, so since I knew the direction of the main trail we just pushed ahead between the trees. I could play up the drama, but really the woods aren't that big and I knew I'd come to a landmark I recognized before long; sure enough, after only five minutes or so of bushwhacking we were back on a recognizable trail—unbroken trail, of course, but at least I knew exactly where I was.
Only where I was was a section of the trail that's been ruined by 4-wheelers and is nothing but a series of muddy holes that in the spring resembles nothing so much as a World War I battlefield. It was warm enough that I had a moment of concern for the ice over all those holes (some of which held up to 18 inches of water less than a month ago...), but I was so tired I couldn't do anything but push ahead on the shortest path. The dogs shared my concern, or maybe they were just tired of breaking trail, because they waited for me to go first.
I did fall in once or twice, but it hardly mattered since I was so wet already from the snow and from sweat. And at the end of the treacherous holes I came across a section of trail that had been broken by someone on snowshoes, and soon after that passed two actual other humans. Civilization was near! In another few minutes we were back at the car, where we all collapsed. I had to catch my breath for a bit before I felt safe to drive.
It was exercise the likes of which I hadn't got for a long time, and today my body didn't let me forget it: my calves especially are absolutely killing me. Of course it didn't help that I went back to the same woods this afternoon with the boys to explore some new sledding hills... but that's a story for another day.
no day
After the blizzard before Christmas we've barely had any snow for over a month, so a storm forecast for Monday was big news. Details were uncertain, since apparently it was hard to tell where the rain-snow line would end up; so hour by hour the projected totals swung wildly. But it looked bad enough Sunday evening for the NWS to issue a winter storm warning beginning at 7:00 Monday morning, and the schools to call an early-release day. We were doing school too, at our house, and I thought early release would work for us too: we didn't even have to set an end time, since everybody's ride would be sticking around the whole time. But it's hard to hold firm when the forecasters are so excited, and at around 8:00 we decided to cancel for the day. It wasn't snowing yet, but we understood that it would start soon.
Well, it wasn't snowing at 10:00 either, when we were meant to have begun our day; nor at 11:00 when the boys and I biked over to Chip-In to pick up some emergency supplies (eggs, milk, and candy). A few flakes tickled our noses on the way home (and one hit Zion in the eye) but by the time we were done with lunch they were gone. At 2:00, when our school time officially ends, there was maybe a little snow mist in the air. At 3:00 it was snowing well, but barely accumulating. Not til 5:00 was there enough that you could start to shovel if you wanted.
It was a weird day, with all that waiting. I hadn't planned to do anything but school, cleaning, and cooking... and without school I just did the other two. The boys felt like it was a snow day, so they didn't want to buckle down to anything; but through the morning there wasn't much else to do. After lunch things did pick up a little bit with friends getting out of school, and then in the afternoon they managed to find enough snow that they came home pretty wet (and were rewarded with hot chocolate!).
At suppertime the snow started falling in earnest, and when we woke up this morning to well over a foot on the ground I had to concede that the forecasters knew what they were talking about when it came to the magnitude of the storm. The timing, though, they maybe didn't nail. Oh well. We can see our friends on Friday! Oh wait, there's rain and snow coming Friday?
my snow play
I was telling someone the other day how much I love shoveling out the path to the chicken house, especially in real cold weather. Do I like shoveling in general? they wanted to know. No, actually. I kind of resent having to do the driveway. You might expect that the difference is due to how much I love agriculture, but that's only part of it. Really, it's because I love snow. And shoveling to the chickens—or shoveling off the deck, or around the fire pit—feels to me like playing in the snow: creating a winter wonderland in the backyard around all the things that bring me joy. Shoveling out the car seems like trying to deny the existence of the snow so I can get back to regular life or having to run errands and things.
For the kids there's no such distinction. They can play and play in the piles in the front of the yard. I'm too dignified for that these days, but when nobody was looking I totally spent half an hour yesterday evening making snow stairs off the deck. And what are my paths around the yard but a way to play in the snow?! Sadly, today was a beautiful mild day. Delightful for walking in the woods, sure, but already my paths don't look so necessary. Oh well, I trust there will be more snow before too long!
bring on the snow!
All of us were excited last week to see the possibility of snow in the forecast for the weekend. It's winter! We love snow! On Friday the predictions had changed to mostly rain, but we still did our snow lesson in bubble school—and more importantly, made snowflakes! Those snowflakes have power, you know. And despite a rainy start to the day Saturday, the snow did manage to take over by late afternoon; a wet snow, but wintery enough that the boys were able to get out to build a snow fort. A small one, to be sure, but it counts!
proportional to the amount of snow on the ground
That picture is from Sunday morning, by which point, following more rain overnight, everything had frozen completely solid.
While the bigger boys were constructing, Elijah was trying out his new skis, a hand-me-down from his school friends. He was actually the first one out on Saturday, so interested was he in getting them on his feet in actual snow. He took a couple loops around the yard then, and then a couple more Sunday morning. The terrain in the yard wasn't really as interesting as he wanted, but I at least though it was a fine place to start.
he wishes he had a hill
Then Monday we did sledding at school, and he got his hill; but by that point the snow was more ice than anything else and he felt that his control was a little lacking. So he joined the rest of us on the sleds and snow skates, and we all had a great time. A beautiful start to winter, and all thanks to those snowflakes!
yay snow!