It's been snowing since dawn.
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Monday, February 3, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Monday, March 25, 2013
Nana and Passover
I always feel my grandmother around me a bit more at Passover. She loved the holiday.
As I started up my snow covered car today I was immediately transported back.
To the small kitchen in the 2nd story walk-up; right above The Loyal Order of the Moose on the avenue. I was standing at the casement window futzing with the little pots of herbs.
"It's going to be snowing for Passover Nana"
She chuckles. "Snow should be the only thing Jews worry about. It's weather, you walk through weather and don't question it. It's spring, it will melt quickly."
Oh how I loved her laugh, especially the little chuckles. Seemed just about anything I said delighted and amused her.
The car seemed to take on the color of that kitchen. My uncles had surprised Nana one Mother's Day by wallpapering the room.
"Oh my. This looks lovely. You're wonderful boys, thank you. Sit. Eat."
Later that night
"Nana do you really like the wallpaper?"
"Promise not to tell. They wanted to do something good. I love that."
I promised
"It's terrible. It's like the Chinese restaurant. Every morning I'm going to want an egg roll."
The scent of Jean Nate has been with me all day.
Have a good Passover everybody.
Even if you're not Jewish or religious or observant.
Nana would feed ya.
Walk through the weather.
Take the moment to recall someone who loved you.
As I started up my snow covered car today I was immediately transported back.
To the small kitchen in the 2nd story walk-up; right above The Loyal Order of the Moose on the avenue. I was standing at the casement window futzing with the little pots of herbs.
"It's going to be snowing for Passover Nana"
She chuckles. "Snow should be the only thing Jews worry about. It's weather, you walk through weather and don't question it. It's spring, it will melt quickly."
Oh how I loved her laugh, especially the little chuckles. Seemed just about anything I said delighted and amused her.
The car seemed to take on the color of that kitchen. My uncles had surprised Nana one Mother's Day by wallpapering the room.
"Oh my. This looks lovely. You're wonderful boys, thank you. Sit. Eat."
Later that night
"Nana do you really like the wallpaper?"
"Promise not to tell. They wanted to do something good. I love that."
I promised
"It's terrible. It's like the Chinese restaurant. Every morning I'm going to want an egg roll."
The scent of Jean Nate has been with me all day.
Have a good Passover everybody.
Even if you're not Jewish or religious or observant.
Nana would feed ya.
Walk through the weather.
Take the moment to recall someone who loved you.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Is It Snow Yet?
A few shots of the snow that took three days to get here and all day Friday to fall. We didn't get much accumulation; a small comfort after the high winds and flooding.
Have a good weekend everybody
Have a good weekend everybody
Friday, February 8, 2013
Enough is Enough is Enough
I don't know what sweet Nemo did to anyone to deserve having this latest weather ClusterF**K named after him.
I'm not all that worried about the snow amounts. If I lived further north or east I would be.
I am worried about the damn wind gusts - hurricane force at the coast they say.
Here in NJ our coast can't take much more.
This is still sitting out there
Although the storm surge is not predicted to be anywhere near as high as Sandy's there is so little left to protect us.
This morning Hope asked if we had enough gasoline for the generator. Even the little ones have become pros.
Then again there are those who wait until the last minute. I went shopping Wednesday for all things storm related. I passed Home Depot last night and it looked like the circus was in town.
What do people do with their shovels from year to year? How could so many need so much?
Right now I'm charging everything I can think of and making sure batteries are where they should be.
I try to have empathy for the utility workers but if power goes out and stays out I may need to beat the crap out of someone.
Then again, look how fragile it all is
I found these photos of Hope during her first snowstorm in 2010, she was 6 months old.
I love her face in the 2nd shot.
It seems to say "Enough."
Stay safe kids
I'm not all that worried about the snow amounts. If I lived further north or east I would be.
I am worried about the damn wind gusts - hurricane force at the coast they say.
Here in NJ our coast can't take much more.
This is still sitting out there
Although the storm surge is not predicted to be anywhere near as high as Sandy's there is so little left to protect us.
This morning Hope asked if we had enough gasoline for the generator. Even the little ones have become pros.
Then again there are those who wait until the last minute. I went shopping Wednesday for all things storm related. I passed Home Depot last night and it looked like the circus was in town.
What do people do with their shovels from year to year? How could so many need so much?
I try to have empathy for the utility workers but if power goes out and stays out I may need to beat the crap out of someone.
Then again, look how fragile it all is
I found these photos of Hope during her first snowstorm in 2010, she was 6 months old.
