February Front Porch

The colossal winter storm that ushered in February and then dumped more snow less than a week later slowed my porch set up for the month.  But once the snow was shoveled off the porch, I got to work.  There is a seasonal flag.

The table has a Valentine covering, the pot of hardy ivy, and a pinecone home for the fairies to stay warm while we all wait for Spring.  I had hoped to exchange the “hope” plant stake for one that reads “love” but the soil in the pot was too frozen for that swap out so we’ll have to stick with hope.  Given my longing for Spring, hope might be in order.

There is a cheery wreath for the front door.

February is the last full month month of Winter and in my mind March 1’s meteorological Spring is as good as the real thing.  The snow is piled over 2 feet high, however, so though I am prepared to call the end of the season, I suspect plenty of snow will linger into March.  Mother Nature has no less than three Water storms forecast for the next 7 days, so she clearly hasn’t received my memo.

Old Man Tree: February 1

We are starting February with a major snowstorm.  It started last night and is expected to continue through today and into Tuesday morning.  When I got up this morning, there was an easy 8 inches on the ground.  

The light and snow makes it hard to make out the face on Old Man Tree, but he is there watching quietly over all the birds and squirrels in the yard.

As of this writing, now Monday afternoon, the forecast calls for 20 inches to fall before this storm is over.  At the current rate, I’ll be glad if it’s only 20 inches.  Up to this storm, we’ve had a mild Winter but it would seem we are making up for it in the last full month of Winter.

Lion Mode, Part 2

Despite my very deep desire to say goodbye to Winter, it’s clear that Mother Nature doesn’t feel the same.  

It snowed last night and though the temperature has inched above freezing, there is plenty of snow for me to shovel this morning.  School has a late start, which is nice.  

It would be nicer if Winter would take herself elsewhere.

In Like a Lion, Indeed

When I settled under the covers last night, it was thoughts of Spring that lulled me off to sleep: setting out a new month’s decor on the front porch, organizing my garden seed order for the starter plants I will put in the window later this month, Spring scarves and sweaters to organize in the closet, daffodil shoots just starting the slip out of the cold ground.  I drifted off with warm thoughts in my mind.

Fast forward 8 short hours later and Mother Nature and I are clearly not on the same page.

Not even a bit.

Snow Prints

On Friday evening, we had a few hours of snow, enough to leave two inches.  On Saturday morning, I set out to shovel the driveway so that I could run errands and I saw animal prints in the snow.

They looked so lovely in the morning quiet and I could imagine a wild animal seeking a welcoming shelter in my backyard.  T reminds me that it’s very likely one of the possums who snack on my garden; I think that’s quite likely.  But on Saturday I was charmed.  The stillness and quiet after snow has fallen is one of the loveliest gifts of the Winter season and even when there is shoveling to be done, I enjoy those moments after the storm.  

Winter’s cold is a welcome reminder to stop and rest.  The cold ensures that I’ll tuck under a cozy blanket with a steaming mug of tea, a good book, and the chance to renew.  That’s happy!

Snow Day

Yesterday it snowed.  T and I baked treats for her work, caught up on Netflix, and otherwise enjoyed the quiet.  We’ve lots to show for our efforts and the relaxation was much needed.  The first snow of the season is a treat that I never grow tired of enjoying.  That’s happy!

One More Scene of Winter

Last Tuesday’s snow forecast originally called for nearly two feet of snow.  We didn’t receive that much snow, but there were about 10 inches in my corner of the world and that was plenty enough for me.  It was a dense, wet snow packed down by sleet.  JT and I stayed inside until the storm was over.  Outside, one of the squirrels that lives in my yard hunkered down in the dogwood tree.

The backyard squirrels love this tree.  On sunny days, they chase one another up and down its trunk.  But last Tuesday was not a day for playing games.  Squirrels and humans tucked in for the storm, which is likely to be our last storm of the Winter.  Soon enough, the squirrels will scamper around the green lawn.  I’m looking forward to it!

Snowpocalypse in March

The forecast for truckloads of snow meant that JT and I cut short our college visits and came home last night.  This morning finds us holed up inside while the snow comes down.  As of this writing, we’ve got 6 inches on the ground and it’s blowing sleet and snow like crazy.  It’s hard to know how much more snow and ice will come our way but there is nothing like a snowstorm to remind me that I am not in charge of everything, so I  plan to relax and enjoy the madness.  It can’t last forever, right?  RIGHT?

