Snow day

Surprise! (It’s a Snowstorm!)

/ Katie / 8 Comments

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.

A Winter Storm in Four Haiku

/ Katie / 4 Comments

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

Lucy’s First Snow Day

/ Katie / 14 Comments

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. 😊

One Last Snow Day

/ Katie / 14 Comments

Here in Virginia, March always gives us one last snow day. It’s not a hard and fast rule, sure, but it’s true enough, and this year was no exception.

It snowed about five inches on Saturday, and we enjoyed it for as long as we could.

(I know…she doesn’t look like she likes it, but trust me, Annie is a Snow Dog.)

It’s all melted now, and this week is supposed to be pretty warm. I’m ready for spring, but I’m always a little melancholy when winter comes to an end. So, until next year. And for now, bring on the daffodils!

The First Snow Day of 2022

/ Katie / 18 Comments

What an utterly unexpected and incredibly lovely surprise!

And quite a nice way to start the new year, I think.

Until yesterday, forecasters predicted this fast-moving snowstorm would go south of us, but here it is. And I am so happy.

I hadn’t planned a busy day today, anyway – Graham’s off of work until tomorrow – but I think I shall officially declare today a Snow Day, and spend it reading, drinking tea, generally lazing about in my pajamas, and gazing out on this beautiful and fleeting winter landscape.

Yes. Perfect.

Annie the Snow Dog

/ Katie / 15 Comments

She loves the snow as much as I do.

Annie is an almost eleven-year-old Australian Shepherd. She’s been with us since she was just a little puppy.

Though I would not recommend an Aussie to an inexperienced dog owner, watching her experience the world is one of the great pleasures of my life. She’s smart, spunky, friendly, curious, quick to learn, and easily the most energetic of all of us. She loves Graham best, and she’s happiest when they go for walks on the path along the mill race.

It snowed Sunday morning, and while I sat by the fire with a cup of coffee and a book, Graham took Annie out for some playtime and a snow day stroll.

It snowed almost as much in six hours as it did over the course of two days last week, and it was just beautiful.

I’m glad Graham got some good pictures before it melted. Which it did, by Sunday evening. But as always, I enjoyed it while it was here to enjoy. And Annie did, too.

It looks like we’ve got more winter weather to look forward to this week, though there’s apparently a chance for some significant ice, so, we’ll see. I was worried, back in the beginning of December, that we’d see a winter with barely any snow. How lovely to be wrong.

Found Friday #16: A Very 2020 First Snow

/ Katie / 11 Comments

I don’t think anyone expected a winter storm to hit Virginia in December. It’s certainly not an impossibility in any given year, but we normally have to wait a little longer into the season to see any real wintry weather.

It’s been a year full of surprises, hasn’t it?

Wednesday started off snowy, and it was so lovely. My husband got a fire going – the first of the cold season.

It snowed until about 3:00 p.m. – big flakes and small flakes, heavy showers and light. It was beautiful. Really, really wonderful. I’d say we got about four inches.

I love snow. You know what I don’t love?

Ice.

You see it, right? See, after about 3:00 p.m., the weather turned, and my quiet, gentle snow showers turned into evil, spiky little ice crystals. And they worked fast. Like, scary ice storm kind of fast.

The thing about ice – one of many reasons that I don’t like it – is that it’s heavy. And when you live in the country, on a property with lots of trees, heavy ice can be a real danger.

Case in point: We had to call the fire department because the limbs of our birch tree were so laden with ice that they ended up resting on the power lines, and started to spark and flame up, and kept at it all night. It was terrifying, and we’re expecting a visit from the power company to do some serious trimming.

So, I spent an anxious evening and a largely sleepless night worrying about a fire near the power lines, and listening to ice ping against the windows and the metal roof.

But I have to say, it sure did look beautiful by the morning. Almost pretty enough to forget how much I hate ice.

I mean, come on, it doesn’t get more Christmas-y than red berries in the ice and snow.

And the willow looked like something out of a fairy tale.

This wasn’t the first snow I was expecting. But this is 2020, so this was the first snow that I got. We’ll see what else this winter has in store for us. I, for one, am hoping for NO MORE ICE. But always for snow.

Four Snow Haiku

/ Katie / 6 Comments

Delicate and slow
Snowflakes descend from gray skies
And turn the world bright

*******

In rhythm with life
Like white petals on a breeze
Fragile crystals fall

*******

Powder coats the ground
Soft like sweet icing sugar
Dessert for the eyes

*******

This new snow globe world
Brief and fleeting as a breath
Fantasy made real

*******

I love snow. I’ve always loved snow. I like the way that life slows down when it snows. I like the reminder that fragile things – tiny, delicate things – like snowflakes, can have a huge impact and tremendous power.

A December snowstorm is a truly rare thing here in Virginia. The forecast has changed several times over the last hours, so I’m not sure how much snow we’ll get today, but I can tell you one thing:

I will enjoy every single millimeter and every single moment of it.