I love her face in the 2nd shot.
It seems to say "Enough."
Stay safe kids
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Friday, June 10, 2011
As Paris Would Say - "That's Hot"
The temperature display at a local shopping center yesterday at 4 PM
The landscapers deserted their post
The shopping carts passed out
Everyone seeks shade ...
Cats ...
Babies ...
even trees ...
Remember when the marina was closed?
and you couldn't get a hot dog
Hope sought the inspiration for some bubble blowing and trampoline jumping
This seagull tried to create a breeze
Whether the weather be fine
Whether the weather be not
Whether the weather be cold
Whether the weather be hot
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not
author unknown
Friday, February 4, 2011
Stuff From 'Round Here
In the category of how dumb are people ...
And then came the ice storm.
You clear off the entire car except the license plate? Dumb or planning a crime?
A mail slot needs a label?
If the arrow wasn't there would people try to push mail through the glass?
In the category of enough snow already ...
It's better to back up the driveway otherwise I can't open the door.
Or I end up knocking the pile over into my neighbor's driveway.
My son keeps mumbling to himself about the "structural integrity" of his snow piles.
My DIL's car on the other side of the driveway.
We can't see the street when we first pull out. Makes for a great game of chicken.
A few views of just how high the piles of snow are ...
And then came the ice storm.
The footprints are mine. I kept one foot in the snow as I sprinkled some salt.
Have a happy weekend everyone
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Driveway Drama
Every weather report said that the snow would not start falling until late Wednesday so it was no surprise at all that the snow started at 5 AM.
Isadora had an 8 AM vet appointment with a specialist in northern NJ. By 7 AM the streets and car were coated in snow. I went out to clear the car off and move it closer to the door.
That's when the fun began.
There was a layer of ice under the snow so I once again slid down the drive and fell on my hip. Luckily I'm just under the age where breaking a hip is common. I pulled myself up and decided traveling north was not going to happen but I was going to move my car closer so that my son would have enough room to get the snow blower out.
Reverse a bit was fine. I was wet and cold and aching so I decided not to get out and clear off the side windows. I was just going to pull up a little.
Shift from reverse into drive and ...
The car screeches and shudders and the wheels spin. A symbol one would imagine seeing in the mountains appears on the dash ...
Being the eternal optimist that I am I assume I have killed the mailman or the neighbor's dog. What else could possibly render my tires useless in 2 inches of snow.
I get out and do a quadrant inspection. All is fine. No blood. No gore. No roadkill.
I had the car serviced the day before so I now assume they fixed one thing by breaking another. I must move the car. I am totally blocking entrance to the driveway, snow is piling up everywhere and 2 more cars are on their way home.
I try to find the dashboard symbol in the car manual. No luck. I look up snow and read all about how to install chains on my tires. There's an idea. I could call a cab, go get chains and install them.
I look up traction which somehow leads me to inclines which indirectly leads me to off road and it all clicks.
I need to be in 4 WD. Good lord I am an idiot. I have seen that phallic looking shift thingie next to me a million times. Once again my inner optimist takes flight - I shall touch the phallus and the car will explode.
Of course it won't. It will loose all control and careen wildly backwards just as the snow plow rounds the curve. Yep, that's more likely. An explosion would kill me. A head-on with a snow plow will only render me paralyzed and I will need to live with the fact that I caused the death of Mickey the plow driver who was only trying to raise enough money to cure his 6 children of sickle cell anemia.
I could blame the weatherman - after all the snow is not supposed to be here yet.
I could blame Jeep - never equip someone who has never driven an SUV with an SUV.
I could blame logic - I have driven in the snow before but never on an incline so why would I suddenly think that my car needed 4 WD to go up my driveway. No - that one's no good, I should shovel the driveway before moving the car.
So it's back to being all on me.
I gently grasp the phallus and assume I am moving it into the correct position. What do the lines mean?
The car moves forward.
I put it where it needs to be.
I live to kill and maim and make an utter ass out of myself another day.
the photos are not mine - they came from the Jeep website and from nj.com
Isadora had an 8 AM vet appointment with a specialist in northern NJ. By 7 AM the streets and car were coated in snow. I went out to clear the car off and move it closer to the door.
That's when the fun began.
There was a layer of ice under the snow so I once again slid down the drive and fell on my hip. Luckily I'm just under the age where breaking a hip is common. I pulled myself up and decided traveling north was not going to happen but I was going to move my car closer so that my son would have enough room to get the snow blower out.
Reverse a bit was fine. I was wet and cold and aching so I decided not to get out and clear off the side windows. I was just going to pull up a little.
