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The Blizzard, after…

Last night we heard a sound in the driveway that wasn’t wind.  Alex!   We wondered how he would manage with his plow.  Well, he didn’t.  He called in his big guns:

Alex to the rescue---with the frontloader.  So nice to have a neighbor-plow guy-town road commissioner with access to BIG stuff in addition to the big plow on his big pickup truck!  Love this photo because it shows how hard the wind is still blowing, lifting snow out of the bucket.  And notice that vast mound between the edge of the porch and the driveway....

Alex to the rescue—with the frontloader. So nice to have a neighbor-plow guy-town road commissioner with BIG stuff in addition to the big plow on his big pickup truck! Love this photo because it shows how hard the wind is still blowing, lifting snow out of the bucket. And notice that vast mound between the edge of the porch and the driveway….

I just stood in the kitchen looking out the window and laughed!    The “plow” pile grew so huge the big bucket on the frontloader (or is that a backhoe?  or two-in-one?) couldn’t reach over the top!

He's actually driving UP the plow pile to try to dump over to the back side.

He’s actually driving UP the plow pile to try to dump over to the back side.

And bless that man.  Remember that DEEP drift (about 3 1/2 feet deep) between the front door and the driveway in the first photo?):  Lookit what that nice man did….

Alex came in with the wide bucket empty, set it down gently, and then dragged all that snow back out to the center, then scooped it up to dump on the ginormous pile.  When that melts its gonna be a serious mudfest getting over to the garage!

Alex came in with the wide bucket empty, set it down gently about 4 feet from the edge of the deck, and then dragged all that snow back out to the center, then scooped it up to dump on the ginormous pile. That meant LOTS less shoveling for us! When the snow melts its gonna be a serious mudfest getting over to the garage!

Made us a wide clearing so we wouldn’t have to shovel as much.  DEFINITELY buying a snow blower before next winter!

This was the view out our bathroom window this morning.

This was the view out our bathroom window this morning.  Notice how high the drift is by the entry windows on the left.

And looking back at the house.  The photo above was taken from the window on the far left.  I was standing just uphill of the ginormous snow pile.

And looking back at the house. The photo above was taken from the window on the far left. I was standing just uphill of the ginormous snow pile for this photo.

It was a glorious crisp morning!  I love the strong shadows and the blueness of the snow

It was a glorious crisp morning! I love the strong shadows and the blueness of the snow and the wind-carved ridges in the snow.

Love those wind carvings so much I kept taking pictures.

Love those wind carvings so much I kept taking pictures. As I tell my students, there is quilt inspiration everywhere!

Eli spotted this cool overhang:  yes, that is a "corner" of snow hanging on the uphill side from the wind!

Eli spotted this cool overhang: yes, that is a “corner” of snow hanging on the uphill side from the wind!

Eli scraped the snow away under his feet to stand next to the drift from what blew over the roof.  He's almost 5'10" tall.  Love how the wind whips a channel next to the house.  We saw little tiny critter tracks in the snow near there.

Eli scraped the snow away under his feet to stand on the ground next to the drift from what blew over the roof. He’s almost 5’10” tall. Love how the wind whips a channel next to the house. We saw little tiny critter tracks in the snow near there.

Eli, Me with Widgeon, and Paul.  We got the gas grill back up on the porch, then set the camera on timer. For once I was going to get into the picture, too, as we aren't likely to see anything like this again for eons.  I mean...snow as tall as the eaves?

Eli, Me with Widgeon, and Paul. We got the gas grill back up on the porch, then set the camera on timer. For once I was going to get into the picture, too, as we aren’t likely to see anything like this again for eons. I mean…snow as tall as the eaves?  It may be routine in the mid-west, but not in Maine!

Eli hoists the King of the Mountain, as said king's leggies are too short to get him up to the top of the hill!

Eli hoists the King of the Mountain, as said king’s leggies are too short to get him up to the top of the hill!  Eli also needs to go back up there and retrieve the shovel he left up top!

And the storm clouds have cleared and we have that GLORIOUS view back.  Yes, the towns of Freedom and Liberty are off in the distance as we stand in Hope!  I LOVE MAINE!

And the storm clouds have cleared and we have that GLORIOUS view back. Yes, the towns of Freedom and Liberty are off in the distance as we stand in Hope! I LOVE MAINE!

And yes, I really DO have art and quilting to share…stay tuned!  First post is tomorrow.

And a PS:  our neighbor is wonderful, but plowing is part of his business!  He gets paid for plowing, but he does it well and responsibly and promptly every snowfall.  It can snow overnight, and when we get up at 6 am the driveway is already plowed most often!  Lots of folks here in Maine have 2 and 3 jobs, including seasonal ones.  The landscaping folks work the earth when it is visible, and plow in winter, for example.  And MANY people buy a plow for their truck and then earn extra money plowing in their neighborhood.   It’s the way life is here in Maine, and I expect in most of the northern tier of the US where snow is prevalent.

 

 

 

8 Responses to “The Blizzard, after…”

  1. Island Threads Says:

    amazing photos Sarah, look’s beautiful but must be cold, we are calm of winds just now I’m hoping next weekend is relatively calm as I hope to go to Inverness on the mainland, yes I can imagine you had similar winds in Friday Harbour to those I have here but like us minus the snow, it’s the snow that stops everything moving, unless of course they have a great neighbour like you have. Frances x

  2. JACQUIE Says:

    Looks like the snows I remember from my childhood. Love the snow texture photos! Print on fabric?

  3. Geri Says:

    How lucky are you to get blue sky with all the white stuff! Here in the Uk we have very few days like that. It’s mostly grey and dismal and even the snow is just like grey slush in no time. Find it hard to get any inspiration on these grey days and then all of a sudden a bright one comes along!!!!!

  4. Marie Z. Johansen Says:

    Now THAT’s snow! Yikes. My and’s ache looking at it. Then again there is nothing as beautiful as the brilliant sun that follows one of those storms. Yes, I am still East Coast home sick!

  5. Donna Keller Says:

    Yay Alex! It’s awesome to have a snow moving friend. The snow is so very beautiful! Thanks again for sharing.
    D~~~~

  6. Debby Harwell Says:

    I love the virtual blizzard from the comfort of my southern livingroom! It looks like a lot of snow even for you northern snow lovers! So glad to see that you have a very resourceful neighbor that got you dug out before you went crazy! I don’t mind being snowed in for a couple of days, but then it’s nice to know you can get out if you need to! That much snow down here would close everything down for at least a week or maybe even two depending on how fast the sun came out to start the solar snow removal machine, good old fashion melting and in the south we’re not in a rush for anything. Thanks for your wonderful photo journalism and thank the rest of your family for their help in presenting the story from their prespective!

  7. Robin Koehler Says:

    AMAZING!!! Love the wind carving photos–Stay Warm!

  8. jo Page Says:

    HI Sarah, Thanks for shareing. They are beautiful photos and that is a lot of snow. Living in Australia it hard to imagine that much snow outside your door. If i wont snow i have to drive two day south to the snow fields and hope they have had a snow fall the night befor.You are lucky to have such a generous neighbour and one with a backhoe as well.Here in Aust we have a saying for someone so helpful, give the man a
    beer. Which is a way of saying thanks mate.Its great that you are all safe. Looking forward to your next post of quilts. Thanks to all the family for sharing. Happy quilting Cheers JO 🙂