I see Spring Home Tours sprouting up all over the Internet.
Here’s mine:
The car on the right, completely buried under the snow, is mine. When we moved some snow away from the kitchen door so we could fully open it, I grabbed the tape measure.
22 inches. Just under two feet.
All day long the winds blew, the snow fell – sometimes at a rate of 3-4 inches per hour – and it covered our windows so completely that we couldn’t see outside.
We have a heck of a lot of cleanup to do today.
The good news: the aforementioned delivery of heating oil and…we never lost power. At one point in the late morning, the lights started to blink. Don was in the shower, so I shouted that he’d better finish quickly. (Since the water pump is electric, if we lose power, we lose water.) Amazingly, that was the only scare we had.
I know some places – NYC for instance – didn’t get quite as much snow as expected. Trust me, we did, and then some. Toward the end of the week, the temperature is going to hit 40 degrees and it will start melting, but it’s going to take a while for all of this to disappear.
Don’s thinking he’ll leave on Saturday. We need a couple of days to get him ready since we lost two days this week.
In the meantime, I added a few items to the gallery wall:
I read, I went online. I looked out the window repeatedly. I ate: apple pie for Pi Day.
And I finally did some hand quilting:
Since the quilt design is very linear, I’m quilting interlocking circles of varying sizes. Nothing plotted out, just whatever I want to do at the moment. It’s taking me a bit of time to get back into that hand quilting rhythm. I like my stitches to be fairly even, but it takes a while to get there. I don’t know how long it’s been since I worked on this, but I know that at the very least, it’s been since last year. When I opened up the quilt, my ‘memory’ of having done a fair amount proved to be untrue. I have a lot to do! A good project when I get back from NYC and have to fill my evenings without Don.
Okay. Have to eat some oatmeal and suit up for shoveling.
I have some gardening books that I’m going to review over the next week. First up: tomorrow.
Happy Wednesday.
22″!! Shut my mouth! The picture of your cars. Can’t believe all that snow. Take it easy shoveling.
I love that you are hand stitching your quilt. One doesn’t see that very often anymore. I love the colors.
Thank you, Tana. I only hand stitch – I like it better. Though the time I hand stitched a queen sized quilt was a bit overwhelming!
I love the quilt…and your ability to hand quilt it! It’s going to be beautiful! But…all…that…snoooooow!…You have my sympathy.
We just called our neighbor to see if he can plow our driveway, there’s so much snow that we can’t even get the snowblower through it.
My husband is doing his happy dance as he remembers living in Snow Country and the joy of giving his snowblower away! (But as I write this, in Sun Country, the fireplace is on and I’m still in my flannel PJs.)
Tell him to get up here and lend a hand! xo
I love your picture gallery. I am going to give you a hard time—22″ ain’t nothin like what Boston got two years ago when we attended my FIL’s funeral. Now that was something. Seeing a limonsine trying to manuever with all the snowdrifts was a sight to behold.
Claudia, I have a quilt that I have been working on since 1993 which I am handquilting . I haven’t brought it out to work on it since 2005. I think it is jinxed because when I work on it we move. I call it my moving quilt. I am not ready to move yet.
I am glad Stella left. And that you didn’t lose power and you had heat. It is cold here too.
I’ll raise you. I lived in Boston for 5 years, remember – and I grew up in Michigan where we often had 3 feet of snow fall at one time!
You were there in Boston in ’92? My daughter was born in Fitchburg in ’87. We probably didn’t cross paths, but wouldn’t it had been interesting if we did? We were stationed there in MA from 86-92, then moved to California. Of all the places we lived New England has a place in my heart.
I was! I didn’t move to San Diego until 1993. I loved it there, but those winters got very tiresome!
What? 22 inches? Oh my word! You have a monumental task ahead of you…just take it slow. Amazing pic of your car…gives us a real idea of just how much snow and wind there was. I’m delighted to hear you did not lose power! Your quilt is quite lovely…I would imagine that it takes a fair amount of patience with all that detail work.
