Snow, sorta.

It was heavy enough to smush down the ornamental grasses, but they'll bounce back in a few days. There was more snow on the ground and road earlier in the day. It was a nice snow, the first of what I hope will be many this winter. I could tell you that the pole on the right was constructed/installed for Festivus. But I won't.

Sunset tonight, from my front steps.

We're supposed to get 4 to 9 inches of snow starting early tomorrow morning so I don't know what all that "red sky at night sailor's delight" business is about. If I were a sailor I don't think I'd be heading out on the Chesapeake Bay tomorrow morning.

New York's High Line in mid-December.

Above: Doug (left) and Rebecca walking south on the High Line. We started at the north end and walked down to Sean's office at West 22nd.

 

 

What freezing rain sounds like.

 

The noise is mostly, but not totally, coming from the rain/ice hitting the canvas overhang on the front porch. Some of the noise is coming from the rain hitting the frozen ground, sidewalk, and steps. We get worse weather but this variety, typical of December, is pretty nasty for anyone in a car.

Seven hours after this video was taken it's still raining but the temperatures are supposed to creep up above freezing overnight so I hope there will be just wet roads by the time we have to be on them in the morning.

A report on Hurricane Sandy.

We were so very lucky. Hurricane Sandy came through the DC area with a lot of rain and bluster but did surprisingly little damage. I was totally prepared for a week without power.

But my daughter and sister, who live in quite different locations, didn't fare as well and are in for some Sandy-related inconvenience and loss of income, at least in my daughter's situation.

She lives in Brooklyn, works in Manhattan, and depends totally on the NYC subways, pictured above (photo from inhabitat.com).  Who knows when the unprecedented damage will be repaired. I've always been amazed at how NYC keeps itself functioning but this is a brand-new challenge.  Daughter is otherwise safe and has power, so that's the good news.

Sister lives in Western MD and telecommutes but she lost power last night and at 10 AM was looking out her windows at a foot of snow, with another foot predicted.  [The snow picture is from her front porch but was taken in Nov 2008.] Also, she had not yet heard a single snow plow, which in those parts is unusual. 

I know they're luckier than others in Sandy's path but I want everything to get back to normal for both of them. Soon. 

First snow today!

Randolph Rd--last week. Trucks hauling snow west. Today I was trying to see some beauty outside & it was tough. Old snow is ugly!

This was a fun read. About the words scientists, and others, use to define "invasive."

A once mighty ornamental grass is now a bump. I miss the grasses blowing in the winter wind.

Skiing! And a weirdo setting on my camera.

My cross-country skiing was limited to (a) asking my husband where all the pieces were (they haven't been used in many years), (b) finding them, (c) getting them on, and (d) carefully, oh so carefully, heading down my little driveway--which does have a slope--into the street, up past a few houses and then back. THAT wore me out. But fun!

It's over! Look at that sky. 30+ inches.

It may look like a plow came down our street but it didn't. A neighbor with an SUV has been at work much of the day. Digging, blowing, driving his car back and forth, back and forth. He must have a Superbowl party he's determined to get to tomorrow.

Update 2/7/10: I was beginning to doubt my yardstick's accuracy but my son pointed out that the US Weather Service notes that MY neighborhood (Colesville) had the most snow fall of this storm:
"At 10 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday, a report from the U.S. National Weather Service pegged the snowfall in Colesville, Md., at 40 inches, more than a meter. The city of Howellsville, Va., saw 37 inches while Dulles Airport was blanketed with more than 32 inches."
From: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/northeast-digs-out-of-snow-more-is-in-store-2010-02-07?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Top = Friday at about noon. Bottom = 24 hrs later.

Very light snow now, at about 4:30 PM Saturday. We've got well over 2 feet. Grateful that we still have power. Lots of folks without.

Yikes. Let's hope they're overstating it for dramatic effect.

This morning at about 10.

Over the river and through the woods to Aunt Elaine's house we went. And along the way we passed these sweet emus, who probably aren't all that sweet.

And I learned, from Erin who is sweet, about ostriches and emus. And that led me to learn about the word "Gondwana." I knew about the landmass but not the name. Gondwana. It rolls nicely off the tongue.
From USAToday online:
"... ostriches and emus ... apparently share a common ancestor who lived long ago on the gigantic landmass, Gondwana. When Gondwana broke up about 75 to 85 million years ago, Africa split off, and then Australia/Antarctica sailed slowly away.... With a widening ocean between them, the ostriches and emus were forced to evolve separately thereafter. At least, this is the best current theory."

And the not-so-pretty aftermath. I predict these snow heaps, in front of a local grocery store, will not be gone until late March.

Midnight on Saturday/Sunday. It's almost over.

4 PM, Sat Dec 19.

Compared to this morning and last night.

The geese and ducks are very, very still in the pond across the street.

There's a shadow on my lens. Not sure if it's from the weather or if it's a permanent shadow. You can see it in the foreground on the top picture. Almost looks like a curved path in the snow.

1:30 PM, Sat Dec 19: The snow is so light that it didn't take me long to make this path. But was it worth it?

10:30 AM, Sat Dec 19. "They" might be right about the 12+ inches.

Snow on a Saturday. The best kind of snow. The Senate is still in session, and I'm not sure it's worth the effort.