No More Snow, Please

Officially (though I’m not sure who is in charge of officially measuring) we got 15 inches of snow, topped with another 1–2 inches of ice. Clearing all of that, on top of what was still hanging around from two weekends ago, was not exactly fun, but we managed to get it done.

John handled the snowblower, and I shoveled places where the snowblower couldn't be used. It was 12 degrees when we started and eventually warmed up to 18. I don’t mean to just complain about the weather, especially since we were incredibly lucky and never lost power.

Ryan spent around seven hours clearing his sidewalk and driveway, but Justin wins the prize. He worked 16 hours of overtime on Sunday plowing and shoveling, then another eight hours of overtime on Monday cleaning up more snow, shoveling, and salting. Hopefully, those 24 hours of overtime will help cover his slightly exorbitant gas and electric bill.

I didn't take any photos because I was shoveling, so I’m including a couple that friends sent me. It all looks very picturesque and peaceful, but no more snow, please!

A Little Exercise and Fresh Air

We got some snow this weekend and I shoveled. It was a solo activity because John is in MD, Justin is in FL, and Ryan is an hour away in PA with his own driveway to shovel. We got 6-8", but it's hard to tell since it's bare in some places and foot-high drifts in others. It's not nearly as much as they got at the NJ shore or in New England. My power's been out twice and the house was down to 50 degrees at one point, but it's on now, and it's amazing how much shoveling warms you up.

This is the view towards the street,

and this is looking down towards the barn. 

I'm not sure whose idea it was to buy this house with a stupidly long driveway, but presumably, I went along with it 32 years ago. Over time, we've purchased equipment to help with clearing snow, a snowblower, and a four-wheeler with a plow. But they are only helpful if you can get them started, which I could not. So I said some words and got out the shovels. Four hours on Saturday and another four to finish yesterday, but it's done. 

After all that shoveling, I just might bake a chocolate cake and not feel one bit guilty about eating a piece. I did get plenty of exercise and fresh air.

I hope your weekend was safe, warm, and dry!

Sometimes Monday ...

 ... is a day to appreciate my sister's photos.

She took these lovely sunrise and sunset photos and I was happy that she shared them. I told her that I thought the snow made them even better by providing contrast, but she wasn't buying it. Maybe because she had had to clear their driveway herself (because her husband was out for 39 hours plowing).

Speaking of snow, we got more on Sunday.

And there is quite a bit more predicted later this week - tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. Oh, goody!

I hope your Monday is off to a good start, with a rosy sunrise, and no snow in the forecast!

Sometimes Monday ...

 ... is a day to get prepared. We've got the first significant snowstorm of the season predicted on Wednesday, with snow lasting for 24 hours, and a final tally of 12-14 inches. 

This is a sunrise photo from late last week, but I'm guessing that Wednesday's may also be a "red sky at morning, sailors take warning" one. I'm off to get my french toast fixin's (bread, milk, and eggs - it's a law in NJ), fill the four-wheeler with gas and get it all set to easily plow all the snow. I asked for the snowplow attachment as my Christmas present two years ago, so I'm kind of hoping I actually get a chance to use it!

Here's hoping your week is a good one without too much snow! 

Planting Time

 

I usually start my garden seeds on March 28th, maybe because of tradition, superstition, or that's when my grandmother always did it. I didn't want any vulnerable little plants to dry out while I was away, so I declared today as Planting Day.

It's always been an outdoor activity, but since it's snowing again, my kitchen counter became a planting bench. John had planned to rototill the garden tomorrow and plant peas, but with more snow predicted, that will probably happen at a later date.

I planted tiny Brussels sprouts, Napa cabbage, and Jet Star tomato seeds,

slightly larger Celebrity tomato seeds,

and some nice big Raider cucumber and Top Pop popcorn seeds.

Then I gently pushed all the seeds down into the damp seed starting mix,

gave them a final heavy misting, and covered the cups with plastic wrap to keep the seed starting mix from drying out too quickly.

Then the trays go on my non-fancy seed-starting shelves (plastic shelves from Costco with a suspended fluorescent fixture) where I'll mist them daily and remove the plastic wrap when tiny sprouts begin to appear.

Check back in 7-10 days when I'll hopefully be able to show you some nice green seedlings!

Three on Thursday

Joining Kat and Carole for Three on Thursday, and today it's with some flowers.

Flowers are having a tough time of it this spring. This is what my poor hyacinths looked like when I left on Monday, bowed down by the weight of six inches of snow. I got home late last night in the dark, but I'm sure they are looking much better. Then I looked at the weather forecast, and it's deja vu all over again on Saturday.

Thankfully I was greeted by two more delightful floral sights upon my return; the lovely blossoms on my Easter cactus,

and a surprise second flower shoot on my amaryllis.

Hopefully someday soon I'll be taking more photos of flowers, all of them without any snow in sight.

Head on over here to read more Three on Thursday posts.

Catching Up

This was a weekend for catching up - with errands, laundry, ironing, and work. Don't worry; I'm not going to bore you with photos of those things. There was also snow, and I did take loads of pictures of its beauty.

There was a funny photo from catching up with family (I don't know what they were talking about, but it looks interesting) and a very sweet baby.

There was some catching up with knitting - binding off and returning to a well-loved project.

I could have used a longer weekend to catch up on everything that I have to do, so I better get started on the rest of it now. Hope your week ahead is a good one!

Love/Hate

Like many others, I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. Many of my issues began during last year's election season. I thought that lots of people seemed to be confused about the differences between facts and opinions, were woefully deficient in empathy and the desire for equality, and I also discovered that Facebook is not the place for clear-headed, well-reasoned inquiries and discussions. Oh, the drama (and it's not always about politics)!

I've used Facebook less and less over the past few months, and have deleted the app from my phone and Kindle. I've come very close to deleting my account several times, but just can't bring myself to completely walk away. There are some people that I'm only connected with through Facebook and I want to maintain that. I can occasionally read some interesting articles, find some new recipes, see what books friends are reading that I might have missed on goodreads, keep up with Carole's exciting candidacy for Selectman Committee, and even see what my kids might be doing.

There is another feature that I like, and that's On This Day. It's just what it says; Facebook reminds me what I posted or shared on this day in the past. Most of them are inconsequential or even inane, but given my poor memory, I do enjoy these throwbacks.

We've had plenty of snow, sleet, freezing rain, wintry mix, and cold temperatures this winter, but recently Facebook reminded me that it really hasn't been that bad. These photos from the end of January 2016 showed me a real snow storm (three feet +) and that I had lots of help clearing it.

And these photos from 2011 remind me what will be appearing in the spring!

Scenes from the Weekend

I hope your weekend was a good one, and your week is off to a stellar start!