It snowed quite a lot last week. I happened to visit a friend who lives on a lake in the area with a fast flowing brook/stream past her house.
A typical winter NS winter scene.
Winter Wonderland
Winter
A Winter Walk
A friend and I took a winter walk in Shubie Park this afternoon. It snowed this morning but began clearing around 2:00 so we decided to brave the weather and did the canal walk for a short distance.
The Canal
Cold enough for the snow to remain on the branches; the walking not too slippery underfoot with just enough snow on the paths for decent traction. Lots of people and pets were out enjoying the not quite sunny afternoon.
The ducks are used to being fed by visitors so groups of them paddle quickly to wherever they see people stopping to enjoy the view ever hopeful some food will show up. Unfortunately we hadn’t brought anything to feed them.
(BTW these are colour photos, the shadows lightened a tiny bit.)
White Out!
White Out
We’re in the middle of a full blown blizzard – heavy blowing snow, so heavy that all I see from my windows is white. This weather is expected to last into tomorrow morning – there are actually two storms which have converged and are moving slowly across the region. I’m SO glad I made it home from Toronto last night because had I not managed to catch a flight yesterday in that narrow window of storm in Toronto (preventing take-off) and storm in Halifax (preventing landing) I’d be stuck in Toronto until at least Wednesday!
So this is a day to lay low and read, make soup, do laundry, and sew or knit or watch movies. Doesn’t matter what, just to snuggle up warmly and be a vegetable. Fingers crossed power will stay on.
Winter Wonderland
It snowed here yesterday – quite a bit of light blowing snow. The drifts on my back deck were, let’s say, interesting. I was just able to open my backdoor enough to get out and shovel off the top step. Then captured a picture of the drifting snow.
And today my amaryllis is in FULL bloom – 8 flowers at the same time – never been this lucky before. The red just glows.
Winter in Halifax 2016
This is my back deck just after our second snowfall last week. Both snowfalls were wet and heavy but the undisturbed expanse looks lighter. It won’t all melt before our next storm arrives whenever so the snow will continue to accumulate.
Let’s hope I don’t get the accumulation I experienced last winter!
Spring!
Ann Williamson shared some lovely spring photos from Portland OR today: 
This is one of several photos of spring in full bloom.
Then I look at my back deck: 
The towering cap of snow on the shed has grown smaller but we’ve a long way to go.
And out my front door:
It’s a wonderful sunny day today, but more snow is in the forecast for tomorrow.
I’ve taken this crazy winter in stride for the most part but I am beginning to wonder if we’ll ever see spring. I sure hope our vegetation has survived under the snow!
Spring? – No Definitely Winter!
2:30 – There’s a hint of sunlight – the snow has lightened – time to clear out the trench I dug this morning between my house and Joan’s.
I get the front step cleared and decide to head toward the parking lot, somewhere on the other side of some deep drifts.
I dig straight out from the house – a single shovel width, then I have to make a right turn, into the drift! I keep digging, each foot forward is six shovelsfull – a little off the top, dig a bit deeper until I finally reach the pavement.
I’m about 2/3 of the way to the parking lot (that’s filled with drifted snow), when Vern comes by on the way to his backyard (can’t get his back door open) to shovel a path for Sophie, his golden lab.
I persuade him it’s futile, he should help me finish my trench, then I’ll help him dig out his front door so Sophie can get out into the parking lot.
We get my trench dug, then start on Vern’s – Donna comes out to join the shovelling gang.
We dig our way from their front doors, past my car (that’s what’s peeking out of the snow on the left) .
This is me, in my snowsuit, in my trench – you can see the snow has drifted well above Donna’s and my heads! God knows where the snow plow will put the snow! There is simply nowhere for it to go. And I don’t expect we’ll get dug out tomorrow – probably not for a couple of days. And the weatherman’s calling for more snow on Saturday.
Shovelling My Front Door Open
I was able to push my storm door (which opens out) wide enough to squeeze through. Dressed in my one-piece ski suit (which I bought at Frenchy’s for $6 several years ago), shovel in hand, I began moving snow off the stoop, then the step, then the pavement. That’s as much as I did – a narrow path to my neighbour Joan’s to clear away the snow from her front door, too. Although we’d not get far, I felt we should be able to get out the front door!
It took me 15 minutes to shovel this small path – you can see how deep the drifts are. Later today (should we be lucky enough that the snowfall stops) I will have to shovel my way around the drifts to get to my car which is nearly buried now so I can clean it off. I don’t imagine we’ll see a snow plough around here anytime soon.
In the meantime I will work at keeping that small path from filling in with blown snow.
Spring?
Here we are two days away from spring and the snow on my back deck now reaches a quarter of the way up my living room window; the drift is nearly to the top of the fence and no end in sight. I’d open my back door and use the snow as a refrigerator except I’d not be able to close the door again!
The snow is still coming down heavily, blowing and swirling and the drifting is increasing in depth. I haven’t looked out my front door – I could see my car nearly buried from one of my upstairs windows.
Ok, this is my view from the front door!
It’s going to take days to dig out! And we’re expecting more snow on the weekend.
Can you imagine being down south and arriving home to this – not even being able to get in the house.
It’s a great day for sewing!
Contrast
Notice the juxtaposition of the orchid in my livingroom and the snow outside! That’s winter in Canada for you.
I have four Phaels in bloom and I was taking pictures this morning when I discovered this one – with the snow in the backrgound. Mid-February – it won’t be long before the snow begins to disappear and then soon there will be flowers in my outdoor deck garden again.
jmn 