Shift from reverse into drive and ...
The car screeches and shudders and the wheels spin. A symbol one would imagine seeing in the mountains appears on the dash ...
it looked something like this just more ominous
Being the eternal optimist that I am I assume I have killed the mailman or the neighbor's dog. What else could possibly render my tires useless in 2 inches of snow.
I get out and do a quadrant inspection. All is fine. No blood. No gore. No roadkill.
I had the car serviced the day before so I now assume they fixed one thing by breaking another. I must move the car. I am totally blocking entrance to the driveway, snow is piling up everywhere and 2 more cars are on their way home.
I try to find the dashboard symbol in the car manual. No luck. I look up snow and read all about how to install chains on my tires. There's an idea. I could call a cab, go get chains and install them.
I look up traction which somehow leads me to inclines which indirectly leads me to off road and it all clicks.
I need to be in 4 WD. Good lord I am an idiot. I have seen that phallic looking shift thingie next to me a million times. Once again my inner optimist takes flight - I shall touch the phallus and the car will explode.
Of course it won't. It will loose all control and careen wildly backwards just as the snow plow rounds the curve. Yep, that's more likely. An explosion would kill me. A head-on with a snow plow will only render me paralyzed and I will need to live with the fact that I caused the death of Mickey the plow driver who was only trying to raise enough money to cure his 6 children of sickle cell anemia.
I could blame the weatherman - after all the snow is not supposed to be here yet.
I could blame Jeep - never equip someone who has never driven an SUV with an SUV.
I could blame logic - I have driven in the snow before but never on an incline so why would I suddenly think that my car needed 4 WD to go up my driveway. No - that one's no good, I should shovel the driveway before moving the car.
So it's back to being all on me.
I gently grasp the phallus and assume I am moving it into the correct position. What do the lines mean?
The car moves forward.
I put it where it needs to be.
I live to kill and maim and make an utter ass out of myself another day.
the photos are not mine - they came from the Jeep website and from nj.com
I don't trust myself to operate a camera - I might blind someone.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
I Just Want To Stand On My Head In A Snowdrift
This is the first time I've turned the laptop on since Monday afternoon. It's the first time I had the strength to lift it. My body has been possessed by an evil grinch like bug that makes my head hot while my body is cold. It causes the air pressure around me to feel like that of a crowded airplane that's been circling to land for far too long. And the cough - oh good lord the cough. I didn't think lungs could convulse like that.
And that's just the things that aren't too disgusting to describe.
Maybe I have blizzard blight or snow scurvy.
I took a few photos early Monday morning as the storm was winding down. Our town's official snow total is 27 inches. These shots are taken from the kitchen door by the partially enclosed carport. The wind was so bad that the drift against the front door was about 4 feet high.
The drifts in the little patio off the carport were so high we had to take the gate off the hinges to get to the backyard and the shed.
I added a little grit to the last shot of my son's footprints in the snow. Remember now - this is a covered carport so any snow that got in there was put there by the wind.
I hope to be back to my usual irregular schedule right after the New Year. For now I need another nap.
And that's just the things that aren't too disgusting to describe.
Maybe I have blizzard blight or snow scurvy.
I took a few photos early Monday morning as the storm was winding down. Our town's official snow total is 27 inches. These shots are taken from the kitchen door by the partially enclosed carport. The wind was so bad that the drift against the front door was about 4 feet high.
The drifts in the little patio off the carport were so high we had to take the gate off the hinges to get to the backyard and the shed.
I added a little grit to the last shot of my son's footprints in the snow. Remember now - this is a covered carport so any snow that got in there was put there by the wind.
I hope to be back to my usual irregular schedule right after the New Year. For now I need another nap.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
This and That
It's been a busy week.
Navigating snow banks and ice patches is exhausting with a cane and fear of falling. I had appointments every day this week in the never ending quest for disability benefits and medical care.
'Cat to be named later' is going to the vet today. After settling in nicely she isn't eating much and her breath is awful. I'm thinking a tooth might be bad since she's really too young for gum issues. Cross your fingers for us.
I think I have decided what her name is but I want to be sure. Siren will announce it soon.
Meanwhile I leave you with this picture ...
I wonder what this car's story is? Stolen? Left there by a store employee afraid of snow? Parked there to sell it? It does say '95' on the windshield. Perhaps a couple were clearing it and had an argument. Look how one side is so much cleaner than the other. Did the sun do that?
That's all I got for now. Wish us luck at the vet.
