Our backyard late yesterday afternoon:
Our backyard this morning:
They're saying we got about a foot of snow, and we're still in a blizzard watch until 6 pm today because of the high winds I can still hear wooshing around the house.
But look!
That, my friends, is Derek clearing our driveway with the snow blower we bought at a garage sale over a year ago. Because of last year's extremely mild winter, this is the first chance he's gotten to use it, and I'm happy to report that it works great, which saves him hours of back-breaking work with the shovel. I may even have channeled my inner mad scientist when I heard it start up, cackling and exclaiming, "It's alive- IT'S ALIVE!"
We're pretty excited about that snow blower.
Hey, have I ever told you guys about how one day at work, my first winter in Connecticut, I was talking to a coworker of mine who hailed from Buffalo, NY (home to way more snow than we get here or in CT), and when she mentioned something about a snow blower, my response was, "What is that- like a leaf blower?" And did I tell you about how she doubled over from laughing so hard when she realized I was being serious?
I didn't think I'd ever live that one down.
I was certainly thankful I only had to use the shovel to scoop the snow off the van and break up the frozen chunks of snow on the sidewalk so Derek can use that wonderful, magical snow blower to clear it off tonight. I was only out there for around 45 minutes, which turned out to be plenty of time for me to experience the fun that is snow + wind. I emit a charming little squeal-laugh-cry every time huge gusts of wind blow stinging snow onto every exposed inch of my skin. I tried to make like a penguin and turn my back to the wind when it gusted, but it turns out I'm not so great at anticipating the whims of a capricious winter wind.
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On the bright side, I got to experience a combination snow/thunderstorm last night; I've never seen lightning and snow issuing from the sky at the same time before. We were also fortunate enough not to lose our power, Adelaide got a snow day from school, and the kiddos and I don't have to go anywhere today- a definite plus when I keep seeing notices from a nearby town that say things like "Such-and-such highway closed due to six-foot-drifts." Yeehaw!
