Oops! Watch out for that... Snow!

They've got most of the trucks pulled out by now, but here were a few of the "oops's that we saw on the way up the interstate due to the snow. On the last storm we saw a truck that just leaned right over on the bank, it looked perfect except for the fact that it was resting on only half it's tires. I heard that there were parts of the interstate shut down while military vehicles came in to pull the trucks up the hill so that the snow plows could clear the road, so that traffic could move again. One truck got part way up the hill and jack-knifed. Oops!

The second whammy that we got this week didn't bring us much snow, but the wind has joined the party and now we are having significant drifting. DH is just home from driving snow plow, was out at least 16 hours today.
Well, this one isn't a stuck truck but kinda cool that I was able to catch a shot of that helichopper! Aren't the mountains pretty when they are dressed up with snow?!

Wishing you the beauty of a winter snow (without the hazards)
-Carmen Rose

It Came, It Dumped... And So We Dig

It started early Friday morning and snowed until late Saturday. I think it stopped at about twenty inches.

I've spent most of this blizzard stuck home alone and getting cabin fever really bad. My days have consisted of bundling up, going outside to shovel, grabbing some firewood, coming inside to feed the fire and unbundle and try to thaw a bit... and then repeat. My day was very redundant and I've pretty much had enough of this now.

Saturday morning my Mom was cutting my Dad's hair and he lost consciousness and landed face first on the kitchen floor. The neighborhood hadn't been plowed but the ambulance was able to get there and finally to the hospital, though it took some doin with the crazy weather. He came around and they ran lots of tests. His ticker is fine and all the rest of the big scary stuff came back clean. He has exceptionally low blood pressure, so when he doesn't get his coffee it's not a good thing. So he'd only had one cup by noon and he's usually had three by that point. Plus he was hungry, so maybe his blood sugar hit a slump or something. Combine that with an ultra stressful job and spending the morning digging out the heat pump so that it didn't ice over and die... and... well... we're really glad that he's home and ok.

I was home alone and the 4x4 was gone. Normally, I would have jumped in the car to run up there (I live 40 minutes from them) but they'd closed 81 and the plow trucks were on loops just trying to keep up with the snow that was continually dumping on the main roads. I really would have liked to have been there for my Mom. My brother who lives close by them kept me updated and that was really helpful. Little I could do but watch and pray. Well... besides shovel snow, bring in firewood, feed the fire, etc. I am glad he is home and feeling better.

I've got a real sensitivity to caffeine, last time I had a glass of full test iced tea (which was entirely accidental, I assure you!) I had chest pains and little bouts of tachycardia for two days. If I had three cups of coffee by noon I'd be one crazy mess. When I can finally get out of my snow induced confinement, I suppose I'll go see my dad and take him some good coffee. I'm really grateful that it turned so well considering, and that he is ok. I love my Dad!

Snowstorm 2009 at Studio B

I just LOVE watching it snow! Nothing quite like it!

“When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow, we hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago, and etched on vacant places are half-forgotten faces of friends we used to cherish, and loves we used to know.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox

View from Studio B after the '09 Snowstorm

Snow and more Snow!

This morning we opened the doors to a snowy wonderland and let the girls out, and they plunged head first into surprisingly deep snow.  Here they are just before they get really confused border collie looks on their faces.  They did finally forge a pathway out into wonderland, wish I had video of that!

Then Misde discovered that the squirrels were out, so she went out to check on them, (She's the speck in the distance btwn hemlock and porch post) Hope watched from the lower porch.  Hubby got to uncover the firewood for the wood stove as well, there is no better heat this time of year!

There was a rather large drift on the upper deck, it was a little confusing for Hope...

But then hubby set about removing the snow so that we could all go out and have a look around...

 

Maybe even a trip down the snowy stairs to see what can be seen... except for a border collie the snow was rather daunting at that depth.

In different places we got different measurements... this was one of the deeper spots.

The street side of the house was a sea of beautiful whiteness!  I can say that because I didn't have to shovel any of that!

It took a while, but hubby found the sidewalk and the steps going up to the street!

He moved lots of snow to get to the van!  (The tile for my new kitchen floor is in that van, waiting to be transformed into a real visual treat for our home - just add hard labor and a bottle of advil and it will be beautiful!!)  It can just stay out there in the van a little longer!!

He's showing me that all that can be seen of my Honda Civic is the tip of the CB antenna and the mirror!  We didn't even uncover them, it's not done snowing!  (At least I hope not)  I don't remember a snow like this in Virginia, certainly not since we returned in 2000.

And while he was shoveling all that snow, I was digging out my textile studio near the wood stove.  (Ask me which one of us had the better deal?!)  All the fabric is sorted, folded and stowed away where it goes!!  It's beautifully organized, it is SO FUN when order reigns supreme in my studio.  I've even done inventory (NO PURPLE - O NO!) to see what colors I need to dye up next.  I've even got the dye mixed on the kitchen counter and the fabric is soaking.  Maybe tomorrow I'll don the gloves and get dying.  Everything is canceled, even church - and they say they don't close in "inclement" weather.  I guess this was a little beyond "inclement."

I cleaned up the last of the glaze and packed up my glass studio for the season.  That's the last of that art media for the year and it seems unlikely that I'll even get back into it before spring comes.  It's time for winter weather arts - fabric, quilts and home renovation projects! 

We hooked a projector up to the laptop and hung a queen size sheet over the fireplace and watched a couple movies today.  Everything is now QUEEN size!  LOL!  I have a two week Netflix free trial and so I'm giving it a go again and enjoying it so far.  A perfect activity for a snow day!  A loaf of bread to make the house smell wonderful and a fire in the wood stove.  Tell me... does it get much better than this?  Actually - yes because there are yards and yards of fresh fabrics and fresh dyes just waiting for me.  So clearly it really does get better than this!

Happy creating, stay in out of the cold and say a prayer for those who don't have it as good as we do in our snug homes with internet connections.

Grace,
-Carmen Rose