Bundle up and be careful…that’s a heck of a lot of snow! ;)
It’s huge. Windy, very cold and the snowblower can’t cut that much snow at once! Our neighbor is plowing the driveway and we’re shoveling everywhere else. Exhausting. Some of the drifts are 4 feet high, at least.
oh my goodness! That is a lot of snow. Living in the south now I am spoiled I suppose. My years in Boston are only memories. Just be safe with the work and take breaks. The quilt is so pretty and hand quilting is lovely. It will help pass the time I’m sure. Today I go to the dentist for crown prep, a 2 hr appointment..ugh! Soup for dinner I’m sure. Hugs!
Good luck with the crown. I’ve got a lot of crowns and I know how tedious that process is!
So long Stella!
My driveway was plowed. I am slowly working on 4 small porches and walkways. The snow drifts are the sour cherry on top — they are just killing me they are so deep.
Your quilt is just lovely. It must be cheery to be working with bright colors and patterns. It makes me think spring.
Oh, I know! The drifts are horrible. There’s one between our cars that is taking forever to remove. Be careful and take it slow!
Wow! That is a lot!! Until I was 12, we lived in Saskatchewan (beside Alberta where we are now) and in the Winter, we often used snow shoes to get back and forth to school. I had a classmate die when I was in grade 5 ~ walking home from school and the wind was so harsh and the snow so thick he fell into a snowdrift and froze. Our Alberta weather is much milder, despite being further North. When they say “blizzard” here, I think “man, you really don’t know what a real blizzard is!!”
Glad you’re both safe, the power didn’t go out and you were able to enjoy your pie on PI day!!
X Chy
Oh, how horrible for that boy and his family!
I will never think a blizzard/snowstorm is ‘exciting’ ever again, not after these harrowing stories.
xo
You and Don certainly did get dumped on Claudia! Hoping you two can get plowed out/shoveled out ok. Do take it easy. We only ended up with 6″ of snow – but a ton of ice and freezing rain. My husband said it was some of the heaviest snow he has ever shoveled (he didn’t even bother getting out the snow blower – the stuff was too wet and heavy).
Ours is not that heavy, but there’s so much of it that the snow blower gets stuck. So, our friend is plowing the driveway and we’re doing everything else with the shovels. But the wind is picking up and it’s very cold!
We ended up with about a foot. My husband and I shoveled all afternoon. I thought I was in pretty good shape but my back and arms are so sore. I guess I better start doing more upper body strengthening exercises!
I am so sore – the whole snow removal thing was a nightmare with an ill-advised attempt to have someone plow our driveway. I think I’ll be recovering for days.
What happened? Why didn’t the neighbor wind up helping? I was thinking he had some kind of super-duper snow plow different from what you have (a blower) although I know little of what I speak…???…
Glad you had heat and did not lose power. Here in RI, much ado about nothing. Snow and then rain, so slush, tough to shovel so we had to make a couple of runs to do end of driveway before freezing, the snow plows seems to love this street. I was think of opening the door and yelling ” give us a break”. Quotes and all I actually meant that. Stay warm, love the gallery too.
This was the worst snow storm and cleanup I can remember. Heavy snow – 2 ft of it – plus very high drifts.
Are snow plows noisy or something?
Seeing all the snow you have to shovel and blow, I don’t feel so badly about raking the pine needles in the back yard! I’ve been procrastinating… Glad you had heat, electricity and water.
I’d give anything to rake pine needles.
Good to have Stella waving bye-bye. Please, both of you be careful shoveling that crud. Our news said that on Monday, when we got the snow, 4 people in Milwaukee had heart attacks shoveling. Take your time and lots of breaks. Not worth the chance.
The quilt is so pretty!! Another project to work on while Don is away working in California. Does he start next week? I remember when you first talked about it,,,,, it seemed so far away!
It’s terrible. Lot of heavy snow, very high drifts and the guy who plowed our driveway ended up having a hard time and…get this…plowed our cars in. I was furious. So I’ve just spent three hours trying to move all that snow. Worst day I can remember in a while.
Don leaves this week. He doesn’t have to be there until a week from Monday.
Oh, I should have kept reading. I didn’t understand what you’d meant about ‘ill-advised’ plowing in the earlier comment. I need to read all the comments before I ever leave one myself.
Details on Friday.
