A Matter of Daze

Today I am dazed and confused by the raging blizzard outside the windows of my east coast home.

Winds gusting to over 100 km/hr. The world a snowglobe being shaken by a hyper-kinetic poltergeist.

Snow is heaping in impassable drifts on the driveway as the world outside appears and disappears in swirls of white.

And yet mere days ago, on the other side of the country...

my farewell walk around the neighbourhood presented tiny daisies in green grass,

an improbable palm tree proud of its curb appeal,

streams rushing with the promise of spring,

and an elderly couple taking a leisurely stroll

 along the beach, as I basked in the warm afternoon sun.

After enjoying an unusually dry and sunny winter in Vancouver these past four months, I find I have arrived back to my east coast home in time to experience what is being described as the worst storm of the winter, and this after one of the coldest and snowiest seasons in years.

At least the wood stove keeps us feeling cozy as the old house groans and strains to withstand the force of the roaring winds, and we know that eventually spring will prevail.  Won't it??

Not Dreaming of a White Christmas!

What a difference a few days make.  From wispy foggy air kisses to the cold hard embrace of wet snow.

Lotus Land got blanketed with the solid white stuff today.

I cancelled my plans to ferry to Vancouver Island and contented myself with getting a few photos from my mother's balcony...

...especially when the "snow plough" was out. Figured my friends back east would get a laugh out of this dinky toy they use to plough the driveway here.  

But what really made me giggle was seeing people out walking in the falling snow with their umbrellas up!  This was one of the first lessons I learned when I moved to eastern Canada many decades ago--one simply does not carry an umbrella when it snows.   

Just so you's'know. 

(Snow has already turned to rain tonight, 

so don't snicker too hard, dear friends out east!)

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

And what would that be?  WINTER!  SNOW!  Pardon me for yelling, but I've had it up to here!
Up to where you say?  Right about here...

This is what the back entry looked like the morning after the last blizzard when I opened the door (shot taken from down on my knees...where I'd collapsed in disbelief).

This is what it looked like when I came to my senses and was able to stand up...

This is what I found just outside the door in our little summer patio sitting area...

a snow meringue!

After a storm, the sun comes out and makes tree shadows dance on the snow.

The howling blizzard winds left evidence of their passage in wave-shaped drifts.

These are the post-blizzard photos I promised you some posts back.They seemed appropriate to put up tonight as we're under yet another Winter Storm Warning. Not a blizzard, mind you.  

Lots of snow, but less blowing, is what I think it means.

I guess there'll be a few frozen 'peckers tomorrow.

See you after we've dug out!

s'no joke!

I was going to share some photos of the post-apocolypse  blizzard but we got hit with yet another charming bout of winter weather today.

I didn't actually venture out but opened the kitchen window and zoomed in on the wheels from the hay rake that we have in our yard as decoration...probably much to the amusement of the locals.

It makes for some scenic winter shots, though, 

don't you think?

You can just see the neighbouring abandoned house peeking out from behind the evergreen tree that sits in the middle of our "yard."  

We're wishing that the old house would finally cave in under the weight of the snow...

but instead it seems it's going to be me who caves under the heaviness of winter.

Stick scribbles and polka dots.

Somewhere between the bottom edge of this photo and the bare branches of the lilac tree lies our driveway.  I doubt we'll get ploughed until tomorrow sometime.  Pierre's going to have fun trying to drive our old Mazda up it tonight when he gets home.  But he's from Quebec so knows all about snow and winter driving.  Definitely can't say the same about myself...

I'm still looking for snow drops and daffodils to be blossoming at this time of year; but the only kind of snow drops for a couple of months yet will be the kind that make you shiver if they get between you and your woollies.

Getting Hammered...Again

No, not that way (unfortunately)...getting hammered by another snowstorm today and into the night.  This time not a blizzard but a winter storm.  The difference?  The storm brings not only snow but freezing rain, ice pellets, rain, and back to snow and freezing rain, carried on strong winds.  Needless to say, I haven't been out to take pictures, but here are a few from the night of the blizzard last week...I assure you it looks much the same tonight.

 Back door window.

 Arty shot.  I bought that vase when I was in art school in 197-something from a pottery student and have been carting it with me on all my cross-country moves ever since.

A field of snow is much like a desert...complete with mirages.

The trees looked spooky, silhouetted by the street lamps and blowing snow.

And this is what the blizzard really looked and felt like.

Morning after shots coming up next...

Digging Out

Well the blizzard blew in and blew and blew, for more than 24 hours.  Can't tell how much snow fell because it was largely airborne: blowing snow, drifting snow, swirling snow.  We have 3 foot high drifts next to patches of  frozen grass.  I took a few pictures...

...this is not one of them,

but a scene from earlier in the winter, after a snowfall of heavy white clingy stuff that outlined the trees and lawn ornaments in a pleasing way.

