Snow, snow disappear
We have had enough this year!

Ice too for that matter. Usually it doesn't matter, but I am terrified of having to move with my driveway a solid sheet of ice (peppered with little holes in it where the salt just burned its way through).

Where are you located?

Deb

The ice and snow are almost gone, here on the Cape. Still cold out there, but I'm happy that it's no longer dark when I leave my office at 4:30 - or 5:30. Yaaaay! Spring's coming!

Deb.

I am in Granby, MA

I am trying to build a Rion greenhouse before April. I have the base done and that is about it. I have been keeping the area clear so when the weather is decent that I can get started.

It seems to snow/ice 2-3 times a week these days. Like I said I woke this morning to find another 3" fell over night. The weather clowns are saying another chance or "flurries" overnight so I guess that means another 3".

Oh well.

I guess I will have to sell my home and move down south sooner than later.

Michael

Still got hard-pack snow and ice here in Plymouth, MA. This morning I saw that the intrepid Globe deliverer gave up on trying to get to the paper boxes, and just dumped the papers on the driveway. I guess it's hard to drive on a steep sloped sheet of ice. Wasn't much fun walking on it either to get the papers.

The dirt road isn't too bad - the town keeps dumping more sand on it, sort of like replenishing beach sand.

Tending the birdfeeders and bird baths is tricky with all the ice- the paths are impassable so I just tromp on the hardpack. But as DTD noted, the days are getting longer and brighter, so spring is closer. Spring comes REALLY, REALLY late on the coast, so I'm just hunkered down, watching birds.

The temperatures are supposed to be above freezing Sunday and Monday, so a lot of this hard stuff should drip away. Next snow/slop maybe Tuesday.

Claire

Right now the Tuesday forecast is for rain. That might change, though. Snow I can handle. Ice is bad. right now we have alternating layers of soft snow and hard ice. When you walk on it, it holds you for a step or two, then a large sheet of ice sinks under the weight. It's not so much treacherous as strange. The driveway is reasonably clear, between the snowblower and the ice scraper. However, we are getting to the point where it's hard to see out over the plow piles at the side of the road.

This has been the most tedious winter I can remember in years. The snow, ice, and freezing cold are relentless. I am SICK sick sick of it. The only enjoyable aspect of this winter has been watching the birds.

Adding insult to injury, my boiler broke this past week, with a flood of gross rusty water in the basement and no heat/hot water for several days. The radiant in the kitchen is still not working due to a plumbing snafu. Then this morning, I discovered the electricity is out in the garage AGAIN for the 3rd year in a row, due to a leak from ice dams hitting the GFCI outlet. It won't come back on until the roof melts and the exterior wall dries out, or until I get the electrician out here to MOVE the g$%d#mn outlet already.

This is on top of months of property headaches (I do property management for a good portion of my living). It all SUX!!!

Does that explain clearly enough how I feel about it? ;)

I guess we're lucky here in northern New England in that we have only snow, no ice. Thoroughly sick of temps no higher than 20F though. Don't know what happened to the January thaw, but I haven't seen it yet and now it's Feb.

Down here in Hartford they say temp may hit 40 today. Yesterday I chopped and then shoveled off a top layer of ice on the driveway (about 30%.) I am hopeful today to get it all done so that the upcoming Nor'easter can be easily snowblowed. The Tuesday storm had only an inch of snow when I left for work, but it was pouring rain (turned to ice during night) by the time I got home at 5:30 pm, and Wed am my car got stuck at end of driveway....but gently rocking finally got it fully onto the road.

Maybe it is time to think about a snowplowing service for next year. I am soooo ready for Spring! January thaw?? Don't think it is going to happen.....if it does, the flooding will bring another big headache as I have a stream at the end of my property that overflows and brings massive amounts of debris up into the yard and clogs the bottoms of my shrubs. Yuk.

I just hope all of us stay healthy through this rotten winter. I'm sorry to hear some of you have had a cascade of other storm related issues :(

Just keep telling yourself that this is all temporary, we are tough Yankees, and we will survive!

Now they are saying at least 6-12" on Tuesday. I can't even begin to explain how that ruined my weekend. As I go out today to get some more gasoline for the snow blower (the 4th time @ 5 gals each) and go get my 4th 50lb bag of ice melt I will think of how I am stimulating the economy with all the winter related expenses.

The poor cities and town who are broke to begin with keep getting more and more in debt due to this winter.