Claudia!
I am so glad you two made it through the storm! I was a bit worried.
I had talked with a friend about the wind you heard as the storm approached; he is from the area and said” nothin’ like a Noreaster’s wind” or however you spell it.
Congratulations that you never lost power and you are OK>
Now to dig out.
The wind has been unbearable. We’ve had wind for a week now and the winds in this storm were terrible.
22 inches for us too. My husband went out in the middle of the storm twice with the tractor to clear. Our driveway is very long. Hopefully it will melt quickly since it’s March but someone just told me the forecast says more on Saturday! I am not looking. Good luck!
I just read snow showers for Saturday. Please…no more snow. My back is now very painful and Don will be gone by then.
Hi Claudia :)
It reminds me of this past Christmas when they called for 6 inches and we ended up with two feet. Typical lol
Stay warm!
rue
Well, we knew we were going to get this much. Every day, the forecast kept changing and by the time Monday came around, we had a blizzard warning and 2 feet or more was definitely predicted!
Oh, my! 22 inches of snow! All we got in northwest Georgia was a COLD rain. I feel for all the people who got that terrible storm. Hopefully, temperatures will rebound and the stuff will melt quickly. It is still very cold here today and will be again tonight (down into the 20s). Then temperature is predicted to be in the 70s by Monday. Isn’t that crazy? I’m wishing some warmer weather for you, too.
We have such huge piles of snow that the melting will take a long time and, I fear, will make the driveway a sea of mud. Yuck.
Gosh, Claudia; you’ve got to be very careful. This will take some strategizing before you go out to do anything away from home. We’re all going to be worrying for you.
Luckily, Don is not leaving until Monday morning!!! (Just found out) That’s the same day I leave for NYC, so I’ll have him with me through the weekend as we cope with the fallout from the blizzard.
Oh, excellent idea; I think you guys really need the weekend; it was just too soon for him all the way around.
Well. That is SOME photo. You guys looked trapped with those cars buried in snow. Glad, when all was said & done, that you made it to morning. Wow.
Lovely quilting. Lovely gallery wall.
Claudia, I actually/FINALLY saw the Nora Ephron doc last night (HBO), “Everything Is Copy.” I thought it was a good piece; I loved hearing about her from some who knew her best. It was interesting watching her son, Jacob Bernstein, interact with the people he interviewed for the documentary. Rekindled a passing interest in his father (her second husband; I had forgotten that she was married to yet another famous journalist); looked him up this morning online and came away with this from last month, some of which was also from December (I edited slightly, for length):
Carl Bernstein told CNN that “Trump lives and thrives in a fact-free environment. No president, including Richard Nixon, has been so ignorant of fact (and disdains fact) in the way that this president does.” Bernstein, who famously broke the Watergate story with Bob Woodward, told CNN, “It has something to do with the growing sense of authoritarianism that he and his presidency are projecting (the danger of it is obvious) and he’s trying to make the conduct of the press an issue (instead of his own conduct).” On February 2, Bernstein told CNN that his advice for journalists covering the new president is simply, “Follow the money. We have no idea what Trump’s businesses, associations, loans are in greater Russia. This is a big job for investigative reporting. It’s a big job for Republicans in Congress, especially because it’s going to come back to bite them.”
I do a lot of reading but this, for some reason, homed it in. I guess in part because I ‘lived’ Watergate (was riveted, watching the hearings unfold on TV at the time) and have always been intrigued by Woodward/Bernstein, two very smart guys. Sometimes Woodward seems to get more attention…true, he’s written more books I think..but, man, that whole Ben Bradlee era was like none other. Or not. 2017? Abuse of power…
I’ve always been fascinated by Watergate and Woodward and Bernstein. Speaking truth to power – just as we have to do now in 2017.
Glad you made it through the storm and you did not lose your power. your poor car it looks so helpless.
Marilyn
It’s been freed, Marilyn, though I still have to get it out of the driveway!
