He looks like his surname does he not? All pale and cool, wind blown and aloof. I was reminded of dear Edgar when I was out doing chores this evening, in the cold, blowing snow. Just one of my favs of the 70's back when being cool had nothing to do with the insulated coveralls I wear now. The insulated Camouflage coveralls. Oh yeah, I'm so cool now.
The fact that we got a little snow dump today is all my fault. Yesterday, when it was in the 50's I was whining about the mud, and the dreary overcast sky. I even said to Keith, "So where is all the snow this year? A little white sure would be a nice change." I was tired of looking at the yard debri and rather than spend a day picking it all up, I just wanted it covered up.
Idiot.
The snow started this morning and at first, was a lovely layer of powdered sugar, but by evening we had several inches. At least afterwards it brought some sunshine. Fortunately the wind was just enough to make small drifts, not too hard to walk through, but if it picks up tonight we'll have issues. In these flat plains an inch of snow, accompanied by high winds, can cause white out conditions.
Which, in times past, I did not mind. I had no problems driving in bad weather, just chalk it up to years doing home nursing. But now, on our limited budget, I'm not so careless about venturing out on snowy or icy roads. What if I slide in the ditch and have to pay MONEY for someone to pull me out?
Now that...would be a disaster.
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| Dreary last evening |
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| The brighter, whiter today. |
So, big deal, we have snow. The animals will be ok, good shelter with deep bedding is all they need, but we human mammals will whine a bit more I'm sure. All in all though the winter of 2017 has been mild here. . No long cold snaps like Illinois winters of the past, and no serious snow storms (yet). Only a couple of icy rain events. I experienced far worse in the decade I lived in the Black Hills of South Dakota. There, you could enter a restaurant at noon when the sky was clear and blue, and one buffalo burger later, find your car buried in a ten foot drift with the dreaded Jackalopes hopping back and forth over the top.
Which is why any cowboy worth their salt lick would keep his snow mobile gassed up, ready to go, and secured with baling twine, in the pack of his outfit (aka pickup truck).
Sometimes, especially in the plains around Belle Fourche, SD (which I still lovingly refer to as The Armpit of America ) the storms would roll in so fast, livestock would freeze where they stood. So when my fellow Land of Lincolnites complain about our tough winters, I tend to scoff.
Here, until this morning, it's just been grey and overcast for weeks. Enough to bring out the deepest Shakespearean angst at times. Oh well, if we didn't have winter, how would we ever appreciate Spring? (with it's rain and mud and bugs...)
| Shakespeare: my favorite drama queen |
I remember a camping supplies shop back in 1960's London having a sign in their window. NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCOUNT TENTS.
ReplyDeleteFunny. Shakespeare goes camping. he and his characters did spend a lot of time in the woods.
DeleteIf you want some winter, come on up to the Canadian Riviera where we're still digging out from our latest series of snow storms. The kids haven't been to school since last Thursday & this week they closed the universities & colleges too. The City has no snow removal equipment & has to hire seasonal people with equipment but we get so little snow here - every 10 to 15 years - that they starve to death. We ran out of sand & salt in the Christmas storms. When we got the Winter Olympics in Vancouver a few years ago, we were all wearing shorts in February & they had to MAKE snow because we had none on the mountains. It became known as the Spring Games. Now we're sitting with anywhere from 9" to 30" depending on how far you go from the beach . . . . I, personally, would prefer a little rain.
ReplyDeleteNo, that's ok. I prefer to stay here and whine about our itsy bitsy winter. But thanks for the invite.
DeleteI'm in rural Ontario, in line of lake effect winds from Lake Huron. Winter starts in late October some years and lasts until April. There's waves of griping and complaining depending on the frequency of storms and arctic temperature drops. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteSo like SD. One year I went up Spearfish Canyon and still snow on the hill tops. Mud at hill bottoms. And those waves of complaining? They seem to get bigger as I get older. STAY WARM!
DeleteI'm in northern Michigan, and this winter has been such a disappointment for us. We moved here from IL (or Hellinois, as we so lovingly referred to it when we lived there) . We moved here for all the gobs of snow they USED to get. This winter there hasn't been enough to ski in. I do love snow and winter, but if this is all it can muster up, well, hell--make way for spring!
