Winter Beach

Life can be a Winter Beach...

The past week I've taken a few quick walks to the nearby frozen coves. More snow, more sub-z s, Many layers n double-thick hats.

Nice n quiet outdoors, no one else venturing about for fun, n I wouldn't bother except attempts to take more snow at the beach n ice pics to play with. Winter finds us doing strange things to entertain ourselves....

I haven't had much free time this winter really.

My house chores are piling up again. I don't feel motivated to do the dusty spots having been feeling semi-sick n over-tired all week. Alot of work n store folks around me are sick with colds n flu lately- Hope I'm not next-

Much anxiety figuring out how to get taxes done - Need some publications read first, n then do all those fun worksheets n calculations. Taxes always stress me out, so much dry reading for so little return funds, n so time consuming.

These scenes are normal winter fare here in the NorthEast USA- I feel bad for the Southern states which got nailed with surprise ice n snow disruptions the past few days. I hope the situation clears up for the affected folks soon. Seems we're all taking turns getting a weather-time-out with odd climate conditions these days.

Me, I'll be glad to have 20 F degrees back for later today. (It's 7 F now). Pics are the M-cove after the deep snow storm last week  Had a few more inches n took more ice pics of the other cove today to upload. Now time to reload the hot water bottles n catch a nap before another busy day...

Hope you're staying warm...

Today's Snow

Today's snow was quite a show-
About 18 inches n drifted higher in my driveway as usual. TG I didn't have to hurry to get somewhere. So I puttered about in the 20 F cold about 2.5 hours this afternoon, n the Sun even made an appearance.

All needed shoveling got done, because it was easy to move, n will get heavier with time. I even took a little walk down near the Boat Ramp Beach I can see from the kitchen window. I like it pretty n pristine without tracks messing it up yet.

The half-buried dinghy looks very sleepy, I think...
I still am sleepy too.

I think I see a big Yellow Cat with an open mouth here...
holding up some kind of canopy with ears sticking thru.

I did sleep about 10 hours, n am right back to my old up all night schedule. Hopefully I can get in some errands tomorrow to be ready for another workweek. Everything was closed today anyhow, so I didn't bother

Sometimes ir's tough getting snow pics to alter into good color combos, but I like these.  My imagination always feels a boost from seeing the strange combinations.

I've had some ham, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, n an onion in the slow cooker all night. Almost time to go eat some finally- I think I earned chocolate for desert today too.

Here's the path I made to take that first photo....

More deep snow pics I took today will likely appear here soon...

Blizz: take II

Some winters one Blizzard isin't enough, so they keep rollin' on up the Eastern seaboard n make me shovel a ton of white stuff in order to get in n out of the building. This one is again hitting the SouthEast of the state hardest n more, (Where I live). 

Of course, bitter, life-threatening cold temperatures n snowfall is never enough reason to cancel work, even when authorities have the sense to cancel schools a day ahead. But they do tell us the day before to come in very early to finish early, so the delivery is out before the bulk of the Storm makes it impossible for the drivers to return. Not to do it would mean eating an unpaid day...

So after missing regular sleep on Monday- in order to wash blankets to keep my indoor allergies in check at the village laundrymat, now closed on my Days Off - I had to go into work 8 hours earlier after barely getting another two hours of sleep. Somehow the constant movement kept me alert.

Then I got home about 6 pm, when normally I'd just be in the first stage of the daily production, right in the middle of storminess. TG tomorrow is Day Off! My feet are throbbing, n I'm exhausted, but all keyed up on too much tea caffeine. My poor eyeballs are red as a beet, also protesting the lack of restorative slumber.

Yet here I am, attempting to post, due to my two day withdrawal from not having time to be online unless giving up my 2-hour pittance of zzz s...
You better believe I'll sleep a double before shovel time - right, after I see if this works today. Reading time tomorrow probably. Clean blankets, here I come... zzz

Pic is the Boat Ramp Beach the day after Blizz I.

Harbor Ice

There was alot of ice on the main Front Beach water, on the right side of the pier. It's not all smooth like freshwater, n not good for skating. It's grainy, n breaks up with the constant water motion.

The thing about sea ice is, the tide goes in n out, so at low tide you can stand on the ice resting on sand n still be fairly safe. (which I did, but these pics were all taken from the pier).

Much easier to look at the ice now that we've had several days above freezing on a very long January thaw. A few more days, n we'll get back to icy times here again according to the weather predictors. We've been doing damp, foggy, n in the 40's, not good for arthritis aches. Or seeing the halo around the Full Moon.

Today I actually took off n put away the Little Tree deck lights n power cord, usually impossible under normal icy conditions.

So many businesses have scaled back for slow season now- I recently learned the village Laundry-mat has closed for three days per week, including both of my Days Off. Looks like I'll only be able to get there if I take  time off work or skip a workday's sleep! 

I predict alot more bucket washing n missed sleep in my near future until May... Hopefully with less ice.

All of the altered images in this post came from this original photo. I like the texture changes.

Ice Writing

Last week when the temp rose to above 20 F, I went to the village pier after picking up the mail to check out the ice. So coming up soon are more of these pics.

I just really like these altered versions gleaned from a simple pic of a long, wavy line of shrunken down snow leading up The left edge of the wide pier.

