Friday, January 20, 2012

Winter wonderland

Well, it looks like the storm finally blew itself out. What a week it's been!

While Wednesday morning was calm, the wind blew hard Tuesday night and drifted snow across the road to about two feet deep. For some reason there's a sort of vortex at the end of our driveway which often makes the snow even deeper. Sure enough, here's a neighbor, stuck in the snow.


So Don and I grabbed shovels and went over to help.


Another neighbor with a snow plow attachment on her truck managed to make a little headway in the vicinity, which finally freed the stuck neighbor.


Then off went the truck in an attempt to make headway on the road with the plow. Got, oh, about a quarter mile and bottomed out. Boom, stuck.


Tools of the trade in this weather.


The first stuck neighbor backed his vehicle up all the way home, then returned to help free the second vehicle. He came with his dog sled. Well, why not?


It took five of us three hours to clear the truck to the point where it could be slowly backed up. Most of that was accomplished on our bellies, scooping snow out from under the truck chassis. Guess this means we're really and truly snowed in!


Or at least we were until late Wednesday afternoon when a fellow who lives nearby ran his grader up and down our road. Thanks!


For the next two days, it snowed and snowed and snowed. The plowed road quickly became unplowed again, undoing the work of the grader. However, our neighbor with the plow attachment was able to keep up after that, so long as there wasn't wind and drifts.


We got about a foot of snow above and beyond whatever we got on Blizzard Tuesday. Here's a tire sporting a jaunty cap.


The chickens aren't terribly happy. It's been much too snowy for them to wander far from the coop. They mostly stay huddled inside, the wimps.


Here's how to move hay bales in snowy weather.


The temperatures haven't been terribly cold, especially since the wind died. The beasties don't especially like the deep snow, but they beat down paths and so can get around fairly easily.


Pitched metal roofs are such an advantage in heavy snow. They accumulate snow up to a point...


...and then it all comes sliding down. Piles up underneath, but oh well -- better than a crushed roof.


Snow on the barn roof, which isn't pitched as steep as the house but still sheds snow nicely from its metal surface.


Snowy landscapes.


I like the way this photo turned out.


One of the dirt piles from the pond construction.


Quail in the garden.


"What??"


A tentative moment of sun.


Older Daughter and some neighbor kids sledding into the pond hole.


They spent hours sledding. See? The pond isn't even finished and it's already providing recreational opportunities.


Here Older Daughter made a crash test dummy to see how steep a certain slope is.


Test result: too steep. The dummy died.


The temp actually rose barely above freezing today, and the worst is over. A neighbor and I even managed to get into town this afternoon to get our mail. Now we'll see how much, if any, of the snow melts.

9 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos, my favorite is #23. You could create a calendar with some of the photos you take during the year - sell them online. What else have you got to do? LOL

    It's so nice to see neighbors helping each other. Reminds me of the small town in which I grew up, in the 1950s. Gosh, I miss that life.

    Lots of rain here, started really pouring after sunset. We need it.

    All that pond water just waiting to melt. Better than money in the bank.

    Anonymous Patriot
    USA

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  2. The year before I was a senior in high school my parents moved our family to a little town on the Camas Prairie in No. Idaho. These pictures bring back a lot of good memories. Even though we get snow here in central Utah, most people have no idea what REAL snow is like! lol
    Burrow in and enjoy the weather!

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  3. Weather like this brings out the goodness in people. I am glad you have such a great community.

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  4. BRR!!! Grew up in Upper Midwest ..born a Yooper from near Lake Superior(Upper Michigan), eh!! and then lived in Wisconsin for the rest of my growing up years....A ton or more of snow each winter and COLD...Looking at your wonderful pictures brings back the chill to the bone I had back then...Beautiful and winter activity: skiing, skating on the river, and sledding are things of my past..Oh, yes, and snow angels and hot chocolate...
    Now I whine when the temp gets below 50....
    I do miss the small town atmosphere though...People were kinder an more helpful than people are now...Great to see that you have neighbors that help each other...
    Love from NC

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  5. Looks like home...
    Q

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  6. Beautiful pictures, and it's wonderful to have such nice neighbors who help one another. But...will you please stop shoveling snow! My dad died (18 years ago today) after shoveling a neighbor's car out of the driveway. Now, he was 81 years old, but in great shape and good health. So STOP IT!
    Kay

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  7. All 4 wheel drive on a vehicle does is ensures you get stuck worse...

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  8. Dear Patrice,
    I hope you no longer feel guilty for taking several days to return my email as it has taken me several weeks and I still haven't returned yours! I did appreciate your response very much. I have been repeating "patience & travel" (regarding finding homeschooling friends in the area) ever since. Thank you!

    But actually the point of this comment is to say how much I enjoyed this post. It all looks so familiar. ;) You are a much better blogger than I, posting more frequently and with such great stories. (Also though I am too wimpy and fearful of criticism to post many opinions. Of which I have many. LOL) This is our very first real winter, having always lived in areas that don't get snow, or even below 40 degrees. I have adored every bit of it. I'm told that this was an extremely mellow winter though and that I should expect far more snow in future winters. Snow is so, so darn pretty! We too had generous neighbors plow our driveway. Our road is county maintained which is nice. Our chickens hid out in the coop as well. The dummie on the sled is hilarious and I'm going to suggest it to my 13 yr old son. Sounds like something he'd get a hearty laugh out of. The snow that fell from our metal barn/shop roof blocked the door we enter the barn through! lol I suppose that would get old and annoying eventually but at this point we enjoy every challenge winter has brought us because we're so new & enthusiastic about it all. :)

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