Snow!

[magid]

Factorial, definitely. Friday all the weather reports I heard were saying 3 to 6 inches, or 4 to 6 inches. That's about what we had yesterday morning, and it's been snowing pretty continuously since then. It's an impressive amount of snow, however much it is. Last night, someone measured it at 13 inches. This morning, I meandered into my kitchen to get some water, and was surprised to see snow up past the second windowpane on the French doors (about four feet off the floor); I haven't seen snow that deep on my porch before. I managed to peek out over it, and found it's a drift. Still, it looks like there's at least a foot and a half of snow balanced on my porch railings, even after whatever wind has gotten to it.

Thanks to BubbleBabble, I didn't stay curled up at home, but went out to walk/slog/slide through the snow. I felt badly walking by the next-door neighbor shoveling our walk, knowing I wouldn't be helping for some hours, at least.

It wasn't cold, but the wind driving snow in my face wasn't the most pleasant. I wish I'd found the earbands or the thin fleece hat, but they must've found some cozy place to hide, since they weren't with the hats or scarves. The rest of me, though, ended up far more than toasty warm, almost unpleasantly so. I'd decided against the high boots with less traction, opting instead for the huge ankle-high hiking (Limmer) boots. They work beautifully in the snow. I might get gaiters to avoid the snow-into-boots problem. Hrm. Not sure where I'd get those in walking distance...

Later in the afternoon, I headed out again. My coat and gloves were still a bit damp, and I didn't have companionship for the walk; it was hard to get myself out again. Once I was out, it wasn't too bad, though again the wind was in my face. I walked to the Cookie and Soup gathering, assuming that it hadn't been canceled. And indeed, it hadn't. I was surprised to see so many people there, but public transportation and feet (plus a pair of skis) were in working order. I watched an impressive number and variety of soups made, played with babies, and learned I can crack walnuts with my bare hands (though of course, this leaves me with walnuts to eat, which are not my favorite). Or at least, I could do it once :-). And I demonstrated the sound of one hand clapping. And had time to talk with someone I haven't seen in far too long, sitting on the steps and wishing there were more time.

It felt good to be inside with congenial people, especially when the snow was blowing horizontally, which made it that much harder to face going home. It was nice to know that there was crash space, but I much prefer my own bed, and there was no way to tell if it would be any easier in the morning. So I suited up, headed out... and found that it was much quieter than it had been. Much less wind, at least at ground level. It seemed much faster, though some of that was the heading-home effect. I was passed by two skiers, and two bicyclists (!). It also seemed incongruous to see people slogging through the snow carrying a bag of groceries with salad mix in it. There were still people on the roads, but fewer than previously.

I wish I'd already replaced the hot water urn. A hot drink would've been nice when I got home. Perhaps this week...

Comments

[magid.livejournal.com]

Well, he said he'd do up to two more shovelings, so maybe one of those could be the car? :-)

[bitty.livejournal.com]

Ha! He keeps pushing the so-called perks of public transportation.
He doesn't have to stand in the wind tunnel that is the bus stop in freezing temperatures, now does he.