Snowstorm of 2013

We survived the big, bad snowstorm of 2013! Up here in mid-Maine the snow started coming down on Friday night and didn't stop until sometime Saturday night. Church was cancelled for us on Saturday, but our collegiate Sabbath School class decided to have our lesson study via teleconference. I was scheduled to teach, and while teaching a lesson over a conference telephone call is not the easiest thing in the world, we made it through and I think all the main points got across. After we said goodbye to our class members, Jonathan and I read some in Patriarchs and Prophets and mostly just had a nice relaxing day watching the snow come down.

Snow drift against our door

Our snowy driveway and yard

In the afternoon we donned warm clothes and headed outside where I made a snow angel (that got ruined as soon as I tried to stand up) and we walked down our road and took a peek at the main road nearby. While the temperature wasn't all that chilly, there were large gusts of wind that made it seem a lot colder than the thermometer read. After our short little walk, I was quite cold, so when Jonathan said he wanted to drive his van around a little bit to make sure it was still running well, I happily hopped in after the bit of snow at the front was shoveled away. We had seen several other cars driving around already, so we knew that if we got into any big trouble, there'd be people around to help us. We had no problems, though, as the roads were all plowed and cleared off. We drove around and explored the nearby Indian Island, home of the Penobscot Nation of native Americans. It was interesting and I'd like to bike around the island sometime when there's less snow on the ground. Once back inside we warmed up with hot chocolate and spent a cozy evening in our snug little apartment.

On Sunday we again ventured outside, and this time we were greeted with dazzling sunshine and a crisp blue sky! Jonathan brought out our snowshoes, taught me how to put them on, and we were off into the drifts. I'd never snowshoed before, but I found very quickly that it's not a hard skill to learn. I had a lot of fun and it was great to finally adventure around the property behind our house.

Small and big in fresh new snow

Jonathan breaking the trail

Me realizing that breaking a trail is hard work...

"Lazy Ali will you get up, will you get up, will you get up..."

After blazing new trails and exploring the fields and woods behind our house, we went around to the front of the house and started a snow fort in the giant plowed-up pile of snow next to the driveway.

Digging out a cave

Not exactly the kind of look-out hole we had planned...

The real look-out hole

Scared Jonathan

Help me get out!

Safe again

Ta-da! Presenting our snow fort!

We live in the top floor (minus the top-front section) of this old farm house

We had a wonderful  snow-filled weekend and we can't wait for the next good snowfall to grace our area!

First snow

It's amazing how fast nature can change her clothes. On October 12 dots of soft white clouds peppered the aqua-blue sky, and the westward-edging sun sent a golden glow over the turning leaves outside my window. As soon as Jonathan got home from work I begged him to take the screen off the window so I could get a picture of the glorious fall scene.

Golden afternoon glow on the colourful leaves ~ Friday, October 12, 2012

When I got back from my southern-USA trip, the leaves had deserted the trees, and the woods behind the house looked more open, less dense. Then November 7 came along. The day was dull and Jonathan mentioned before he left for work that he thought it would snow in the evening. I didn't think much about his prediction until that night when Jonathan raced into the room crowing, "I just walked by the window and it's snowing!" I didn't bother trying to pull up the Venetian blinds on the window above my head, but dashed out of the room, Jonathan following close behind me, and tugged on the back door. It opened to a wintry world of flake-dust drifting down to cover the porch and the ground with its white blanket. Winter already?! I couldn't believe it. Winter comes early in Alberta and northern Ontario. Even in southern BC where I grew up, winter can arrive in early-to-mid November. But winter this early in Maine? It's so much farther south... I was definitely surprised that Jonathan's prediction came true, but at the same time, completely delighted.

Snowy morning ~ Thursday, November 8, 2012 (Photo by Jonathan G.)

The snow stayed all of Thursday, although driving rain off and on all day tried to melt it away. By today it was all gone. But that first snow-sighting, it was magical. For two seasons of winter I've been overseas. The only snow I saw two years ago in Tanzania rested on the far-off dome of Mt. Kilimanjaro and, on occasion, the jagged peak of Mt. Meru towering over the ADRA campus. Last winter in Korea we had changed our calendar over to December before the first snow arrived, but by then the weather was already bitterly chilly and the cover of snow on the ground was a relief. We experienced several good snowfalls that year, but I felt that all of them were tainted with the noise, hurry, and grime of the big city. So this year's first snow was special. The pure white covering of nature right outside my window thrilled my soul. Although the snow is gone now, I'm anxiously awaiting more, the kind of snowfall that sticks and stays. The kind that means winter is really here for good. The kind I haven't experienced for the past three years. I'm ready for a real winter this year. And Maine looks quite willing to deliver!