ReplyDelete"Hellinois" Oh how I love that!
DeleteWe got snow here last night too. And I have to admit it made the place look much better.
ReplyDeleteDonna your house looks so neat! I don't think I've seen a picture of the outside before.
This spring it will look even better. Lots of flowers are planned, many, tons, more than you can imagine. I'm talking...a bunch of flowers.
DeleteWinter in Illinois was when u were in South Dakota Mom got stuck at work no food in house so we got Moms cash stash from the creamer went to corner tap and bought frozen pizza!! Best snow storm ever!!
ReplyDeleteThere is something about scrounging for food in the middle of a storm that makes it so much more fun. But then again, we O'Shaughnessy's think food is fun regardless of the weather, don't we?
DeleteOh so true
DeleteIt's seventy-two degrees and sunny here in Florida. I don't miss snow.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I once moved to Lakeland Fl. back in '78. Stayed for six weeks but when Fall came and the leaves there stayed the same color I got all confused and drove back to Illinois...I mean Hellinois...I've been disoriented ever since.
DeleteSunny Queensland has been overdoing it for weeks now, mid to high 30's most of January and it hasn't let up yet.
ReplyDeleteI am inside most of the time reading or crafting and trying to keep cool, gardening and mowing are very early morning activities. ..could be time to buy an aircon if this is what Summers are going to be now.
Fingers crossed you don't get so much snow you have to dig out vehicles or can't get to town.
When it's hot here in summer we do much the same, get work out of the way in am then rest in heat of day. Hit it all again in evening when it cools off. If snow hits bad we're in good shape with our heat and have several lanterns for light. The more independent we become, the less bad weather bothers us.
DeleteI'm in Northern California and am surrounded by 3 major mountain ranges and only 30 minutes from snow, and its been a winter! Friends that live in the mountains are snowed in and we all keep getting hit with one storm after another. Its been wild, but it was all very much needed. Our drought is over. It even snowed where I live - happens once every other year and it only lasts a day.
ReplyDeleteI forget sometimes how really big the US is until I hear from others about their seasons. It's mazing how different each state is.
DeleteWell you know I feel your pain. When they post pictures of the streets of Redding with great drama regarding about enough water to wash a tick flowing over them declaring flooding. To which I think "um obviously you never lived in Fresno before ponding basins". Then it rained and it rained and oh heck it is still raining.
ReplyDeleteMy son and his wife used to live in Seattle and often laughed at how a tiny bit of snow there would bring all traffic to a stop!
DeleteWow, I was pretty interested when I found your blog and read about your plans for the tire house, now I see your grain bin home & I think I shall have to dig back and look for pictures of it, inside & out, as you made it into a home.
ReplyDeleteMr Shoes' family lived in a grain bin for a time when he was a child - and it was not a home. It had been roughly lined with strapping & newspapers & used as a chicken coop before they lived in it.
I am SURE I will see better as I look through TPH!
Oh man, his grain bin house sounds rough! Ours is no Home and Garden Abode but it is very cozy, easy to clean and perfect for us two.
DeleteSomehow your blog became unfollowed and I lost you from our sidebar!?!?! I saw a comment and I thought "I haven't seen her post in awhile?". Now I see I've missed several weeks worth. Dang it!! Off to catch up (and I've put you back in our sidebar).
ReplyDeleteDropped from a sidebar. There's a certain ring to that. better than being drop kicked I suppose. Thanks for propping me back up 1st man, which reminds me...I need a side bar of favorite blogs on my blog, yes I do.
DeleteOur first year here in Nashua, NH, was 2 years ago and that winter the snow totaled over 6 feet. Then, last year was only a foot or so total. This year we have had about 2 feet to date. We are fans of snow but quite possibly it';s because now we live in a mill apt and never have to shovel any and our cars are parked underground. That said, we are natives of NJ and well recall our shoveling days.
ReplyDeleteI do like that we shovel little here, although have done my share over the years. We don't even bother to shovel our sidewalk leading to the house when there is snow. Our muck boots get us through just fine and the mail is left at the end of the drive. Lucky us.
Delete