Tropical Envy

Okay, a couple days ago I was waxing all kinds of philosophic about the beauty of the winter landscape in Northern Maine.  It was kind of cool but the wintry weather returned with a vengeance to southern New England yesterday and through last night with one of our signature events – a Nor’easter.

The weather dudes were a little mystified because they were saying it’s too cold to snow (and I always thought that was a myth). I awoke yesterday to just a couple inches of snow which I made short work of before commandeering my wife’s car for the day (4 wheel drive, don’t you know). It’s not as if she was going to venture out into a snow storm anyways.

We're Right Where The Darkest Blue Dives into Connecticut

This storm came with plenty of warning so it actually turned out to be a fairly easy, if slow, ride into work, as many would be drivers took the day off.  It snowed all day with not much accumulation but overnight the smack down came.  We only got about 10-12” of snow with a lot closer to the coast but the winds were of scouring quality.  I ventured outside this morning as the snow stopped falling with the wind chill at minus 25.

Outside Where I Work Last Night Before the Big Snow Arrived

The wind had some benefits as some portions of the driveway were completely clear of snow but others had drifts 2.5 feet deep.  The winds also made for an adventure in judging where to throw the snow.  After some exploratory throws resulted in some serious face washing I figured all I had to do was get it into the air in a certain direction and it was headed west into the front yard.  Some even made it to the neighbor’s yard which is a fairly prodigious journey.  I hope he hadn’t done his driveway yet. 

I’ve also started to experience the first down side (well except for no popcorn and bread) of the diet and attendant loss of weight.  Apparently some of the weight I’ve lost was devoted to keeping me warm in frigid conditions, especially my fingers.  I wore the same outfit I have for the past few years but now I was a seriously hurting cowboy after only a few minutes.

The Driveway This Morning

I’m enough of a stubborn New Englander that I wasn’t going to do anything as wimpy as take a break before the job was done but I’m going to invest in some much better gloves because I literally couldn’t bend my fingers by the time the driveway was cleared.   The medicinal effects of hot chocolate and a warm shower brought me back from the fuzzy state I achieved with my stubbornness.

I know there’ll be a hot sticky August afternoon this coming summer when I’ll think back longingly, maybe even fondly, to the clear, frigid morning I spent out on the driveway today; but right now – not so much.  Panama in January and February is starting to have a whole new level of appeal. 

At The End of My Driveway Experience Today
Visions of a Panamanian Beach Playing in my Mind

By the time I backed the car (my wife’s, obviously) out of the garage this morning the winds had managed to return a lot of the snow to the driveway leaving only a small strip in the middle clear.  I’ll probably have to clear it again when I get home from work tonight and then again tomorrow after the overnight winds do their worst.  Viva Panama, the pina coladas are singing their siren verse!!!