I have 4 doctor/dentist/vet (for the dog not me!) in February and I bet I will have to cancel at least 3 and more than likely all 4 of them due to weather. When it snow I have to be at work so thsi is getting very very old fast.

Sad thing is 6 weeks down and 8 weeks to go.

I think I will start some Angel Wing Begonias and some New Guinea Impatiens today just to have some hope! It is about 10 days early but I don't care. Hopefully My greenhouse will be up and running by April 1.

Gall Darn It.

boxcar grower - I was sure that you were going to say you were up in VT someplace with 50+ inches of snow on the ground! That greenhouse looks interesting. One of the sites selling it had a video that made it look very easy to put together. The hardest part looks like keeping track of all the parts! What size did you get/are you getting? Please keep us updated on how your install goes and your impressions of it once it is built. A greenhouse is at the top of my crave list.

dtd - The lengthening day is surely a reason to celebrate for we who are personally solar powered!

The NOAA forecast was rain and 40's early in the next front, but now it has changed to snow for Monday night right through Wednesday morning. I was hoping the rain would melt some of the ice before it got a chance to refreeze. Looks like more snow days for the kids.

We here in Vt like to share our snow with our southern neighbors. I can relate to all that snow in Granby. In the 1960's we built our first house on Kellog St.(we were stationed at Westover AFB) and had it placed at least 50 ft. from the road. I can remember snow banks on each side of the driveway that were shoulder high. What were we thinking!

Cloud I purchased the 8x16 professional kit. There are lots of pieces. It came in 6 boxes. If we get a mild week with no snow in the next couple weeks I am going to take the week off and start constructing it. I am going to heat it with a Empire Propane Direct Vent heater.

I really want to get started but I have to patient. I would have to have it 1/4 built and have a snow/ice storm cover with still a lot of work to do!

Above freezing already today, and beginning to see melt. This was a part of my bluestone path yesterday, with a crack in the ice in the middle - should be a raging river soon.

Adding to a compost pile in the winter can be difficult. I've been collecting 5 gallon buckets of used coffee grounds and depositing them on the ground as frozen cylinders. Just getting them out of the bucket is hard enough - I don't know when I'll be able to actually mix them in with anything. With the snow all crusted and hard, I can't even cover them up. Leaves and wood chips are solid masses too. So far the neighbors haven't said anything....

They're waffling about what kind of precipitation we're going to have on Wednesday, but seem to agree that it will get cold. That means that whatever hasn't melted away by them will be ice again. Gotta find those Yaktrak thingies.

Claire

It's right around 45 here today, but out of the wind and in the sun, it feels like 50! Hardly any snow or ice left anywhere. The sun makes it feel like spring, but I know we're not out of the woods yet. Is March 'the cruellest month' or is that April?

I *expect* February to be awful, so any day that's as nice as today is an incredible gift.

Today was a beautiful day here! A bit windy, but still warmer than it has been in awhile.

Took a ride to Litchfield, came home and chipped ice in the driveway for an hour or so, and then took a walk (by myself because everyone in my family is a bum who'd rather sit on the couch than get out and enjoy this "incredible gift" as DTD so aptly put it).

As usual, the weather gossip is wide-ranging. I've heard everything from rain Monday night to a foot of snow by Tuesday morning. So sick of it. Actually, I'm more sick about worrying about my daughter with her driving license that is barely 6 months old. I sure will feel better about her driving to work and school when spring is here!

:)
Dee

April is supposed to be the cruelest month, but I vote for February because you know if you get Spring Fever then you are DOOOOMED!

What a wonderful winder day. It was a real surprise to feel how warm the sun was. It actually was mood lifting. I spent most of the day outdoors. I went to the home center, did some ice chopping, brought in firewood, and played with the dog.

When I turned on the weather....they are downgrading the storm. I am hearing just a couple of inches now. YIPEE! with caution.

I will take some pics soon of my backyard. My poor dog is devastated that he cannot run in the pasture. I have a 20 acre piece of land that abuts a state forest so it is like have a 1,000,000 acre piece of land. With snow this deep we a relegated to driveways and snow blown paths.

Very soon the red wing blackbirds will be back and that is my first sign that god forsaken winter will come to an end. That happens about the 17th of the month. There is a marshy area where they nest and they make quite a racket when the flock arrives. Usually the males arrive first in small numbers followed by the rest.

Happy Winter

Red-winged Blackbirds!

sound file of lots of blackbirds singing

Claire

I love the long drawn out whirring sound those blackbirds make!

