Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Hang On! Hope for Spring!


Maybe you've heard me say, "Oh, I just love winter!"  Maybe I even said it several times.  And usually, I do.  But I sure didn't love THIS winter!  Sub-zero mornings all through February.  Wind that drove that cold right down into my bones.  No thaws at all, so snow and ice just kept building up on the roof, and icicles almost reached the ground (like these on my neighbor's shed).

And then there were the leaks.  This mess is AFTER we paid a crew $400 to break up the ice dams along our eaves.  A day later, another snowstorm piled another heap on our roof that just wouldn't budge, despite the steep pitch and slippery slates.  Snowmelt water kept backing up under the slates and pouring down through our upstairs ceilings.




Ah well, no sense calling those guys back for another $400.  The damage has already been done.




Yeah, I've been feeling kinda grumpy.  I couldn't even bring myself to post a blog.  And then TODAY arrived!  Sunny and warm!  Almost 50!  Blue sky from horizon to horizon!  Hope returns!

To celebrate, I headed up to the Betar Byway in South Glens Falls.  No snowshoes for me, today.  No sir!  I wanted to swing my legs and feel clear pavement beneath my feet, and this wide plowed walkway that follows the Hudson River was just the ticket.




The river was still mostly frozen over here from shore to shore, but here and there I could see open water, dancing and sparkling as if in joy to be free at last!




Little streamlets, too, had cast off their ice and had carved meandering courses through the still-deep snow, splashing a happy music as they rushed along.





And oh, just look! The first flower of spring is getting ready to bloom, as the spathes of Skunk Cabbage start rounding out and coloring up.  Any day now, folks.   The Equinox is on its way!  Hooray!


4 comments:

Carolyn H said...

I didn't like this winter either. No thaw at all in January or February, no respite from the zero degree and below weather. And all my weekends were spent shoveling, not out playing in the snow.

Barbara C. said...

I feel your pain, Jackie, regarding the leaks this winter. We, too, have quite a mess in our family room. Professional shoveling solved the problem, but damage was already done. This week has a more hopeful feel to it, doesn't it? Happy walking!

The Furry Gnome said...

Ditto! But I will have to go nd check for Skunk Cabbage!

Uta said...

So sorry you have to deal with that now that the weather seams to get better. I do have snow drops growing along the south side of our house which give me hope and pleasure.