The original isin't bad either...

Keep Shoveling

Finally I got a couple Snow pics in here from the first week of the year. It was about 14 inches n drifted higher. It was over the second step when I went out to shovel the front walkway. I stopped for a minute to take this pic.

Most has melted away on the one almost 50 degree, foggy night we had last Monday. It's been below freezing n Arctic again here since that.

 This is the same sidewalk angle as shown previously  here. It was too soft to walk on top of the snowbank, n too deep to go thru to even use the sidewalks.

Freezin' Breezes

What a way to begin a new year- Freezin' the blitzes out of our britches! "Polar Vortex" the new description of the US weather. I feel bad for the southern folks who don't have heat or heavy coats, n can't deal with the extreme conditions.

At least up North here we do this several times a winter, so are prepared for the drill of needing warm clothes, a shovel, n rock salt on hand.

I'd like to thank the LL.Bean Company of Portland Maine for opening a new branch nearby last year, where this fall I got returned boots on sale 50% off for $40 (usually $120), n the warmest gloves I've ever had for about $30. Also, the large, lined purple over-"Shirt" received as a gift years ago n was rated as good up to -50 F for hiking,  I've been using as a coat over a flannel shirt, hoodie, n another insulated over-shirt, has made walking in sub-zero temps possible.

With my usual 3 layers of shirts on, that makes 7 layers in all! Did I mention long underwear is on first, bottoms plus top, n 2-3 pairs of socks.

Then I add-on the head a fleece ear-band, a wide scarf twice, (around neck, then face)  n double thick knit hat under the hoodie hood. 

A great way to render your-self unrecognizable, n looking like your ready to rob a bank... I recently noticed a sign on the bank door requesting to remove head gear n sunglasses before entering. Can't blame them really, but it's been so Freezin'!

At home Mischief has 3 hot water filled jars around the sides of her new for Xmas kitty bed, n I've moved up to 5 kettle-water jars in the chair here with several throw blankets on top. I think keeping warm with moving around is easier, like doing the laundry. If you go outside, then back in- it tends to feel warmer in the house too. I'm so glad today's chores are finally done... Blanket here I come!

It's still under 20 F out there now, but that's summer-
time compared to yesterday!

I'm cold just looking at these guys out in the winter cove water a few weeks ago. I haven't taken ice pics out there yet, it's pretty frozen- No one is out there this week! Hope to upload some of the deep snow pics from a few days ago sometime soon from a remote location, if I feel like another walk out there... or maybe next week!

Hope you all found good ways to deal with that Artic blast-

More Recent Thoughts

The past year I've been visiting with some old, paperback books, courtesy of the free exchange shelf at the Post Office. I'm currently right in the middle of Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller, published way back in 1961, about his life in New York City when he lived there, quite a wild existence read about so far. Some could be put off by the described amorality found in there, btw- n from the pre- '60s era!

Written in a stream of thought form, some parts are tough to absorb, since it contains so much description of where his brain was at the time. There is much flashing back to his past from what he's getting at.  I was stopped in my reading tracks about a week ago, after reading a section which rang so true, I've not been able to quit thinking about his point. I even tried to describe the concept to a few folks, that bread never tastes better than when you are ten years old... as related to how children think of Christmas time.

Here's the defining paragraph which held my attention so long:

"... What I am thinking of, with a certain amount of regret and longing, is that this thoroughly restricted life of early boyhood seems like a limitless universe and the life which followed upon it, the life of the adult, a constantly diminishing realm. From the moment one is put to school one is lost; one has the feeling of having a halter put around his neck. Getting the bread becomes more important than eating it. Everything is calculated and everything has a price upon it. ..."
- (quote from page 129, P-2)

As the current blizzard rages outside, with winds pulling the heat out, n while playing the movie Avitar again in the BG, I'm writing this. I've always known that conformity limits potential n creativity, even if it's necessary for being part of a civilization.

I think we all remember how good the bread of infinite possibility tasted when we were young...

N ice New Ice

Yep, no party for me, I had to work New Year's Eve. Six Days-in-a-row due to last week's different days off schedule.
I did at least stop working for a minute at midnight to text "Happy New Year" to a few folks. Usually I can't get ahold of anyone that late because they're all sleeping... A few even texted back- but I had to keep working n phones aren't allowed on the production floor.

I celebrated today by sleeping late, n making Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies for a treat. They came out great- I'm waiting on errands another day.

I've decided I could never do my boss' job this week. All the local employers are laying off holiday help left n right before the New Year for the lowest business season here. Some PT folks were laid off until springtime at my job, n hours were all cut back a few for everyone. The atmosphere at work has been very oppressive all week.

A large snowstorm is forecast for Thursday n Friday here, so I'm betting there may be more missed hours as management rushes out orders for earlier delivery to go around it. If it's as bad as the news said, I might not go in for Friday. I'm in the 10 to 14 inches snow-zone it now says. Oy!

I'll just be really happy if the power stays on for the heat this time. Last year I went without heat two separate weeks, so I'm prepared n paranoid! The temps are diving to singles as this system exits. It'll make this December ice into a cake-walk...

I'm hoping the predictions are over-done. I'm due for a better year - We all are!