The recent storm shots are still in my camera.  But I got preoccupied with this image today

 and thought I'd share it here.

For those of you out there who are actually experiencing signs of spring, 

such as flowers peeping through the earth, birds chirping, frozen dog turds melting

(oh wait, that's probably just an eastern Canada thing)

please keep it to yourselves.

We've still got a ways to go in my neck of the woods.

 (PS. Just kidding about keeping it to yourselves;
I love hearing about what it's like where you are!)

Blizzard Warning in Effect

We interrupt our regular programming tonight as there is a

Blizzard Warning in Effect!

This is what it says on Environment Canada's website tonight for our region:

Warnings

Heavy snowfall, strong winds and blowing snow will give blizzard conditions overnight and on Saturday.

This is a warning that blizzard conditions with near-zero visibilities are expected in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..listen for updated statements.

This system will give heavy snow, very strong northeast winds gusting up to 80 km/h, and blowing snow to regions along the Fundy coast. Blizzard conditions are forecast to begin near midnight in the west and spread east by Saturday morning where they will continue most of the day. Total snowfall amounts of up to 40 centimetres are expected in these regions by Saturday evening.

Nothing for it but to batten down the hatches and wait for it to blow in and blow itself out.  Fingers crossed that the electricity will hold!  I posted these snowy scenes to get us acclimatized for the big white-out.

Hopefully see you on the other side of the storm!

Winter Weight

Winter continues.
Snow falls.  

I watch the without from within.

Linking to Danielle's My Town Shoot-Out: Frozen in Time

A pile of sticks stacked beside the bare-branched birch,
as if a warning to the tree of what its fate may be.

But no ordinary pile of firewood these,
they are the very walls that fenced in the summer garden,
removed and neatly piled to dream through the winter
of someday being upright under the sun again.

Meanwhile, out in the yard, the supporting posts
send mysterious semaphore messages,
stalwartly trying to guide the sun back to the frozen land

The Winter Gate stands still
against the storms to come
as if a portal to another mysterious realm of ritual

The over-arching reach of winter haunts us again

decorating the woods like a Christmas card.
Life imitating art imitating life.

May your holiday season sparkle and glow

whether or not it be dusted with snow.

The Enchantment Begins

The cold enchanter cast its spell on the world outside my window today...

And snow it begins.

More, much more to come...

Looking Out My Back Door

As the old song goes, "Doo doo doo, lookin' out my back door..." though maybe not quite what CCR had in mind when they wrote it...

this is the sight that greeted me this morning.

To paraphrase a John Lennon song, "and snow this is Easter."

Guess I won't be using the old wicker for awhile.

Although the Easter Bunny neglected to leave us any brightly coloured eggs

(unless they're hidden under the snow)

at least Mother Nature came through last night with a

sunset blazing with Easter hues. 

A treat for sore eyes, such as mine.
Hopefully for yours, too.

To Cheer My Maritime Friends

Here it is the end of February, the time when friends and family living in Vancouver (Lotus Land) phone their loved ones back east (anywhere west of the Rockies, basically, but I'm speaking particularly of the Atlantic side of the country) to chirrup with delight about the snowdrops being up, to crow about the crocuses popping up all over lawns, and to trumpet about the daffodils blaring their golden presence into the world while the east still shivers under deep blankets of frozen snow.  Well friends, this is the scene that greeted me this Leap Year morn

Yes, the view from my bedroom window at the end of February, I admit it.

The little island between this shore and the opposite remained clear of snow

but the trees on the hillside were well and truly
 sugar-coated (though still a bitter pill to swallow).

I guess there were some beings even less amused than I was by the crystallized world,

such as this host of golden daffodils, seen LAST WEEK in Vancouver's west end.

This is how it's supposed to look around here in February.

Seems I've got to take the bitter cold with the sweet warmth of the daffs.  After all, I will be returning east in a few week's time so I guess I need to start getting my chill on again.

Meanwhile, I'm heading south for a few days.  No need for beachwear, though, as I'm only going as far as Seattle where the weather is pretty similar to here.  

Umbrella and sunglasses all packed.

See you soon.

Time To Blow This Popsicle Stand

There has been quite a bit of melting going on this weekend, of the snow, that is.  This indicates warmer temperatures.  Heavy rain is forecast for today.  However, it is not enough to entice me to stick around and see if spring actually shows up at its alloted hour a few weeks hence.  I'm taking one last kick at Old Man Winter here:

you can see things are getting a bit grungy

I'm heading west tomorrow, catching a plane to Vancouver, where I'll be for the next several weeks.

Chances are I'll have something to blog about out there, but it might take me a few days to get up to speed.

Meanwhile, here's a song  to keep you entertained.



Don't forget me.
I'll be back soon!