Darth Vadar On Ice

This weather!!!

I actually forget what day I started writing this blog, but it doesn't really matter because this entry describes just one of many days this winter in NW Pennsylvania where the township where I live and that I so love (Erie Co. Wayne Twp.) now holds the record for the most snow in the entire Commonwealth so far this season. I realize that is a dubious thing to be known for, but just think -- it could be much worse.  Anyway ...

In addition to over 12 feet of snow so far this season -- it's not just cold here.  It is brutal. It was -14º (feels like -24º) when I first checked this morning.  Now it is up to -11º,  but it is okay because it only (feels like -11º ) so there must be no wind to at the moment.  And to think that today is the day I simply must make myself go out to run a couple of errands.  At least the temperature is moving in the right direction. I hear that it may reach zero today before it heads back down into the "belows" - as in below zero.  Today will be a hat, scarf, boots and gloves day (thankful here for long underwear), and I will put on my special cold weather coat before I leave… that will be layer number 4. 

This coat is worthy of further description -- this is an ugly down filled puffy coat that goes almost to my ankles. It has served me well for too many years to count. I reserve it for days like this one. It is black, waterproof, and has a rather scraggly looking fake fur lined hood as well -- sort of gives me a puffy fluffy 5' 2" Darth Vader appearance without the hardware. Now I am wondering if lightsabers give off any heat and am sort of wishing I had one to help melt ice as I walk the 200+ feet to my mailbox and then back. (Sometimes I even wear this coat if I drive my Jeep to get the mail.)  It is an impressive winter garb even if on the ugly side.  I can't forget to add that it has so much filler in it that it cushions falls on ice.  I know this from experience. I really should give the coat a name.

If you live in a "colder clime", you tend to think a lot about the weather. In NW Pennsylvania, we talk a lot about it too. Some refer to it as a "character builder" and maybe even take pride in being "hearty stock" or a "survivor".  Personally, however, I am relishing the current forecast of temperatures above 30º.  Around here that is sweatshirt weather. We talk about that too and laugh at people who think 50º is cold or who whine about what we call a dusting of snow... anything under 6 ". One more thing...  in spite of it all -- I must mention -- I prefer North to South.  I can always manage to get warmer.  I find it hard to get cooler. I dislike sweating. Plus -- I am am way past the shorts and sleeveless stage of life. I have become a lover of thick socks, jeans, and baggy sweaters with a scarf around my shoulders. I own at least 7 pair of boots that look worn-out because they sort of are.  This has become my uniform. It is my comfort zone. I have even been known to iron my jeans for dress up occasions.  No apologies. That is just one of the things I love about being my age.  You get away with stuff.

Hanging on here until Spring... Can't wait for  "I wonder where the birdies is...".

Stay warm and take care....   If you see a guy with a snow plow -- say Thank You!  

If you live somewhere around here where you know what it is like to feel like your eyeballs are freezing.  They are.  Time to go inside.

This too shall pass.

Winter Has Officially Begun

 Winter has officially begun and to think I thought it had already started.  Why? Well -- perhaps subzero temperatures and four feet of snow may have had something to do with that idea as did the recurring phrase "Persistent Snow Band" complete with impressive maps on repetitive weather reports.  I even purchased a handy-dandy battery operated snow shovel (a Christmas present from me to me) that can blow snow twenty feet in any direction -- some of it even blows backward into your face if you are working against the wind.  Perhaps that is why protective googles are included in the purchase.  Perhaps I should have worn them. Anyway -- I had no doubt that it would be a White Christmas here.  Then... the weather took a bit of a turn.

There is still snow, but... Christmas without fresh snow?  Bummer.  The only snow around here really are the rather impressive remains of snow banks at the top of my driveway and a few inches of ground cover.  Drat.  I mean -- who doesn't enjoy waking up Christmas morning to find a lovely, white, fluffy covering of new snow to freshen things up a bit?

Every year I wonder what Christmas must be like for those who do not live in snow country.  I sort of feel bad for them. Then again that is not what Christmas is about.

Either way. Snow or no snow -- Merry Christmas to all!  

Where is Winter?

 

Probably by the time I am about to post this blog, things will have changed, but for now I have to say I am still waiting for winter. All my boots are mud, if not dust, covered. If you live in NW PA, and it is snowing when you read this, please pretend that it hasn’t started yet and think back a couple of days. Normally my least favorite month as it seems to me like the longest month of the year, February is different this year.  Now almost the middle of February, it is 54º, “… And the green grass grows all around all around / And the green grass grows all around…”. I even saw some sun today.  Strange. A few days ago, I heard geese as they were flying North. Just yesterday I noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Goose have made their annual stop at the pond next door -- a full month early!

