Thursday, January 13, 2011

Light Snow Drifting

 It is a winter with lots of cold and enough snow to keep the ground white most of the time. And yet the snowfalls have been generally light.
 On Tuesday, for example, they predicted 3-5", and most of the area had figures along those lines. But here, I had no more than 2.5". Yet even with so slight a snow, the local schools closed. Then the wind picked up and took the light, powdery snow and piled it into drifts.


 Our back porch was a perfect example. At the edge of the concrete where it drops to another walkway by the garage, the airy snow was swept into marvelous drifts, a couple of feet deep. It certainly looked like the blizzard of a few years ago. And yet on the level I might have walked across the yard in no more than a pair of casual shoes.
 I must note here another example of our wonderful neighbor's kindness. D R Coffman, who lives a mile away, woke me a little past 6 a.m. when I heard an engine slow down before our house and headlights pirouette across my bedroom ceiling. He was plowing out our driveway. He made a pass back, carefully avoiding the overhanging pines and swept the driveway apron clean. I lay there and listened, snug beneath the electric blanket while he worked in the dark. When I finally got up, about 7:45 a.m., the driveway was clear and he was gone. What a great guy! He expects nothing in return, surely does this work for the pleasure it brings him alone. I cannot thank him enough. We are all getting old enough that having a clear driveway is a real blessing.
 Even today the snow continues to fly. It is now no more than flurries. But what a winter!
 If I look across the front yard, I see only an occasional mound of dirt poking above the snow. It is where moles are tunneling, proving the world is still active beneath the cold soil. I don't know if I should be happy or not.