THE JOYS OF WINTER #2

"Winter Lace 2"

(©2009, C.J. Peiffer)

         Okay, let me just get it out. I am sick of winter and we are only half way through January. February is usually the month with the worst winter weather, so there is bound to be more snow and frigid weather to come.
        Now, I know all of you who live in Minnesota, Canada, and Alaska, are laughing at me. The description of my weather is like a heat wave to you, but we are not used to such bad weather here.
        We live in a valley in Western PA. Bad weather from the west usually dumps its snow on the hills before it reaches us. If the weather comes from Canada, the lake effect snow ends north of us. If rain comes from the south and turns to snow when it hits our colder temperatures, it usually moves to the east and misses us. The average annual snowfall for this general area is about 40” for the entire winter, but we have less in our little valley. Usually we get 1” at a time, occasionally 2”, rarely 3" or 4”.

We have had 24” of snow

in the last 9 days.

        On Saturday 1/10/09, we woke to 12” of snow on the ground. It took us 3 days to shovel it. We have two different styles of snow pushers. They work fine when the snow is an inch or 2 deep ---maybe as much as 3”. But once snow is deeper than that, it gets too heavy to push and there is nowhere to push it. One can push so far, then the snow needs to be shoveled on top of the ever-increasing piles on the grass.
        We have a double lot and are required to keep the front sidewalk of both lots clear. My husband often shovels the snow in front of the homes on either side, as a neighborly gesture. Throughout our property, we have additional sidewalks which we need to keep clear to get to the back alley to walk to stores in town, to walk to our detached garage (on the second lot) and for delivery people to carry packages from the front street to the back of the house. We also have a driveway that runs from the front street to the back alley with a zig around the garage.
        We had 6 more inches over the next few days which we shoveled in several rounds.
        Last night (1/17/09) we started to shovel another 2.5” of snow, but before we finished the sidewalks, there was 3” on the part we were working on and another 1/2” on the part we cleared an hour earlier. Today we had another 3 inches. We hadn’t done the driveway yesterday, so we had 6” there. We shoveled all the sidewalks again today and about half of the driveway, leaving the other half for tomorrow. 

        Luckily we are retired and can leave the snow for a few days. There is a grocery store on Main Street, a block from us. It is a super market, but a very tiny one compared to the new mega markets, so I refer to it as the UN-super market. It doesn't carry everything we might want, but it would have anything we absolutely needed. We are within walking distance of our doctor’s office, a drug store and the post office, so we can get along with what is available in town, without a car, if the driveway weren't cleared.
        The average high temperature here, December through February, is in the mid 30s F (2ºC) and average lows are in the low 20s (-5ºC). It is rare, but occasionally temperatures dip to the single digits. Typically, the temperature rises above 40ºF (4ºC) occasionally, so that accumulated snow melts before our next snowfall. Often, we have a midwinter thaw with temperatures rising into the 50s, even as high as 60ºF (16ºC).

        Yesterday morning, at 8 am, the outside temperature was -10ºF (-23ºC) on our back porch, with wind chills hovering at -20ºF (-29ºC). Yes, those are minus signs in front of the temperatures. We live in an old house with a fairly new furnace. In normal January weather, our house is a little cool (62º to 65º) but we like it on the cool side. 

On Saturday morning, the 

temperature in our kitchen was 42ºF (6ºC).

Starting from the bottom up, this is what I wore:
knee-high trouser socks
heavy socks
sneakers
leg warmers
flannel-lined jeans
long sleeved turtle neck
short sleeved T-shirt
pullover sweatshirt
nylon quilted bib ski pants over all of the above
zip-up sweatshirt with hood
thin leather gloves
Note: I WAS WEARING ALL OF THIS INSIDE THE HOUSE while typing on my computer ---and I wrapped an afghan around my feet to keep my toes warm.