Wow what a picture! Thank you! Brings back memories, I loved my car cover for snow, unsnap, pull up one tarp edge, pull the tarp along sliding whole load of snow far away…On any known in coming storm we mandatory prepped to be self sufficient as able- down to backing in the cars (depends on front or back wheel drives to do this) not all the way up the drive, safe from road snow plow berm, beat having to clear the whole drive, (a plastic leashed toboggan in car trunk for town loads to the house). Hard learning curve the first year, each year gained more education and ease. I found East Coast winters are a way of life, its an actual science to do things and the why’s, not all common sense either. Takes time.
Shoveling was hard, finding a technique of slide into a 1/2 scoop amount, use shovel to drag the load and half scoop/semi slightly crouching whole body pivot sling it away resting handle across your lower thighs at slant diagonally- your thighs do most of the work(like laying pea gravel) more easily transporting snow> I had to learn how to with what/your body/not killing yourself/pushing vs pulling. At the end of the job pulling was easier. Getting creative, take the problem first then figure a tool for it. Winter our old orange, snow blower resided in the kitchen at room temp (on the linoleum, easy clean up, when using snow didn’t stick inside it), it never let us down. I found true necessities change with the seasons- and with the years. Most important, always wave cheerfully every time to the county snow truck plow guys each time you see one. Yes they will remember your face. They are the “Keepers of the Gate” who control ice berms, all traveling, maybe even your electricity/power for the repair trucks, emergency help, etc.- there is much to this simple waving than most understand if you don’t county plow/comprehend the total situation that goes into other areas.
I also haunted all old timers where ever I found them, asking what was the one most important thing to do for the snow times. Gleaned well earned knowledge from most down to small things; hanging a hooked caged light/drop light hooked under your kitchen sink so the pipes wont freeze. Front door key taped right next to front door outside light, the bulb (unscrew light cover set up, (tape/hide key)-you wont freeze if you lock self out- if light is always left on, key wont freeze either. Why your house heating oil should be inside the house in its own room. Turtle Fur was my best find, second was Snot Spot.
What good memories you triggered of “that life.” Thank you for a great blog!
I’ve lived in the upper Midwest or the Northeast most of my life (minus 8 years in San Diego) so I’ve coped with just about every kind of weather and know how to deal with the snow. I don’t like it…but I know what to do. Don needed an education when we moved here as he was born and raised in San Diego and lived most of his life on the West Coast.
We do a drip when it’s cold out – keeps the pipes from freezing. Shoveling, unfortunately, always involves back pain the next day. I know how to do it the correct way, but this snow was very, very heavy and there’s so much of it that pain was unavoidable.
Boy, that’s a lot of snow! When I saw on the news that most places got less than expected, I was hoping that would be your area…obviously not! At least you didn’t lose power…that’s a blessing.
I love your gallery wall…such a nice mix of colors and textures. No matchy-matchy going on…makes it much more interesting.
Don’t overdo!
Thanks, Sherry. We did overdo yesterday, but we had no choice. I’ve never had such a hard time digging out. This one was a whopper.
I’m sorry Claudia but I just have to laugh at your Spring home tour remark with picture above…the only reason I can laugh is because it looks the same here outside my door…yup…my car looks just like yours…I looked out earlier and the wind was blowing so hard and the snow drifting that it looked like another blizzard was upon us…It looks like I am stuck here for a while…Thank goodness that I stocked up on everything before it hit!…One thing I would like to explain to everyone who says they hope it melts fast is…no you don’t…when this much snow melts very fast what you end up with is a flood…Our area here sits down in a valley surrounded by mountains…just imagine how much snow there is up on those mountains…Now imagine that that the ground is already saturated from the rains we’ve been having…and then comes a sudden warm spell and all of that snow starts to quickly melt…Trust me..flooding is much more destructive than snowstorms…The gallery wall is looking very nice and it is good to see you working on a quilt again…Take care!
Exactly. Too much snow melting = flooding. We have a river just across the street from us and another one down the road. Here’s hoping it melts a bit more slowly, right?
We usually get one snow like yours per winter, but this year? pittance in the snow department. Our luck it will come in April while we are on vacay. Just you wait and see. LOL
Last year, we never used our snow blower. This year is another story!
So glad that you kept your power! I am so over winter too.
Completely over it. I was angry at this storm and at how it’s impacted this week where we have to accomplish so much in so little time!