We have had snow in bursts this season, but nothing that lasts very long. The skiers and snowboarders are thankful that it has been cold enough to make snow at nearby ski resorts.  I am okay with dry roads and the lack of ice, but the lack of snow is unnerving somehow.  When you grow up in Northwest Pennsylvania and live here for decades, this mild weather is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it just seems to go on an on.  There is a certain unease about a non-winter.  People in these parts know that somehow we will pay for this in the long run.  We believe deep down that nothing will let us off the hook. We have become accustomed to dealing with at least 150" of snow and to have so little is unsettling. I remember that his has happened before off and on since that one February when I was in grade school, when I walked to school with no coat. I know. But... it is always odd.

Anyway … snow and bitter cold are a part of who we are. This year we have missed the snow but not all the bitter cold. Usually the two go together. The thing is – many of us would rather have a good ground cover of snow than the recurring mud of this year’s so-called winter. Snow cover, after all, makes everything look clean and makes the world quieter and more peaceful somehow.  Those aspects of winter are nice. We are ready for snow here. We have special gear for snow and every third pickup in these parts has a plow on the front. Almost all personal vehicles are all-wheel or 4-wheel drive. Thank goodness for all pickup plows and vehicles that will get you out of your driveway and along the roadways even if the big plows haven't rumbled through very often as of yet. We handle snow well. Plus.. we know how to shovel.

I realize that, if we get a blizzard now after writing all this, that it will serve me right. Sorry. It’s like the Weather in these parts has ears and likes to seek revenge. That’s why we whisper things like “This has been a really easy winter.” In fact - I am whispering in my head as I write this. We know we will pay for the good days. Case in point -- I have seen snow in the air in June. 

Sometimes I wonder why people live here.  In the summer, one can count the consecutive number of sunny days on one hand. Personally I live here because I like the cold and don’t mind cloudy summer days. I also like socks and sweatshirts. (It goes without saying that I like the people who live here.)  Guess every part of the country has it’s good and not so good weather points.  At least mold doesn’t survive well in these climes and no one has to worry about termites. They cannot survive temperatures below 25º. (I know this because I looked it up a long time ago. Don't know why, but I did.)  So ..there is that. One less thing to worry about.

Northwest Pennsylvanians are a Hearty bunch. We expect winter to be winter.  Maybe not as wintery as Buffalo NY, but still winter.    Let it snow... or not. We are ready.... 

"..., can Spring be far behind...?"

You are not alone.  Almost the entire country is sick of being cold.  Some of us have just had a little bit more of the cold and winter weather than others. A case in point is the police department of a town in Tennessee that has issued an arrest warrant for Elsa.  Seriously.  How funny is that?  

Yep -- I love to see how people keep their sense of humor in winter. I admire them. Those who don't head to warmer climes (if they can find any) and brave the cold to paint flowers on their snow banks or to ski and ice skate to and from work while smiling are remarkable.  They make me smile even if they are a bit too much for me to handle sometimes. You see -- I have had enough of winter -- I have now become so grumpy off and on that I can barely stand myself.  I laughed when I heard this guy on TV tell his friends in Southern California that he was sick of their postings on social media about how concerned they were about those of us in colder, more wintry climes. He told them to stop posting pictures of their smiling tanned faces. I understand him.  Last week I found myself standing in front of my bathroom mirror actually debating whether I could take off my silk long underwear long enough to shower. This is true. It happened. There are days when I pad around my house with my warmest bathrobe on top of my clothes and hope that no one comes to the door.  I sleep in fleece sheets -- not flannel -- fleece -- deep pile fleece.  I now think it is time for shorts and tee shirts if it gets into the 30's. Come on -- I know I am not alone in this.  I talk to people. I talk to people I have never seen before about "stuff" like this and also about heating bills and wind chill factors. Those of us who dare to venture out in bad weather always talk to one another...it is a bonding between those who suffer from cabin fever. We are kindred souls. We are desperate for a bit of green.  We are done with what my son calls the "snirt" (snow + dirt) and have endured the "snowpocalyptic times" (self-explanatory).

Yes -- it is time for Spring to arrive.  I am actually eating out of my freezer instead of talking about doing so and, now and again I find myself spending time watching the ice form inside my windows and wondering how much damage it will do to my woodwork when it thaws. I listen to my house groan and think about things like frozen pipes and the weight of the snow and ice on my roof.  Now here's a plus -- sort of.  I did not run out of fire wood this year.  Reason? The caps on my chimneys are frozen shut.  I have been unable to have any fires.  I am trying to look for the positives...honest.  It's now March -- Spring is just around the corner.  Right?