        When I went outside, I added fleece-lined insulated boots, neck scarf, hat, heavy fleece-lined, down-filled, wind-blocking parka with hood, heavy gloves with thinsulate over my leather gloves. I felt like a kid with my snow suit and leggings on ---you know, when you could hardly move because your mother bundled you in so many layers.
        Have I mentioned, we are senior citizens? We have our normal aches and pains that come with aging. I have been living on Tylenol for the past week and wake every day feeling like I’ve been run over by a snow plow.

        Sunday, 1/18/09, we had a heat wave. The temperatures went up to 30ºF (-1ºC) up 30 degrees over Saturday’s high. That didn’t stop the snow from falling though. Temperatures will be down somewhat for the next few days, but after tomorrow when we expect another inch, there should be no accumulation of snow for the rest of this week ---well, if the weather reports are accurate. (Sometimes I think I could forecast as well as the meteorologists by throwing a dart at a weather map.)

Considering the length and width of our sidewalks and the length and width of our driveway, I calculated that we have shoveled approximately 3,395,520 cubic inches of snow over the past 9 days.

        Please, please, please, if anyone wants to loan us your beach house anywhere in the southern hemisphere, let me know. It’s summer there.

(Text and photo ©2009, C.J. Peiffer)

See also THE JOYS OF WINTER #1

CHRISTMAS AT DENNY'S

My friends, relatives, and fellow bloggers are either Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist, Wiccan or followers of other assorted philosophies. I hope you all enjoy the winter season and holidays, each according to your own beliefs and traditions.

You may enjoy this You Tube video which is all-inclusive: 

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=xlcULT1AjsM&feature=channel 

I wish a HAPPY WINTER SEASON to all.

Earlier this year, I found some photographs my father had taken. They were about 30 years old. (My father died in 1982.)

I digitally enhanced my father's photo (right) of the holiday exhibit at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, c.1979, to create holiday postcards for my 94-year-old mother and used the same image for postage stamps for the cards.  

        Creating Christmas cards for my mother from my father's photograph was about the extent of my holiday activities this year. A long time ago, when my family was going crazy with gift-giving, we all made the decision to give gifts only within our immediate families. I admit it was one of the happier days of my life. I had always felt so stressed around the holidays, trying to complete projects at work, decorate, shop for gifts and groceries, plan menus, bake and cook. 

     Now my husband and I choose something we need for our home and something for my elderly mother, but nothing extravagant. She likes sweets, so I always buy her cookies or chocolates. This year, I also purchased a sweater and some smaller items (such as socks and underwear) that she needed.

        For the past few years, my mother has not enjoyed big family gatherings. All the people and noise are too much for her.  Until last Christmas, I used to roast a turkey or ham after arriving home from work (12:30 to 2:30 am) and make a complete holiday dinner. We packed it in containers and took enough food for the three of us to her place. She lives 45-60 minutes away (depending on weather) so that was easier than driving to pick her up, then back to our house, then take her home and drive back ---three to four hours of driving.    

        We used to call my mother "Mrs. Clean" for her spotless home. Over the last few years, she was not as neat as she used to be and would forget where she put things, but was doing okay on her own. But in 2007 when we took Thanksgiving dinner to her house, despite calling her several times that week and earlier that day to remind her we would be there, the house was a mess. Every dish was sitting in dirty dishwater, something had boiled over on the stove, garbage had been left on the sink, there was a sticky mess on the floor ---it sounded like walking on masking tape in the kitchen ---the bathroom was a mess, and the dining table was piled high with junk. 

        We had arrived about an hour before we expected to reheat the dinner, but it took us 3 hours to clean everything just so we could cook and eat. On the way home, my husband and I decided we were never doing that again.

        We talked to my mother's doctor about her apparent dementia and finally convinced my mother that she needed in-home care. The helper takes care of personal needs for my mother and also does housekeeping, so my mother's home should never again be like it was that day. 

        However, last Christmas, we started a new tradition. We eat holiday dinners at Denny's.

        It's the only place open on Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it was our choice only by default. But it works well for us. I don't have to shop for groceries or cook late at night. We don't have to pack dinner and carry it with us. We don't have to worry about my mother's house being in good order. 

