New Hampshire – Page 11 – New England's Narrow Road

More Snow Than I’ve Seen At One Time

Snow shovel storm — NEMO Blizzard in Feb. 2013

The snowstorm we got on February 9th dropped about 30 inches of snow in my area of New Hampshire. That is a lot of snow.
It was hard to know where to begin with the shoveling. It was fluffy snow, so not hard to move, but there was just so much. The ground had been bare in places so this pile up was all at once.
Then my plow guy called and said that his truck had broken down. Things like that really seem so normal for my life that I wasn’t really surprised, and I found someone else to come plow. I had kept the name handy just in case, and I’m glad I did.
The next day my old plow guy came with a snowblower and cleaned out the mailbox and fire hydrant that is right in front of my house. There was no way I could have dug that stuff out. I am considering buying a snowblower for myself.

That was a few weeks ago and now it’s melted some. The good that came from it was that I had to put my new roof rake together and try it out. It worked great and I highly recommend using one for big storms.

snowstorm mailbox — Forget about mail delivery

No New England White Christmas?

kids ice fishing on the lake — Ice Fishing Mid-Winter

It’s the Sunday before Christmas – December 23rd – and have splotches of snow on the ground in my area of southeastern New Hampshire.

My daughter came to visit from Manchester – to the east – and said, “you guys have a lot of snow over here”. So that tells you how little snow there is. Our ground is not even covered, but rumor has it (per the weatherman) that we might get some snow Christmas morning.

So although it appears that most of the northeast is currently brown and not white, that may change just in the nick of time.

Until last year, we always had plenty of snow for the holidays it seemed. This cold season has so far brought more snow, turning to rain, and ending up as slush, which is gross. My son and I shoveled that slushy stuff off the driveway and it was not fun. Leaving it there meant I could be stranded once it froze over. As it is, I have to put on my LLBean ice cleats (stabilicers) to go out and fill the bird feeders. My backyard is packed frozen snow which is like walking on ice. By the way those stabilicers are an excellent investment for around $20 and work great.

So I wish you a wonderful Christmas – white or not. Enjoy your blessings – we can all find many things to be thankful for.

Increasing Chances for a White Christmas in Arkansas (arkansasmatters.com)
A white Christmas Eve may be in the works (mlive.com)
Metro Vancouver may still have a white Christmas, but likely a fleeting one (canada.com)
Most of Vermont snowy, brown areas might turn white. (blogs.burlingtonfreepress.com)

Catching the Winter Sunrise

winter trees and sunrise — Winter Sunrise

Some of the most beautiful moments of my days happened when sitting at the bus stop early in the morning on winter days. To enjoy seeing the sun coming up, I’d have to leave the house where too many trees kept me from seeing anything except a glimpse of orange far off. But at the bus stop, near the wide open area of the lake, it was sometimes a spectacular view.

Sometimes I’d bring my camera and take a walk after my son got off to school. That is just one wonderful advantage of working at home. Having the ability to work my own hours means enjoying the best parts of the day if I choose. Yes, I am lucky.

Now I don’t live near the lake and I never see a sunrise – except the occasional bright color way off through the neighbor’s trees. I always think about how beautiful it must be to live on a hill. If you live on a hill, I hope you take time to enjoy that beauty.

The woods are something I can enjoy. Whenever I walk in the woods I always think of this part of Robert Frost’s poem. It’s the only part I can ever remember. Certainly the thickly wooded areas of woods in the northeast are lovely, dark and deep.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
(Robert Frost)

Don’t You Just Love the Snow?

Every time I mention that I moved to the north FROM Florida, people give me an incredulous look. You did what?

Well, it wouldn’t help to try to explain my reasons – Florida is paradise in their eyes. So I just let them think there is something wrong with my way of thinking.

Back in the winter of 2010, when I was renting a duplex, I had a mailbox attached to a tree by the driveway. To make the place feel more homey I attached two red, velvety ribbons to each side. When the snow fell, this is what it looked like. I went out to shovel and saw how pretty it looked and went back to get my camera. I ended up taking a lot of winter photos that year of the lake and the Girl Scout Camp, but this one is one of my favorite.

My photos bring back bittersweet memories. I hated renting, but my landlady was a good friend to me. I never felt settled, even after three years there, but I loved the area with all it’s nature to enjoy.

Each time I see this new address postcard I wonder if the people who buy it are moving to the north and snow, or away from it.

I decided to add the blue text for this post, but I suppose I could make a humorous card like that too!