In progress. It’s a beautiful image.

I just don’t know what to say about this week except it’s been a surreal week from hell.

My car is trapped by ice. The temperature has not gone above freezing since the ice storm. So the ice remains. It is treacherous out there. Very, very slippery. Yesterday, I wanted to put some pieces of mail in our mailbox for our carrier to pick up. I decided to walk on the area of the front lawn, stomping my feet to create a hole for each foot as I walked. I’d done that earlier in the week. But I began to panic because it was much more slippery than it had been and there I was, stuck in the middle, afraid to go forward. At that moment, I noticed a dead deer in our culvert – it must have been hit in the early morning hours – and I was so distracted that I lost my footing and fell. I’m fine, but that’s how bad it is out there. (We’d previously seen a herd of deer on our neighbor’s property and watching them try to keep their footing on the ice was upsetting. No food and slippery ice is not a good thing for deer.) I called the county and a man came and picked up the deer. Don and I said a prayer. Poor thing.

Anyway, I made it to the mailbox and then tried another route back. Still scary, but a bit better.

We’re essentially trapped here and it won’t start to warm up until tomorrow. It’s just too much. That, along with the heartbreak of this insane administration, is making us very depressed.

AND THERE IS NO ROAD SALT ANYWHERE. NONE. The roads are clear but unless you already had a lot on hand, property owners cannot clear their driveways. There’s a state of emergency because of the shortage. Ice storm + no salt = cannot move.

We just have to wait until it starts to warm up on the weekend.

Don has a gig tonight. He had one tomorrow night, as well, but it’s over 2 hours away from us and he decided to cancel as the route there is not on a major highway and we don’t trust the weather. Tonight’s is about 45 minutes up the thruway and he’ll be home relatively early. Still, I’m nervous about him navigating his way to our side door when it’s slippery. So I’m making him take our big flashlight with him and I’ll stay up until he’s safely here.

I’ve never seen anything like this, and I grew up in Michigan, and lived in Philadelphia and Boston.

It’s like some sort of dangerous lunar landscape out there.

So I finally started the newest Louise Penny. But I’ve barely started. No info on it, please. I always delay the pleasure of reading her newest book and I protect the entire experience.

One good thing: I saw more bluebirds yesterday, but they didn’t hang around long because there is no food.

Okay.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Our Icescape.

I haven’t even left the house. Don ventured out yesterday, but he had to plot how he was going to reach our cars. You have to walk through the snow (which is coated in ice) and stay away from the areas of the driveway that were “cleared” because all of that quickly turned to ice. Don wanted to see if he could move his car and he did, but I could barely watch. My car is still sitting there, though Don started it and let it run for a while.

Along with all the ice, we had very high winds for 3 days. So many people around here are iced in. And there’s a shortage of salt. It’s sort of a nightmare. We won’d see any difference until Saturday when the temperatures will finally be above freezing. Next week will be better.

I have officially had it with winter. No more, thank you very much.

Thank you for all of the lovely comments on MHC’s 17th anniversary. In the midst of all of the ice and wind, it was so heartening to read them all. I don’t mind saying that I teared up more than once. You are all so dear to me. Thank you.

I took this the other day because it’s one of my favorite views:

I love the fireplace and the paintings and the mini-Roseville pottery. There’s another miniaturist out there who makes his own version of Roseville pottery, but his have a glossy glaze, which is not found on real Roseville. So I stick to these. I ordered another one for the Beacon Hill and I’ll order some more when I can afford them.

The Beacon Hill. I’m still not sure about things. It’s so large, it takes up so much space, and I am reminded that renovating a dollhouse is expensive. Wallpaper, wood, flooring, paint, furniture. Even when I buy inexpensive furniture, the cost quickly adds up. Should I sell it and go with something smaller? If I tried to do that, would anyone buy it? Times are hard economically. Would I regret selling it?

This is the ongoing monologue in my head these days.

Meanwhile, I filmed a little tour of Dove Cottage for my YouTube channel. I film it first, then I add music and my voiceover. But the challenge is trying to get everything I want to say into the time allotted. Adding the music helps mask the street noise, as well. Hope you like it. (You’ll see my aging hands a couple of times.)

Just visit YouTube and search for: claudiathechroniccollector

Dove Cottage

This little channel is just a way to share my collections and creations and have them safely stored someplace other than the blog.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Slow going. It’s challenging puzzle, but you all know that I like challenging puzzles. The design at the bottom is the hem of the Geisha’s kimono.

Gosh, this weather forecast is a bit scary. 4 – 6 inches of snow – starting today around noon – and then ice. And this morning we got a high wind warning from the National Weather Service. Our area could get gusts up to 40 mph, and the higher elevations, even worse. Icy trees and high winds are not a good combination. Advice from the NWS: charge our phones and any chargers, as well. Crap.

Don is going to get some salt this morning and a some canned goods.

I’m praying that we don’t lose power, that everyone around here has power. Most of us get our water from wells, and well pumps are powered by electricity, not to mention our oil burners. With temperatures in the 20s, none of us can afford to lose heat. And before you ask, no we don’t have a generator. We can’t afford one.

So, send the Hudson Valley some positive energy, okay? This could be very messy. I’m hoping that we have more snow than predicted, which would mean less ice.

Anyway, that’s all I can think about right now.

Thank goodness we have a gas stove!

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.