So glad the snowstorm you wrote about is downgraded. Our forecast lists only a slight chance of snow for Tues. Good thing, I have a vet apt for dogs and cat and don't want to have to reschedule.

It will be so nice to be able to walk about our property with the dogs too. Hubby keeps a trail snowblown for us that goes around the lower part of our pasture in a big loop, and that's it for walks until the snow melts! We're all going stir crazy. Our poor old arthritic pony who scarcely ventures out of the barnyard in the winter will be so delighted to see green grass again.

I am new to New England, and I enjoyed reading these posts. I left my marin county ca garden behind, and I am looking forward to creating my new garden this Spring! I moved into my coast cottage on Dec. 20, in the storm. I am glad to read that perhaps it has been a bit colder than usual!
I hope in the next month that you all can give me your advise. Yesterday, as the temps made it to 50, I opened every window and every garden catalog, thinking of spring.

Welcome, pbgardener! Yes, this is much worse than our normal winters, at least here on the south coast/ cape cod. Marin County sounds like heaven this year, for the first time in a long time I'm wondering again why I didn't stay there back in the 70s.

I was in Africa during the 1st 2 weeks of January, so I missed some of the wintry weather. But I really have not found these last 2 weeks of January to be that bad, at least down here on the south coast. The ground is mostly bare now at my location. And December was really no big deal down here as well. I think for many of you further north (northern MA, southern NH) that horrible ice storm in December, followed by lots of snow and cold in January has understandably made this winter a tough one to take. But down here in the winter rain belt, we can't (or shouldn't) complain. But we will get some snow tomorrow. Oh....and yes, January was colder than normal but nothing like January 2004!!

Ah, pbgardener, you are indeed welcome, but these next two months may make you question your decision to move here. However, you will truly appreciate spring when it does come. Keep your eyes/ears out for the rituals of spring anticipation - the arrival of the blackbirds as mentioned above, the singing of frogs, little fish leaping up ladders, small birds humming up the eastern flyways, and of course the complaining about the weather.

........................................................................................................................

Today was nice and sunny and I took a walk around the 'hood to check on the snow/ice melting. This section of dirt road was solid ice with splashes of water hiding the ice. I walked very, very carefully, mindful that I was carrying my beloved camera, and glad I was wearing rubber boots.

Still got a fair amount of snow and ice in the yard, and they're hinting we may get considerable snow tomorrow. This is very unusual for Plymouth.

Claire

My sympathies to our southern neighbors on having such a tough winter. I am glad to see that most of this storm looks to be passing out to sea, though it seems like the Cape and Islands may be a mess.

We've had a pretty typical winter here. My area of NH wasn't too damaged by the ice storm, though lots of people had power outages locally, and the snow storms have been fewer than normal. For my husband, who does our plowing, that is a relief. Last year we had about 12 feet of snow, mostly in storms that dropped enough snow so that he had to plow several times a week. We had to clear roofs 3 times during the winter and he had to use the tractor to move snow piles further back from the driveway 3 times as well so that he would have a place to put snow for upcoming storms. He is self-employed, so paying work suffered for it. I'm really glad we aren't having another winter like that! (We still had plowed piles of snow in mid-May!)

I actually like having good snow in the winter as long as it comes in reasonable amounts. As the days get longer and lighter (it's still light at 5:15!) as well as a bit warmer, strapping on my skis or snowshoes and going out into the woods is lovely. It gets me to areas that in good weather are way too buggy or boggy to walk with any pleasure, and most folks I know who own dogs take them along with on winter woods excusions. It's a great way to use up some of a dog's energy, bounding through the snow (or following along in the packed snowshoe path for smaller pets) and I find being outside really helps lift my mood.

I noticed last week that the chickadees are starting their mating & territorial calls instead of the "chick-a-dee-dee-dee", and we've had robins here all winter, which is unusual. Another early signal of being more than half way through winter for me is the barred and great horned owls start mating calls in the woods at night. Like Claire and Boxcar, I also listen for the returning blackbirds as a signal that the end is in sight.

I think that for me the hardest part of winter is late March into April. The snow often isn't good for winter woodland or field outings, but icy snow is still there, making pavement treacherous. I'm anxious for spring to arrive, but it seems so slow, and it's not unusual for us to get significant late spring snows which are wet and heavy, often causing damage to wires and trees. My one consolation is a pair of spring blooming witch hazels that I planted a couple of years ago. They don't bloom in winter as they do in warmer areas, but they do bloom through the snow. One starts late March, and the other a couple of weeks later, so they are by far the earliest blooming plant I have.

