March 10, 2008

People are still digging out. There are enormous snow banks to traverse - I feel I should have ropes, an ice axe and pitons. I wore my a-line skirt today and the knee high boots and was glad I had for climbing the snow banks. A narrow or pencil skirt would have made it impossible and anyway, I wouldn't have wanted to hike it up because of the cold this morning. Yikes! Talk about insult to injury. It was minus 17C this morning not including the windchill. With the sun out, it has now warmed up to - 7 but really, I think it is supposed to be warmer. But even so, the sun is melting snow and ice. Every few minutes, something slides off my roof and smashes to the ground. It'll be a while before the grass sees the light of day again but there are stretches of bare pavement here and there.

This morning I saw a large sun dog and tried to get a photo of it and failed. You'll have to take my word for it - it was quite pretty through those bare branches.

March 9, later in the morning

Even though I was pretty sure not many people would be at my class, I decided to act as if I was going anyway. I got up and had breakfast and organized myself and then spent about 20 minutes shovelling a path to the street, which itself was not yet plowed.

Nice neat path! The wind was from the East all night and our side of the quad drifted in more than the other side. That snow was about 2 feet deep and packed in. Before I took these pix, I had seen and talked with another neighbour who was out taking pictures. Right after I finished shovelling, I got the phone call that my class had been cancelled so I decided to take a few extremely local pix of my own. I didn't even get out of the quad, although I could now that they've started plowing.

I saw Robert across the way shovelling out.

I got a little closer and noticed that he didn't have Logan out with him as usual. Can you spot the dog?

There he is!

They have all the machinery out today.

John is saying, "Where are we going to put it all?!"

When John first shouted "hello!" from near the garage door, I could barely see his head above the snowbanks.

But. We still have not broken the record from 1970-71.

March 9, 2008

I just went to get the paper and when I opened the front door, this is what I saw:

And there wasn't a paper, either.
I took these yesterday afternoon from my sewing room window.


In this photo, that lump to the left of the tree was a car.

Peter took this one last night. The car has completely vanished.
More pix when I get out to get 'em.

Update:
I just remembered to look at the weather on the web.
Environment Canada says:
Ontario provincial police in the upper Ottawa Valley and Northumberland have resorted to snowmobiles for transportation.

March 8, 2008

Yesterday in between snow storms (insert humourless laugh here), I noticed that there was now what appears to be framing above the foundations on the Minto building across from Marshy's.

I wonder if it is framing because the buildings are three or more storeys high but time will tell. I don't have the blueprints.

I also noticed that the snow is kind of piled high at the side of the plaza. Last night we got another foot (not an accurate measurement - I just looked out the door) and we're getting more now. Peter took a few pix this morning. Zoom has decided she doesn't hate Winter any more. I know that no matter what, Spring will come along and soon. But the bother of boots and the weight of coats and the struggling through snow is beginning to pall.

March 6, 2008

The Citizen had a "winter by the numbers" story today. Part of what it said:

First snowfall: Nov. 20
Number of days since first snow: 108
Number of days with snow: 83
Number of days without snow: 25
Average March snowfall: 39.8 centimetres
March snowfall to date: 47 centimetres
Latest and heaviest snowfall: May 10, 1963, 15 cm

From CBC I get the following stats:

"With 357 centimetres of snow already this winter and more to come on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Ottawa seems on track to top the record 444.1 centimetres that fell in the winter of 1970-71."

[357 cm = 140 inches = 11.7 feet 444.1 cm = 174.8 inches = 14.5 feet]

But you know, it IS melting when the sun is out and the sun IS getting stronger and it really can't last forever. Really.

March 5, 2008

(Happy Birthday P.!)

The weather is typical of the month.

Two days ago, we had freezing rain. Thankfully, it melted quickly but I was glad to have my YakTrax walking to work, especially after I saw one student fall hard on the slippery sidewalk.

They have been working away at the construction site, in spite of the weather. Yesterday, I noticed they had a Stone Slinger working at the foundations. I first encountered one of these machines at the Habitat for Humanity Build in the Summer and it was fun to recognize it.

Everything really starts melting when the sun comes out and I have noticed an appreciable reduction in the snow pile over the last few days.

Unfortunately, this morning it had all come back. Sorry about how crooked the photo is but I was trying for a quick snap before the ice pellets blew in the door. We face East and that's the way the wind is coming this morning. Gusting to 41 kph.

Out the back, it looks like we won't be barbequing for a while. But you know, that's deceptive because once it starts to melt, it really gathers momentum. We might have the bikes out before the end of the month! I live in hope.

March 2, 2008

I saw two Cardinals last weekend but this morning, I got a photo, as he was calling his territory from the top of a tree.