Well, this was just wonderful. 😊
Winter is still my favorite, even now that I live at the beach these days. I never take snow for granted, generally but especially now, and I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful evening. (And you bet I sat out on my porch in my pajamas and watched it fall!)
My oldest friend (or so it seems),
how nice to be acquainted once more.
Dear Night-time,
we never do part ways for long, do we?
And here we are again,
singing this same familiar song
in chorus with the moon and the tide and the stars,
waiting and not waiting
for the rest of the world to join us.
Quiet though we may be,
we’re quite good company,
you and the dark sky and me.
Well, after a near miss from Hurricane Erin and a surprisingly and fortunately quiet Atlantic hurricane season, we saw some storm action yesterday and last night. And y’all, I don’t even know what to say.
This was not presented as a big thing. It was neither hurricane nor tropical storm. It did not have a name. But the weather system that rolled through Virginia Beach over the course of yesterday dumped seven inches – SEVEN INCHES – of rain on us. And there was wind. I think the news mentioned gusts of 59 miles per hour.
It was a big thing, as it turns out, and I didn’t even know to be anxious about it.
Don’t worry, though. I got there.
Watching our back patio flood and a small river develop down our driveway, yeah, that wasn’t fun for me. But it was the water creeping up our front yard, closer and closer to our house, that really got me.
It doesn’t look like much in the picture, I know. You could easily say I was overreacting. (I might even agree with you.) But that is solidly three or four feet of water on our fence line, and it just kept rising. I was not in a good mood, and I didn’t sleep well last night.
Thankfully, it’s receded today and things have dried out, and I’m feeling better.
But, again, this was not even a tropical storm. IT WASN’T EVEN A TROPICAL STORM.
Coastal living is something, you guys. I guess I should just file this under “Things I’ll Adjust To.” Right? RIGHT???
Well, Hurricane Erin has come and gone. Or, rather, it’s gone and it was never really here to begin with.
I’m not unhappy about that at all. Sometimes, anticlimactic is good.
It’s my first hurricane season as an official resident of Virginia Beach, and though I’m not too worried generally, I admit I was concerned about and disconcerted by all the watches and warnings that accompanied Erin’s not-landfall here. As a lifelong mountain critter – if not in body than certainly in spirit – I find the ocean intimidating. Coastal storms were something that, growing up, we actually talked about pretty often. You know, as in: “Gee, sure glad and grateful we aren’t dealing with that.”
And now here I am, living very close to the big water, right on the coast. It’s a funny old life.
At any rate, I am quite grateful that the most we saw of Erin in our neck of the woods – er, our stretch of the sand – was just a little bit of a breeze, some higher than usual high tides, and rough waves.
The surfers had a great time. Waves in Virginia Beach are normally pretty calm, so these were fun to watch. From a distance.
I know the Outer Banks in North Carolina dealt with more, and I’ve heard Norfolk had some flooding. But as storms go, we got lucky. And I’m hoping we stay lucky through this season. Because as much as I love new experiences, I definitely don’t have “See a hurricane up close and personal” on my 2025 bingo card.
It’s different here,
this season’s change –
the slant of the light
and the smell in the air –
brighter, milder, wilder,
like something ancient, fierce and dangerous
but constant and controlled.
I’ve always said nature is a woman.
I’m admittedly a little late to the party, posting about this. It’s been over a week ago now. But I couldn’t just not write about it, given how much I love snow. (If you’ve been here for a while, you know I love snow. If you haven’t, you should know: I love snow. And winter is my favorite.)
Anyway…
I just can’t believe it, y’all. I thought I’d never see a snow like this again. But the universe just loves proving me wrong, and so here we are. Virginia Beach got a foot of snow.
I mean, in this case, it’s like the universe proved me wrong to make me happy, and I just can’t complain about that.
There’s like no snow infrastructure around here, so we were snowed in until the weather warmed up enough to melt stuff.
And I’m not complaining! Many cups of tea. Lots of snuggles with the baby. Good naps.
Lucy loved watching the snow fall.
And was entertained trying to catch it in her hand and feeling little flakes on her head.
She was…decidedly less certain once we got her outside to actually play in it.
Maybe next year, kid. 😊
Although, who knows? This was a pretty historic snowstorm for Virginia Beach, and I doubt we’ll see anything like it again for a long time. But a few inches next winter? That’s possible!
For now, I’ll just be grateful for the abundance we got.
Not a certainty
Here near the ocean and sand
To see some winter
The night sky made bright
Satin dark and silver flakes
A canvas made new
I think it’s a gift
A boon from the universe
Unexpected snow
Not quite the same view
But I’ll take it nonetheless
Change is not easy
Here and gone too soon
Like many other good things
Worth it while it lasts
Wake.
Grow.
Bloom.
Blossom.
Change.
The season turns
again.
The past and present
are not the same,
but the cycle
is certain,
a constant.
And I can feel it –
down in my bones,
deep in my soul –
now
more than ever.
If you’ve been here for a while, you know that I love snow. I love winter, and I love snow. I’m not so keen to get a big snowstorm this year, given that we’ve got a newborn, but I am happy to report that we did see a nice, gentle snowfall for the last couple of days.
Enough to blanket the ground without causing major chaos. And Annie has enjoyed it, which is so wonderful to see.
Lovely, right? And Lucy’s very first snow day! She has no idea what that means right now, but one day, she will.
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks around here since Graham went back to work on January 8th, but we’re doing okay. We’re figuring things out as we go, and I think that’s the best we can do. Unfortunately, it means that at this moment, I don’t have a ton of time to devote to writing and blogging and such, but that will change eventually.
It’s just nice that amidst the stress and change, we’ve gotten to see some actual winter weather. Even if this is all the snow we get this year, I can say that I’m happy. 😊
Today, I could say
I wish you well,
and in a way,
I do.
I wish you a full well,
and flowing rivers,
babbling streams and
shoes sopping wet with rain.
I wish you well,
and so I wish you water.
I wish for you green, green grass
and heavy, rustling leaves.
I wish you clouds and fog,
evening storms
and drizzles in the morning.
I wish you water.
I wish water for me, too.
A Virginia Writer's Diary 