        We plan on arriving at Denny's around 2:30 or 3:00 pm to miss the lunch and dinner crowds. Since I  go to bed around 4:00 or 5:00 am, I order breakfast. My husband isn't ready for a big meal, so he orders lunch. My mother orders a full turkey dinner and has enough to take home for another meal. We each get what we want with almost no fuss. 

        So, we are enjoying a relatively stress-free holiday season. 

        As I write this, it is bitter cold. The temperature on the porch is 2 degrees F. It is very windy; the wind chill is minus 19. I'm always happy when Winter Solstice arrives, because it means daylight will last longer. 

        My husband and I got into the habit of walking late at night after I arrived home from work in the wee hours of the morning. That was especially nice in the summer because it was cooler then, but at this time of year, the weather can be brutal after midnight. 

        When we can, we walk in a park in the afternoon, but because I get up so late, we often arrive when the sun is already setting and end our walk in the dark. Thus the longer days will be very welcome.

Happy Winter Solstice to all.

(©2008, C.J. Peiffer)

QUIET STILLNESS - A Winter Memory

"Quiet Stillness"

In response to the writing prompt, “Describe a favorite Winter memory” on Mama’s Losin it blog:

I’m not sure why this day sticks in my mind as one of my favorite winter memories. There was nothing remarkable about the day. Perhaps it was the nearly-perfect peacefulness of that afternoon that made it memorable.


        My husband and I used to walk at a local park on a walking/biking lane on a road that encircles a large lake, a five-mile walk around the circumference. Since my husband walked much faster than I, if we tried to walk together he had to mosey at, for him, a painfully slow pace, or else I became totally exhausted, trying to keep up with him. Thus, from where we parked, he started clockwise around the lake and I walked counterclockwise. I knew it would take him about 50 minutes to return to the starting point, so I walked for 25 minutes, then turned around and headed back to the parking lot. Near the end of my walk, my husband met up with me and we ended the walk together. But most of the time we were each walking alone.
        On one early winter day, it was raining when we left the house, but temperatures were falling. We dressed warmly and took our rain ponchos with us.

        The park is so large that several of the main roads were normally busy because they are the only way to travel between the surrounding suburbs. Sane people were in their warm homes watching the local NFL game on TV, resulting in almost no road traffic. Because of the rain, we seemed to be the only walkers on a normally-crowded trail.
        The clouds were low. Fog was rising from the lake. Everything was muted and grayish blue. It was beginning to get dark, even though it was barely three o’clock. Instead of being depressing, the entire world seemed to exude an achromatic hue that created a feeling of repose.
        I noticed some goose droppings in the walking lane and soon I heard Canadian geese flying overhead. They formed a V just below the clouds. When their honking faded, all was still.
        About ten minutes after I started to walk, the rain changed to huge white flakes that seemed to float in slow motion, like feathers. It was warm enough that the snow melted almost as soon as it hit my poncho or the ground. By the time I was ready to reverse direction, water dripping from my rain gear had soaked my jeans from the knees down. My toes were cold under wet sneakers and socks. Snow was beginning to accumulate on the trees that lined both sides of the road, creating a lacy pattern in the branches.

        When driving, I always listened to the radio or a book on tape. At home the TV blared at me. There was the constant din of traffic, the refrigerator cycling on and off, the furnace powering up, phones ringing, the cat meowing for her dinner. At the park the quiet stillness was intoxicating.

        I am comfortable with my aloneness. I think through problems and brainstorm solutions in my head. A retired teacher, I teach imaginary lessons, sharing my hard-earned wisdom with imaginary students. I decided this setting would make a nice scene in a novel, a time when the protagonist would think through an issue and have an “ahah” moment in the quietude of the setting. I wrote a scene in my head, as I often do when I walk.
        Soon I heard footsteps behind me. I recognized my husband from the pattern of his paces. In the car, we removed our wet gear and turned on the heater for a slow drive home in the accumulating snow. The exercise had both invigorated and exhausted us. I was ready to spend the rest of the day reading a good book while wrapped in a warm sweater, the perfect ending of a perfectly peaceful afternoon.

