Tag Archives: snow
When did it all get so scary?
Watching the snow fly.
It wasn’t so long ago that 14 inches (355.6 mm) of snow wouldn’t bother me. I lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where that much snow was a regular thing. And I’ve done my share of commuting through blizzards over the years; I remember a few 4 hour drives to get home. I used to do that just because it was expected that you went to work. So you did.
Now? Not so much.
More and more people are able to work from home, hook into their work computers and be almost as, if not more, productive. So struggling with the car and the snowdrifts isn’t so normal any more. Still. Late yesterday afternoon and into the night I watched the snow pile up and worried about how I was going to get to work in the morning. I pictured the winding hilly roads I travel and imaged driving them with over a foot of snow on the ground. I strained to hear the sound of snow plows anywhere near my home, but failed to hear anything but the wind.
Driveway…early in the morning.
And this morning it was obvious that I wasn’t going anywhere, at least until I cleared the driveway of over a foot of snow. Even Katie didn’t want to go out there unless I made her a path first. Trust me I tried to get her to go without one. Complete failure.
Never mind, didn’t really need to go out anyway.
So I spent a couple of hours clearing the driveway and the road in front of my house. My two neighbors, both older men, cleared their sections of the road and helped me with mine. I began to feel guilty about not making an attempt to get to the office. But not one vehicle had been by and the people on the news said you needed 4 while drive. So I didn’t try.
Hunkered down like the juncos.
Later in the morning the sun came out, the sky was blue, the snow brilliant white. Beautiful. I felt brave and almost got in the car to head in to work. I wonder why I feel so much more brave in the bright light of sun than I do in the middle of the night’s darkness. And I wonder when I got scared to drive in the snow at all.
That’s better mama!
The news is still showing back roads covered in snow and saying you need 4 wheel drive to get out of subdivisions. A few more neighbors have plowed their portions of our road. Maybe I can get out of the subdivision tomorrow. Maybe people along the bigger side roads have plowed their own bits too. Maybe the county has done the paved roads.
Maybe it won’t be so bad. Maybe I can learn to relax and enjoy an unexpected day off instead of feeling guilty that I didn’t make it in.
Maybe the sun will come up tomorrow and I’ll be brave again.
Maybe this is the last snowfall of the season.
Right.
WordPress Photo challenge – depth
It’s February 1st, a snow storm is upon us and everyone is huddled inside to wait it out.
Right?
Weekend fun
In the depth of winter fishermen remain passionate about their sport.
Go see other interpretations of dept at the original WordPress post.
Or go see a few, here, here, and here. And of course one more here.
Stay warm out there!
Brrrrrrrrrrrr….
Saturday is all about me.
Princess poses in the sun.
Katie here. What? You thought Saturday was all about my mama?! Foolish readers, of course Saturday is all about me. Cause I’m a…well..you know. Anyway, the sun is out today and my mama is home and she said to me “Hey baby-girl, it’s a pretty day, want to go outside and play Frisbee?”
Well of course I did! I got all excited when I saw my Frisbee, and started running around and yipping and doing other un-princessly things. Mama should learn not to ask me these questions before she’s dressed for the adventure, cause I make it very hard for her to get dressed after she’s introduced the concept of go outside to play to me. She’s a slow learner; I say that every weekend. Except maybe last weekend which was extraordinary. She was on her game then, that’s for sure.
So she finally gets dressed and we go outside. Did you know I have my very own park outside my back door? Yes I do and I have it all to myself, which is only right given it’s my castle grounds and all. What a beautiful day! Blue skies and white snow and a Frisbee! She threw it for me a few times (she’s not very good throwing the Frisbee AND taking pictures!) and I ran around and barked at her. Sometimes I even brought it back to her.
Throw it again mama!
Then she made me sit for ‘pretty’ pictures next to the birch trees. Geeze…that is so boring mama!!!
Yea I look pretty.
And then we played recall where she calls me and I run to her really fast. (You can click on the picture to make it bigger so you can see beautiful me running!) Did you know she forgot to bring me any treats? Big letdown.
Coming mama!
So she throws the Frisbee again and I run and get it and then I prance it right by her and take it back to the house. No treats? No performance mama!
The jig’s up mama.
Told you she’s a slow learner. Anyway, I hopped right back up on my deck because I just know there’s a chipmunk that lives under there. He was making me crazy!
I can hear him!
Then mama said “Leave it, let’s go” and I came right back into the house with her. Cause I’m a good dog and almost always do what she asks me to do. She said, “Let’s go write up your adventure in the back yard girl.” And I said…”No thanks mama, I’ll wait out here in the kitchen in case any treats that I deserve happen my way.”
