As The Snow Falls

I thought I’d update you on the continuing saga of “As The Snow Falls.” Just in case we lose power, you understand.

I set my alarm so I could get up in the wee hours of the morning to make sure EJ made it safely into the house. He actually drove all the way up to the house. He said that he had planned to park at the bottom of the driveway and walk up but he was so tired that he forgot until he was halfway up the driveway and, at that point, he figured he was committed and continued on to the house. Later, as he headed back to work, he made it out of the driveway without getting stuck, which we are thankful for.

It’s been snowing pretty much nonstop since Thanksgiving night but today we finally had a lull. I think of it as similar to the calm eye of a hurricane because the weather is supposed to worsen again tomorrow morning. The National Weather Service has issued the following:

WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING
THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING…

* WHAT…Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations between 6 and
13 inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Blowing
and drifting snow will be likely.

* IMPACTS…Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will
likely become slick and hazardous. Whiteout conditions are
possible and may make travel treacherous and potentially
life-threatening. Travel could be very difficult to impossible.
Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The
hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and
evening commutes.

EJ messaged me during his work break that he heard we could get freezing rain on Sunday or Monday. Ugh. In case you are wondering, a lot of snow can be a bit of a challenge, but high winds are worse than snow, and ice is worse than wind. It’s like a winterized game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

It sure would be nice if our neighbor Dale showed up with his tractor snowblower. However, we consider his help to be a gift, not an obligation, especially since he won’t accept payment for his work. So EJ plans to try to get our little snowblower working tomorrow morning. One way or another we need to clear our driveway before it becomes impassable. We can’t stay snowbound until Spring.

I did all the laundry today in case we lose power. I’ll set my alarm again to make sure EJ makes it into the house. When we were kids, we were excited about snowstorms, listening to the weather reports hoping that school would be cancelled. As adults, we still feel some of that excitement, especially if we have no place to go. The excitement is muted a little when EJ has to travel through the storm to/from work.

I’m giving the birds extra rations of seed to help them through the storms. They are flocking to the feeders. I’ve noticed the Pileated Woodpeckers, the largest of all woodpeckers, anxious to get at the suet I set out. I see them fly back and forth from one edge of the forest to the other loudly calling out. As soon as I walk away, they are at the suet.

I looked out of the window this morning and it looked like some sort of mythical creature was standing next to the bird feeder post. My son would say it’s just a small tree covered with snow, but I’m calling it a Northern Snow Troll. What do you think? (FYI: Having an imagination makes life interesting.)