(Photos and story ©2008, C.J. Peiffer)

That was probably more than a decade ago. Finally, I wrote the scene, not as fiction, but as a favorite winter memory.

See my post “The Joys of Winter” an equally memorable event, although for entirely different reasons.

Another writing prompt was "What's the best gift you've ever given?" See my post "Harley" for one of the best presents I made and gave.

"Winter Lace" (detail)      

THE JOYS OF WINTER #1

"Winter Lace"

(©2008, C.J. Peiffer)

        The building where I used to work as a customer service representative for a wireless phone company was positioned on a hill and caught strong winds in almost any weather. Although the streets were usually just wet or slushy, the parking lot was often icy in winter.

        One day a few years ago, because my husband was working on my car, I drove his old car to work. It was bitter cold with a wind chill factor below zero.
        A little after 2 a.m., I was the last worker out of the building, except for a small overnight crew. Bundled in heavy winter gear, I treaded carefully on the slick blacktop to the car.
         Attempting to place my key in the driver's side door, I found the lock was frozen. I tried the passenger side. The lock popped open immediately, but the door was frozen shut and would not budge. The parking lot was huge. Being on the late shift, I had to park at the far end of the lot, just about in the next county, so I wanted to avoid returning to the building for help from security or cleaning personnel, so I tried unlocking the other door again. No luck.
        I went back to the passenger door. After pounding on it around the window and kicking the lower edge of the door, it finally and reluctantly came open, hinges screeching as if it hadn't been opened in years. I reached across the seat to unlock the driver's door and was able to enter the car.
        In the dark, I couldn't tell which was the ignition key because my glasses had steamed up, due the the physical effort I had exerted on the opposite door. I tried wiping my glasses with my gloved fingers. One lens popped out and landed near my feet. I couldn't remember how to turn on the interior light under the dash (rarely drive my husband's car), so I thought I could simply open the door, the dome light would go on, and I could search for my lens before accidentally crushing it with my foot.
        I grabbed the interior door handle. With a loud crack, it snapped off in my hand.
        Before the handle broke, the door had opened just a fraction and the dome light had gone on. I was able to find the lens, which I reinserted into its frame.
        But then, I couldn't open the door without the handle nor shut it enough to make the light go off. I tried the power window, thinking I could reach the outside handle to open the door, but the window would not budge. It was a 20 minute drive to home ---a little longer at night as I drove slowly to avoid hitting deer or icy patches. I would have to drive home with the interior light on.
        The car was a little sluggish on the startup, but the engine did turn over. I drove slowly to the end of the driveway, turned left down a small grade. When I tramped on the gas to accelerate, nothing happened, as if the car were in neutral. I let it coast down the hill a little, then hit the gas again. It accelerated.
        After the next stop sign, I needed to turn right. When I hit the gas pedal, the car slowly drifted around the corner, but would not accelerate. I was now about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot, but still in the industrial complex, so at least I was out of traffic, what little there was at that hour.
        I contemplated my alternatives. The AAA 800 line was probably swamped with calls in that frigid weather. I could call them on my cell phone, but it was bound to be a long wait. I didn't want to hoof it back to the building either. And since my car was not in working order, it was useless to call home.
        I sat with the engine running for about 5 minutes, every so often stepping on the gas. Nothing. Finally, I tried putting the car in second gear. Again, nothing. Then I tried first gear ---and the car moved. I drove slowly to the next stop sign, then put the car in second, and after another quarter mile, back to drive.
        As I traveled over bumps in the road, the interior light flickered on and off for the entire drive home.
        In my driveway, I crawled over the seat and out the passenger door, no easy feat for an out-of shape senior citizen. I opened the driver's side from the outside and slammed the door shut to turn off the interior light.
        In the house, I found my husband, worried because I was so much later than usual. I handed him the broken door handle.
        He often says that I only need to touch a piece of machinery and it instantly falls apart.

See also THE JOYS OF WINTER #2

(©2008 C. J. Peiffer)