I’ll be in the kitchen mama.
Hint hint.
Geeze. She’s such a slow learner, my mama.
Sigh.
WordPress Photo Challenge – Serenity
On a dreary gray winter day in lower Michigan one thing that makes me happy, and yes serene, is a walk in the woods with my girl.
How long do I have to stand here Mama?
For this assignment I originally considered a vast ocean or Great Lake beach, the wide open spaces of middle Michigan farm country, cross country skiing in the deep woods, even the ancient porch swing on the family farm. But when it comes down to it what makes me serenely happy right now, right here at home, was spending time with my Katie-girl in the silent, snowy woods.
You can see other interpretations of serenity at the original post. Or if you’re short on time and not feeling all that serene, here, here and here are a few of my favorites. And make sure you look at this one too. Oh…and don’t miss this one.
OK I’ll stop, even though it’s hard. What does serenity mean to you? Share a little of it with us; we can all use as much serenity as we can find.
Don’t you think?
Wordless Wednesday: Weekend v.s. Wednesday
Katie’s park
Katie here. Have you missed me? Let me tell you, I’ve been through the wringer! Between my Dad being gone, and me being sick, it’s been really stressful here! And did I tell you that our winter was terrible?! I think my Mom showed you the picture of me in the snow with only my eyes and ears showing.
(Don’t worry, I was really standing in my path and my person was over in the driveway, they didn’t really bury me!)
Well I’m happy to tell you that most of that darn snow has melted, my Dad is home, I feel great, and this past weekend my Mama took me to my park! It’s been forever since I’ve had a real adventure. I don’t count that unfortunate trip to the pet food store a couple of weeks ago when I accidentally wet all over the floor. Mama doesn’t like to talk about that. It was her fault anyway, so best not bring it up, OK?
Sunday I got to go to my park for the first time since last fall! It was wonderful! I did make my Mama carry me around this one big puddle, but other than that I had fun sniffing and checking out all the pee-mail that had been left for me.
Big cold puddle!
It was wet and muddy, my feet got cold and I got a lot of stuff stuck to my furs, but it was still wonderful! We walked way back to this little deck at the very edge of the park.
Mama likes this deck!
Mama spent a long time watching the ducks and geese out on the little lake until I reminded her that we were supposed to be walking around my park!
On the way back to the car I got sort of tired. After all this was my first long walk of the season. But Mama had treats and we worked a little bit and that got me all excited again. I was happy to get back in the car though and when we got home Mama and I took a nice long afternoon nap.
I love weekends! I hope the snow is gone for good, because I think my Mama will take me back to the park next weekend if the weather is good! I can not wait!
Enough already! It’s March for pete’s sake!
One more time.
When I was a kid I always felt like winter was half way over at Christmas. I know. It is not. But that’s the way I felt back then, a million years ago and light years away from this winter. Oh yes, by Christmas you were half way home, you only had to get through January, then it was February and February was short, right? And then it was March and everyone knows that March is spring! Sure it might snow a couple of times, but the sun shone and the snow melted and you got days and days of warmth creeping back into your bones.
Right.
The record snowfall in our area of Michigan is 93.6 inches set in 1881. No one around today would remember that snowy winter, and no one back then would be commuting to work in bumper to bumper traffic on a freeway in all that snow. No, this winter, though it will probably end up being the second snowiest winter, is plenty winter enough for me. People seem to hope we break the record – we’re only ten inches away now at 83.7 inches (that’s 212.60 centimeters for those of you outside the US). Wouldn’t that be cool, people say.
It’s pretty though.
What I say is that 83.7 inches is plenty enough of a record for me. It’s the most snow we’ve had here in my lifetime and I don’t need to experience ten more inches of snow this winter. In fact I’d be fine if this last snowfall, this last four or five inches received on Saturday night was it. Done. Finished. No more. No way. No how. I’m hoping that I’ve put the snowblower away for the last time this year, felt the last of the cold wet stuff fall down my neck in the middle of the night when I’m out with Katie, shoveled my last chunk of ice away from the mailbox. That’s what I’m hoping.
Even Katie thinks this is enough snow. It’s higher than she is tall. She can’t play in it, won’t squat in it, can’t chase a squirrel across it. There is no reason that either of us can think of to keep it around. So if it’s OK with all of you, we’d like to request that it begin to melt, slowly, starting tomorrow.
The only spot to play is the driveway!
Cause somewhere under all this are little buds of green things just waiting to show us their stuff, there are little peepers waiting to sing and fish waiting to be caught. Somewhere under all of this is spring, and it can’t get here soon enough to satisfy me.
How about you?
Change Is Hard 