New York Renovator

Snow. And rain. Yesterday we had ice and rain. Then about dinnertime, the air was filled with little icy round pellets, very fine but crusty. They made a hissing noise as they plopped from the sky onto the crusty snow on the ground.

This morning I looked out my window and saw that the little pellets had changed to this:

That poor, lonely swingset. It won’t see any company for quite a few months yet, at this rate!

Even the birds are hiding. That’s my new birdfeeder set, by the way (I posted about it here). The bluejays love it. :-p But I hate bluejays. lol.

The snow was very wet and heavy. I shouldn’t be carrying my camera out in it– big flakes the size of cornflakes were peppering down on me. My camera didn’t do a good job of photographing the flakes, but I was quickly getting covered as I stood out there. I had to get a photo of my poor, suffering yews. They look very sad, don’t they? Good thing they are so stringy they won’t snap from the weight.

So once again, it’s a day for simmering foods, warm blankets, and fresh bread baking! I intend on making Baked Ziti for dinner this evening, with a select wine of the month beverage, or maybe just milk, lol. The nice thing about winter is the coziness. I do miss the sunshine and green plants and the freedom of going out without 15 layers of clothing… but winter has its beauty, too.

Have a great day!

We had a freaky, surprise snowstorm this morning (the third consecutive storm on a Wednesday). It was unexpected (well, that just means we didn’t know it was coming until forecasters started chattering about it on Monday). Usually we have a good four to five days before we know a “big one” is on the way. I think this caught everyone by surprise. I remember hearing 1-2 inches on Monday’s forecast, then by Tuesday afternoon it magically became 6-8 inches!

I got up extremely early- 4:30am. Just couldn’t get back to sleep. So as the daylight appeared, I went out to snap a few photos.

I like snowy mornings. Everything is so hushed. The street lights cast a warm, mellow glow on the streets, and even though it’s cold outside, you really don’t notice the chill. I wish my camera could have captured the scene. It was beautiful, with great big wet snowflakes spraying down, and illuminated by the  golden-yellow street lamps. And not a sound in the air except the very faint whirring of falling snow. Very peaceful.

Those are my yews, sagging sadly with the snow. Poor things. I considered, for a fleeting moment, of diving into the deep snow and shaking them free from their icy burdens, but I realized that to do so, the snow would transfer from them to me. Um. The yews are to be sacrificed for the greater good: me. Heehee.

This is the view of my arbor, from the back of the yard. I couldn’t get any closer because I didn’t want to trudge through a foot of snow. I’m so lazy at 6:30am! But all that trudging might give me Plantar Fasciitis or something! lol.

So we’re in the house again, today. It’s pretty cold (10 degrees F), probably too cold to shove the kids outside to play (and shovel). We’ll see. Maybe I can bribe them with the prospect of sparkling hot cider and hot chocolate…

Weird. It’s WEIRD, people. Lake effect is that weird weather pattern that swoops down from the Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario) onto the unsuspecting citizens of Upstate New York.

About 15 minutes after I posted this post with this photo– showing ZERO visibility during heavy snow squalls with vicious winds…

This appeared out my window. Five minutes later. Wild!

Before:

After:

There’s an old saying here in Upstate: If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. LOL!

Snow, snow, snow. After a fast of snow for November and early December, it’s come strong and sudden. Winter storm alerts are popping up everywhere. Last Wednesday we were hit (5 inches+), then Sunday (5+), and now, today (6-8 iches expected). And guess what? We’ve got more up and coming for Wednesday (sleet! yuk!) and Friday.

I looked out my window about a half-hour ago, and saw this unwelcome site:

When I went on the front porch to take photos, I couldn’t see past 50 yards. Driving is terrible. It’s 15 degrees F here right now, but the wind is whipping around so the wind chill is about 25-below-zero. BRRRR!

The mailmen are out in this today. They are always getting stuck in the snow. Please be sure to shovel out your mailboxes, eh?

Snow! After nothing for months, it hits with full force this week. We’d already been pummeled by a snowstorm last Sunday (and the Sunday before that). That gave us about 5 inches, but it most of it melted away by Tuesday. Today, starting about noon, this whopper hit. And this is just the beginning of it!

This is definitely North Face weather! The able-bodied members of the family are out shoveling. The snow is very fine, like ice crystals. The wind is blowing and therefore the ice crystals jab into the skin with its tiny frigid razors. Not very pleasant. So, wow. I have chili con carne simmering in the crockpot. We’ll make a day of it, shoveling and sipping hot coffee and cocoa, and shoveling and sipping, and probably more shoveling and sipping. lol

Forecast for today, 6-10 inches, coming within 6-8 hours’ time. There are whiteout conditions in several counties (ours included). We’re used to this kind of weather, so most people either drive very slowly and carefully, or avoid driving altogether. I think back to my younger years, when not even a storm like this could have kept me off the roads. Now, I look back and wonder how I could have been so crazy!

Another storm is expected to strike Sunday, too, but that (according to the weathermen) will be a quick-moving storm. Local businesses and all the school have closed. (the Post Office is still delivering mail, though!) So I guess we will definintely have a white Christmas. I like the snow, I like the coziness. I don’t mind being out in it, either, although I can’t shovel anymore. It’s a nice feeling to be out in the elements, and then come in to a warm, cozy home with the smell of coffee and pumpkin-spice candles. Eat your heart out, you in Bermuda!

Well, you asked for it! More snow photos. I know you people in the South just love to look at these photos. As for us in the North, well…. it’s still really nice. Until Februrary; then it gets pretty old.

So what a difference a day makes!

This I took yesterday, just as the lake effect snows started to kick in.

And this I took this morning, just as the lake effect is starting to wane.

In my opinion, it’s still not a whole lot of snow. (But I am quite biased, because I don’t have to shovel it). We probably have about 6 inches.

I really like days like these. It’s so cozy here at home. The kids are working on their lessons, I have a pot roast simmering all day (driving the cat beserk), I’m catching up on the laundry, and I hope to get some baking in today, too.

I drove out to the country this morning. We have managed to maintain our mere 1/2 inch of snow over the weekend, but everything went back to brown and muddy after Tuesday’s (relatively) warm rains. But today, as I chugged up into the higher hills, wispy swirls of snow greeted me. It was pretty.

The trees were a beautiful sight. The ones on the tops of the hills were all frosty, as if they’d been dipped in sparkling sugar and plugged back into the frozen ground. Click on the photos for a larger view.

And so now (tonight) we’re getting heavy snow. They’re calling for about 4-7 inches, a mere dusting for this lassie (I’m from Cayuga/Onondaga County, where a storm isn’t a storm unless it’s 2 feet or more). We’ll be waking up to a beautifully-covered landscape. I intend on cooking an all-day pot roast, making breads, a pie, and finally getting to that laundry pile. But it’s been a long day for me today, and so I bid you “good night.”

I hope you aren’t sick of my snow photos– it’s only November! But I love the snow. For the first four months or so, anyway. After January, it gets kinda old.

But right now it’s November, and we’re getting snow today! It’s so cozy. The coffee is fresh, the furnace is humming, the kitten is snuggled in her blanket, and the kids are busy pushing their pencils (math and history today). The only thing that would make the day more complete would be a turkey in the oven. But that will have to wait until next week! I can, however, bake an apple pie, today, hmmm.

She got up shortly after my photo to look at the snow. See how big she’s getting? Unbelievable!