Okay... it's Feb. 3 and I'm looking out my window at the snow that's supposed to go out to sea. The weatherforcasters say light snow all night. Ugh!
I'm just so tired of winter. Usually this is the time of year when I look for hellebores and (maybe!) emerging tops of bulbs.

Usually I don't mind winter.... well at least not the kind we usually get along the CT coast, but this year there's been too much wind/bitter cold/snow cover. When you live near the water, it's not fun taking walks if the wind's blowing you this way and that.

Molie

Well it snow most of today. It never really amounted to much. We have about 2" right now and they weather guru's say maybe another couple hours and it will end.

On the bright side we can look forward to great weather Friday through Tuesday. I think I will start constructing my greenhouse this weekend.

Hurray.

Rockman, it's the way the ice and snow have persisted for weeks on end that's been getting me down. My main kind of exercise in winter is walking my dog, and I just don't do that when there's a layer of ice on the roads and sidewalks. I think we've managed one or two walks per week, instead of the daily jaunts we like. Both Oliver and I are getting really cranky, and maybe fat to boot!

Today was nice; sun, fresh snow, not too much ice. Now I'd like it to melt, please.

I just got an email from Hammacher Schlemmer advertising this 50 Foot Snowball Launcher with a three snowball capacity.

This might help to endure the next month or two.

Claire

Hey, a solution for the deer--for a day or two, anyway.

What was your local tally?

I received 11" of snow today.

I don't know the official tally, but while shoveling I estimated the snow to be about 8" deep in the lowest spots. Lot of wind so I can't be sure, but there were many spots higher than the 8".

Now there is a lovely layer of ice over all the shoveled areas. Nice.

:(
Dee

We didn't get much on the Cape, but it started with a lovely inch of ICE. A couple of inches of snow on top of that made for pretty awful slipping and sliding today.

Makes me feel better about having splurged on Uggs at the end of the season; that is the one and only silver lining I can come up with, and it's not all that silvery.

Here in mid maine (just south of Augusta) we have about a foot so far, and it looks like it is winding down at last. It's hard to tell exactly how much since it is really drifting a lot. At least it's not the heavy wet stuff we got in the last storm. At this point, I welcome mud season wholeheartedly.

lotsa rocks we were having the mud season. Friday way 60 and Saturday was mid 40's. The screening driveway was a muddy wet mess. It made it a absolute joy to snow blow with the machine digging into the junk.

My greenhouse stood up well to its first snow storm.

Hey, boxcar/Michael, you finished your greenhouse early! Congratulations!

About 4 inches of snow here, and the second wave of Red-winged Blackbirds is horrified. I went out this morning to get the paper and shoveled the birdfeeding areas first before tackling the paper path and part of the driveway.

Not everyone is annoyed at the snow - these two dogs are usually leashed, but their families must have given them a snow day and they made a Grand Tour of the neighborhood, checking out the yards and any accessible structures.

And then they were gone, as quickly as they came, and I hope the snow does the same.

Claire

Oh I hate shovelling snow! Tomorrow our snowblower is due to return from its overhaul at the repair center. Maybe when it comes back the snow will stop falling. (I shouldn't really complain since the really heavy snow fell to the east of us.)

But if snow weren't enough, high temp tomorrow is expected to be 10F rising to a balmy 17F the next day.

Will spring ever come?

This long cold thread of winter certainly covers a lot of snowstorm news and complaints. At least it's white insulation for my perennials. Claire, I always read your reports about Cape conditions since my seaside RI place is similar and we rarely get there over the winter; so I can get an idea of what the snow and wind is doing there.
pbgardener, Marin is so lovely that we're going out there for a week in April -- looking forward to seeing the wildflowers along the Marin Headlands trails. But meanwhile, let me tell you all of the Big Ironic Trip I took last week -- just returning to MA today. I drove down to Charleston SC to enjoy t shirt weather, biking, and the camellias in bloom. Got one good day, then rain then snow rushed in, followed by extreme cold and scary driving. So I'm giving up, heading back to the world of mukluks, snowblowers and Ice Melt sprinklers. Maybe next year (sigh).
But I did get to visit the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield NC! Off-topic for gardening, but her name is right.

Carol

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

It was 22 degrees at 6 a.m. on the Cape. Eliot was right. Cruel.

Yeah, I am feeling preetty done with winter just about now.

I read that verse the first time I saw it....and I just didn't get it. Now I know...not out of the woods 'til May? Right? May? (Please say its true....) :-)