My favorite weather source reports that this will be like shoveling concrete so I am going to bake cookies before we face the outdoors because denial of the chores at hand is more delicious when there are warm oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  This much snow says Winter far more than it says Spring but Spring Break is exactly what we’re about right now.  I could complain but I have the day off and we are safe and snug inside.  A little Mother Nature-enforced lying around with books, cats, and cozy blankets isn’t the worst way to spend a day, so I'll count my blessings.

Oh the Shoveling We’ll Do

We got a good amount of snow cleared in round I of shoveling.  Drifts were 4 and 5 feet high and my car was buried in the driveway.  Another two hours will get us fully cleaned out.  Neighbors took up shovels and snow blowers for one another and that made the job easier.  

Taking a rest before round II…..we’ve earned it!

The Morning After: Digging Out

The blizzard finally stopped late last night.  Snowflakes ended by around 10 pm and the wind eased sometime after.  This morning is sunny and the white snow is bright and lovely.

And abundant.

Because of the drifting, it’s hard to say what our final snow total is, but it’s the most snow I’ve ever seen, easily two feet.  The National Weather Service is still pulling final totals together but it’s safe to say that we have hours of shoveling ahead of us today.

These photos were made from the comfort of the toasty warm indoors.  It will take plenty of coffee and some breakfast before we head out to face the chore.  Just last week, JT was complaining profusely that we’d never have snow again.  

Let’s blame him.

Snow, Snow, MY GOD HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE SNOW?

By now, you’d have to be living under a rock to not be fully informed about the blizzard of snow currently pounding the East Coast.  I moved to New Jersey in 2002 and before that I lived in Nebraska, a place also known to get some cold and snow.  Nebraskans are a sanguine lot and snow and extreme cold found them firing up their beater car and rolling out on the (unplowed) roads with nary a care.   Out there, blowing snow was a given in every snow storm.  So when stories of East Coast snow or extreme cold consumed the news, Nebraskans were a combination of bemused and annoyed….you’d think that the East Coast had never experienced a flake, we’d all say, privately concluding that the entire I-95 corridor was populated with candy-assed weaklings.

Fast forward to 2002, when I experienced my first Nor’easter and began to fully understand all the fuss.  This kind of storm is no joke.  The amount of moisture that can be pulled in to a coastal snowstorm is significant, what with an entire ocean out there.  The snow can blow down in sheets, as it is for this storm.   Below is the snow on my back deck at 8 am.  

And this is before my corner of New Jersey has yet to truly settle in to the weekend’s storm.  There’s a lot of shoveling in my future.

That’s not to excuse the media insanity.  I can only imagine what the Nebraskans are thinking about us right now as they pull on their work gloves and head out for farm chores with the wind chill in the single digits, “East Coast elite, my ass, not if they panic over a little blowing snow.”

Icy Path

Sunday night, a Winter storm blew our way and by Monday morning, the world was frosted in sparkling white snow and ice.  We had a snow day off from school and so I did some shoveling of the front walk early on Monday morning.  More sleet soon covered up my labors.

The rhododendron that guards my front steps dropped and shivered under its layer of ice.

The evergreen bushes seemed no better off.

As I write this morning, it’s 11 degrees and the sidewalks and roads are shiny with patches of ice. The cold will linger and more snow is expected on Thursday.  Six more weeks until Spring is the mantra that will get us through the next few weeks.

Snowy Day

Count me among those who woke up this morning mighty relieved to find that we weren’t buried under a mountain of snow.  As I lay in the quiet, I was immensely grateful to hear the quiet tick of my alarm clock, a sure sign that we still had electricity.  The pre-storm forecast and my experience with Hurricane Sandy had me prepared for the prospect of disaster.  And while so many others are mocking the National Weather Service and other forecasters who got this storm wrong, I’m just glad to be safe.  

It’s hard to tell because of the blowing and drifting, but it looks like we got just short of a foot of snow in my corner of New Jersey.  More snow is coming down as I write this post.  Later today, JT and I will go out and clear a path.  For now, we’re enjoying the blessings of a snow day morning.    The weather looks to be significantly colder in the week ahead, with lows in the single digits by the weekend, so this snow will stick around for a while.  

In the last few years, it’s been my experience that weather extremes are on the increase.  Those extremes are driven by global climate change.  Our 21st century sensibilities seem to have convinced us that we have can know everything.  Alas, we cannot, especially in a period where the earth is adjusting to some significant alternations in the global climate.  To snidely comment on the errors of weather forecasters while a significant portion of the nation cheerfully ignores the obvious signs of man-made climate change seems like a dangerous combination of ignorance and hubris.  How about we instead count our blessings, share gratitude that this snowstorm wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and contemplate how we can ease the burden of our human actions on the only planet we have? 