Navigating snow banks and ice patches is exhausting with a cane and fear of falling. I had appointments every day this week in the never ending quest for disability benefits and medical care.
'Cat to be named later' is going to the vet today. After settling in nicely she isn't eating much and her breath is awful. I'm thinking a tooth might be bad since she's really too young for gum issues. Cross your fingers for us.
I think I have decided what her name is but I want to be sure. Siren will announce it soon.
Meanwhile I leave you with this picture ...
I wonder what this car's story is? Stolen? Left there by a store employee afraid of snow? Parked there to sell it? It does say '95' on the windshield. Perhaps a couple were clearing it and had an argument. Look how one side is so much cleaner than the other. Did the sun do that?
That's all I got for now. Wish us luck at the vet.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
It Is Snowing Again ...
... and I may need to kill someone.
Over a foot 2 weeks ago, another 16 inches last Wednesday and now it's snowing again. Weather said it wasn't going to go like this, they must not have the same windows I have.
Yesterday was a beautiful day.
I got this shot of a peaceful scene because traffic was backed up. Backed up because snow banks have narrowed the lanes and someone wanted to make a left and no one would let them in so we all sat.
Most roads around here are one lane in each direction. Many of them have an added turn lane as they approach a busy intersection or a shopping center.
The turn lanes have been taken over by plowed snow ...
Thereby rendering virtually everyone incapable of making a turn on their own. People pull out blocking traffic, others just stop - apparently not sure if they can turn on red since they're not in the turn lane.
It's like monkeys at a 4 Way Stop without the entertainment value.
Speaking of animals - I hope the behemoth that made these tracks crushes every SUV and truck that doesn't have it's roof cleared. Particularly the Hummer Ho who accelerated like a loon to beat a red light and left 3 inches of snow on my windshield. And thank you to the asshat behind me who leaned on his horn to acknowledge that I stop for red lights and that I had to get out to clear my view. He was pre-honking in case I wasn't done by the time it turned green.
I am proud to say that I made it to the shopping center. I relaxed at the entrance while watching the brain trust that is NJ drivers navigate the ONE way only lane that is now blocked by snow.
Plowed snow has taken away a fair number of spots ...
So everyone just drives around aimlessly searching.
I went over to the "more parking here" lot since I'm not afraid to walk a little. It is connected to the shopping center by a staircase ...
Can't say I blame them for not clearing it. No one around here walks. If they can't drive-thru or park within spitting distance of the doors they just drive around like lost sheep.
Maybe their snow blower died like this one did ...
It is pretty though ...
and as always, there is Hope ...
taken Valentine's Day, Hope was dancing on Daddy as Nana (me) sang her operatic Hippopotamus song.
Over a foot 2 weeks ago, another 16 inches last Wednesday and now it's snowing again. Weather said it wasn't going to go like this, they must not have the same windows I have.
Yesterday was a beautiful day.
I got this shot of a peaceful scene because traffic was backed up. Backed up because snow banks have narrowed the lanes and someone wanted to make a left and no one would let them in so we all sat.
Most roads around here are one lane in each direction. Many of them have an added turn lane as they approach a busy intersection or a shopping center.
The turn lanes have been taken over by plowed snow ...
Thereby rendering virtually everyone incapable of making a turn on their own. People pull out blocking traffic, others just stop - apparently not sure if they can turn on red since they're not in the turn lane.
It's like monkeys at a 4 Way Stop without the entertainment value.
Speaking of animals - I hope the behemoth that made these tracks crushes every SUV and truck that doesn't have it's roof cleared. Particularly the Hummer Ho who accelerated like a loon to beat a red light and left 3 inches of snow on my windshield. And thank you to the asshat behind me who leaned on his horn to acknowledge that I stop for red lights and that I had to get out to clear my view. He was pre-honking in case I wasn't done by the time it turned green.
I am proud to say that I made it to the shopping center. I relaxed at the entrance while watching the brain trust that is NJ drivers navigate the ONE way only lane that is now blocked by snow.
Plowed snow has taken away a fair number of spots ...
So everyone just drives around aimlessly searching.
I went over to the "more parking here" lot since I'm not afraid to walk a little. It is connected to the shopping center by a staircase ...
Can't say I blame them for not clearing it. No one around here walks. If they can't drive-thru or park within spitting distance of the doors they just drive around like lost sheep.
Maybe their snow blower died like this one did ...
It is pretty though ...
and as always, there is Hope ...
taken Valentine's Day, Hope was dancing on Daddy as Nana (me) sang her operatic Hippopotamus song.
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