Dreaming the World

A bright, sunlit morning following THE storm.

Yesterday was wild. We awoke to an all out blizzard and maybe a foot of snow that had fallen overnight. By nightfall we had at least 37 inches. At times during the day the wind approached 60 mph. The snow was very heavy and wet, sticking to every surface and making shovelling treacherous. The drifts are not immense but they are dense. Even the huge snow plows were getting stuck as the town tried to clear the roads.

We enjoyed the storm, mostly as we were warm and comfortable. In the afternoon, I was working in the studio and tried to watch, but found the windows so snow covered I could see little. Later we learned that the storm had far surpassed the historical marker set by the now mythic Blizzard of 1978.

On the down, side large parts of town remain without power and it may be a few days before power is restored. Fortunately, the week is forecast to be seasonal so no intense cold.

At one point Jennie went out to clear the snow from one door. She smartly went out through the garage, leaving the automatic door open for a few minutes. When she came back a sparrow had taken shelter and seemed in no hurry to leave. A while later she went back and opened the door for a few minutes. (It was on the calm side of the house.) The bird had no desire to leave and evening was setting in, so she closed the door and set out some bird seed and water. This morning the bird was calming sitting on top of a cabinet. Jennie opened the door and the sparrow soon went on her way.

Birds braved the storm and visited the feeder throughout the day. When we awoke this morning, they were already feeding. Sunday the sky was a brilliant reddish orange. this morning it was reddish but lacked the immensity and intensity of Sunday. We’ll take note of the warning, as the forecast is for a couple of inches of snow tomorrow and Wednesday. I think we can take that in stride.