Blizzard of 2013

Me shoveling off the deck after the storm. 

Kaylee enjoyed the snow no matter how deep it was!

So happy to see Mark show up with his snow blower. 

There is no way I could have shoveled this on my own. 

And it's way to much for my little snow blower to handle too. 

There IS a sidewalk in there somewhere!

Crappy Boots

It was when I stepped outside into the blizzard of 2013 that I discovered my boots had betrayed me. They are newly bought this year just before winter..intended to replace the pair I'd worn out. The previous pair had been worn for uncounted years. THESE boots on the other hand didn't even make it through the first winter; the first snow storm; a blizzard no less! Failed their first test they did....and I was plenty angry about it. (this winter has been an angry one for me). The back split on both boots. They probably stayed up all night thinking of the perfect way to screw me up. Touche crappy boots!

So when I found myself standing in waist high snow and I felt the icy cold snow sneaking into the back of my boots, what could I do? It's not like I could drive anywhere to get another pair of boots. I couldn't get the car out of the garage even if there had been a store open. So I did the next best thing. I stuck plastic bags in each boot; shoved my foot back in them and went back to work. And I'm still wearing them. I'm going to wear them for the rest of the winter too so I get my money's worth out of them before I chuck them. So there crappy boots! 

High Winds

This was written after a violent wind storm at the end of January. And this is  a borrowed photo. 


When the town changed over to special bins for garbage and yard debris I was forced to comply. I got stuck with the old plastic garbage bins (as did a lot of other people) that I am not allowed to use for garbage anymore. I gave one away; threw one away (not easy to do) and pressed the last one into service as a compost bin. It's by far not an ideal compost bin but it's serving a purpose and I'm good with that. Last nights rain and wind storm took the cover to my compost bin with it when it left. I searched up and down the street this morning for it...even went into a couple of back yards (it was very early so I didn't think I'd get caught) to search but I didn't find it. I looked even farther a field as I drove to work this morning. And then I searched yet again when I took the dogs for an extended walk around the neighborhood this evening. It's gone for good. 

I know if that bin stays open it's only a matter of time before some furry opportunist turns up and gets into it. I decided I will dig as deep a trench as I can in the garden and bury the compost material. It will end up in the garden eventually although it is too soon to use it and hopefully this will hide it sufficiently from the creatures of the night. This past summer we had a lot of rabies with skunks and some raccoon. I don't want to give them any excuse to come poking around my yard.  

I tried digging a trench for my compost to be dumped into the garden. No dice. Apparently the ground actually IS frozen...only the top two inches is soft. After that it's just a joke watching Elaine try to muscle her way into the ground with very little upper body strength. Jumping repeatedly on the edge of the shovel and grunting in as manly a manner as possible.  Surprisingly it doesn't make a difference if you make stern determined facial expressions. It doesn't seem to make a difference if you use language that would make a sailor blush either. Ground 1, Elaine 0.  I don't have to tell you I was angry. 

Now I'm considering options on how to keep that stupid compost barrel contained somehow so as not to entice the wrong 'type of crowd'. I don't think I have to tell you how quickly I am going to blow up if I wake some morning and find that mess all over my yard. The culprit better not be in sight because I still have that shovel and I'm pretty good at the stern facial expressions and rough language!

I worked off my frustration by picking up tons of small branches (and not so small branches) and twigs that the storm left behind. It got me wondering just how hard that wind was blowing because I found more than one good sized branch stuck firmly into the ground. The last time I saw this in my yard was after Hurricane Sandy. That's worrisome in itself. Did we actually have gale force winds last night?

Note: I did find the lid to my bin in the field across the street a week later. I was deliriously happy...really, I was!