Winter Walk

I enjoyed the walks I took on the milder days during Winter Break and began the new year determined to make at least one weekly walk through town.   Even as the Polar Vortex blew in with much colder weather, I kept that promise.  Most of my walks have been in the cold of the early twilight when we get home from school and wrestling practice.  But even in the fading light, I enjoy a glimpse of my neighbor’s gardens.

We had overnight snow on Friday and after I cleaned up my sidewalk and driveway, I treated myself to a walk in the slushy snow.  There is something about familiar plants draped in a coat of white that is most lovely.

The town’s streets had been plowed and most of the sidewalks had been cleared.  We had about 5 inches of snow overnight and so there was plenty of beauty to be admired.  By the afternoon, temperatures were well-above freezing and plenty of melting was underway.  

I think the snow is so lovely because in the midst of Winter’s stark appearance the snow provides a contrast that is pretty to see.

We had more snow this morning and a huge blizzard of a storm is expected later this afternoon and into the overnight.  After the boy and I have attended to our snow removal duties, we’ll be planning a few more walks to admire Mother Nature’s work.

Snowday #6

A nor’easter blew in over night and when I got up this morning, 5 inches of new snow had fallen.   It’s been coming down at an inch an hour since and we are practically buried in snow.    This is a photo made when I got out of bed just before 8 am.  Look for the leaf to the bottom left in the picture and the clear ruler in the middle of the snow piled on the table.

This picture was made just a few minutes ago, at 9:15 am.

The leaf to the left in the first picture is now completely buried.  Snow is falling at more than 1 inch per hour.  The National Weather Service forecasts more than a foot for us before this is done.  On my street, there is nowhere to put all this snow.

It’s beautiful and quiet outside and given the wind chill it’s incredibly cold.  For now, I intend to pour a mug of hot tea, grab a cat for my lap, and read a good book.  Winter is in charge.

11:30 am updated photos.......and the snow is still falling.

3 pm update....round 1 of the snow has stopped and JT and I set to work on clearing a path out of our snow cave.  The mountain of snow at the end of our driveway is impressive, as is the snow beast at work leveling it out.

Icebergs of New Jersey: A Photo Essay

As a child, my primary impression of snow came from books about children who lived in snowy climates.  In those books, children bundled up and went outside to laugh and play in the snow.  Winter meant colorful mittens, warm mugs of cocoa, and cozy afternoons watching the snow fall followed by walks in the white and glittering outdoors.  In my rich fantasies, I thought snow would be lovely and peaceful.  A lot like this.

the woods & creek at Stickley Farms

Lovely.

My first real experience living with snow came when I moved to Nashville in my 20s.  Tennessee doesn’t have lots of snow and ice, but it has some.  I was enchanted and why wouldn’t I be?  Falling snow is always beautiful to see.  In Nashville, life halted when there was snow and we all stayed home for a day or two until the snow melted and regular life could resume.  

Fine.  Even pleasant.

In Nebraska, I saw snow’s dirty underbelly for the first time.  There, the cold meant that snow could linger and prove an inconvenience.  Towns owned snowplows and salt, often plenty of both, but in my experience both were used sparingly.  In rural Nebraska, when snow came, people got their beater cars out of the barn and drove around town on ridiculously slippery roads.  And we all acted like this was perfectly normal, reasonable behavior.

Not always as charming as one would hope.

In New Jersey, we deal with the snow and deal fast.  Thanks to Nor’easter storms, we can get a lot of snow, more than Nebraska.  But we are equipped for this prospect.  I remember my very first Nor’easter storm in December 2002.  Driving home the night before the storm arrived I saw fleets of Department of Transportation trucks spreading salt and deicers on the roads before the first snowflake had fallen.  That is still the New Jersey pattern and when snow falls, the state roads are quickly cleaned and most towns follow suit (not you, Franklin Township, you are below average).  New Jersey owns the snow and it gets pushed and piled out of the way.

When Winter is cold, as this Winter has been, piles of snow don't melt and instead get mounded into hills and mountains, pushed out of the way to make room for the cars and the next snowfall.  These piles become increasingly dirty and icy mountains of Winter.  Woe betide the tiny tree in the way of plowed snow.

These ugly icebergs are everywhere, though they are handy for those of you who need to abandon your carts, a Jersey habit I find tiresome.

No parking lot is safe from the iceberg heap at every corner.

Look!  More snow has been shoved into a pile.

Bonus points to this iceberg for the growing pot hole by its side

This bench is now reserved for snowmen.

Another Nor’easter is slated to roll in tonight.  Perhaps someone failed to tell Mother Nature that we have no place else to store the snow? Mother Nature, if you are reading, we are tapped out.