Okay, it's not really summertime. But it certainly feels like it! That's a little April Fool's Day trick that Nature played on us yesterday! The low was -8 and the high was 18 above zero! Even with the windchill knocking it down to 3 degrees, that's leave your parka and snow pants at home weather. And everyone has been making the best of it. Kids have been outside playing all over the village. People have been shoveling snow off their porches (I did mine over the weekend while it was colder...ugh!) and even their roofs! All that shoveling is more than simply taking advantage of the heat wave. Once temperatures begin to rise above zero, the snow changes. It begins to expand and contract and the longer you wait to move it, the more difficult that job will become. Woe to the man (or woman) who allows snow on the porch to meld. Shoveling snow is a job. Breaking ice with a shovel is...pure torture.
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I took the sunrise photo a few days ago. It was one of the first mornings that the sun has been above the horizon as I walked to work. That big pile of snow is sitting right beside my house, the product of several winter pushings.
The photo below was taken right outside of the school as I walked back home that evening. It just amazes me that colors can be so vastly different depending on the angle of the sun. There has to be a lesson in there somewhere.
Here is the teenage son of my friend Gail helping his mom (yes, she was up there too) shovel snow off their roof. I had to laugh everytime Gail stopped working to chat with neighbors as they walked by. No one seemed to find it a bit unusual that she would be carrying on conversations from her roof.
No, I wasn't intoxicated or experiencing vertigo when I took this photo. This is what happens when you don't look at the LCD when you're taking a picture! Sorry about that. If you cock your head to the left slightly, you should be able to see the freshly cleared path to my front door. Gail also had a hand in this project. I would call her the Snow Queen, but that doesn't seem quite right. I guess the most accurate tag would be Ever Faithful Friend. No question!
8 comments:
Hey Kim, Your life there sounds interesting to say the least. The pics are beautiful. Our weather here has been 80 and muggy. A cool front came in last night. It is 63 degrees at 9:30 AM. Your spring and ours are really different. I'm mowing nad your shoveling snow.
Hey, Lynn. It's great to hear from you! Yes, springtime up here is quite different than in the South. Although yesterday it just became much more similar...the temperature shot up to 32 degrees and snow is melting all over the place! This is unheard of around here for this time of year. I don't envy your mowing though...when I shovel show, it generally doesn't shoot right back up! :)
I think that your photos captured perfectly the excitement generated by a sunrise, the greeting of a new day full of possibilities! And then the calm of evening, as you begin to unwind and relax. Well done, my good and faithful friend! :)
What a life! I know how hard it is for us here in northern New York to be still dealing with the little bit of snow we have scattered still around in April--but wow...I can't even imagine!
Thanks for all your comments on my blog--it's so great to know people read it and enjoy!
Very optimistic comment, Bryan. :)
And you're absolutely right. Having the sun for a walking partner in the mornings is an encouraging way to start the day. And a beautiful evening sky is often a quiet invitation to decompress. Thanks for reminding me of that!
Hi, Lore. Good to hear from you! I don't mind the darkness during the winter months, but it's always good to see the sun again. And the snow-covered tundra provides an amazing canvas for all the different colors that the sun splashes around throughout the day. I guess it's some compensation for not having any color on the ground for most of the year. :)
Living on the western edge of the Great Plains meant that some of our heaviest snows were in the Springtime... Springtime in the Rockies meant be ready for blizzards in Cheyenne. I always enjoyed shoveling snow. I found it to be very theraputic as well as tiring. I could get a lot of inner turmoil worked out while "attacking and throwing" that snow. Of course, it wasn't an everyday thing, and I agree that you are much better doing it before it warms, melts, and refreezes.
Hi, Johnny! Since I took these photos, we had another warm day and I finished getting the porch cleaned off. Then, for the last three days or so, we've been getting LOTS of thick, wet snow and my porch is covered again. But not with feet of snow like before. This is manageable! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!
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