Monday, April 23, 2012

April Snow

The snow fell all night and continues as I type. We've got close to a foot of heavy wet stuff on the ground. Many of the trees are coated and bent under the weight. Terry managed to get home from New Jersey around 8 PM when there was just a light dusting starting to stick to the dirt road and driveway. She said there was nothing but rain at the lower elevations.

We did lose power during the night. Sometime around 3:30 AM  Terry woke up and saw the clock was still on but at 5 AM it wasn't. Power came back at 6:30 AM. (It's great to live in a dairy farming area! Cows have to be milked and milk kept cold so power repairs are a priority.) The temperature in the house never got below 60 degrees thanks to the fire I had going last night and the lack of wind outside. Outside temperature is just around 29 degrees, too, which helps.  And the snow on the roof acts as even more insulation.

I'll have to get the tractor out and clear the driveway in a bit but as long as it's still snowing I can wait a while. The snow thrower won't do me much good with the kind of snow we've got. Too heavy and wet for it to be tossed very far and, once moved, it would just pack even more tightly.

The small birds are going nuts outside. The feeders are being mobbed by Pine Siskins, Goldfinches, Purple Finches and Chickadees as well as others.Although the ports are difficult to reach because of the snow they are doing alright. At least they haven't got to compete with the squirrels who are sleeping in this morning.

TV reports that there's only 2-3 inches of snow in Elmira but up to a foot in Ithaca, NY. West of here, over toward Erie, PA and up to Buffalo, NY there's more than a foot. I'll try to get some pictures of the snow before and after I clear the drive.

4 comments:

Ruth said...

We didn't get any here, or if we did it was only a bit that melted (which wouldn't surprise me). But we got a lot of rain, which my yard didn't need though I'll admit that some of the area did.

threecollie said...

I am so sorry that you have snow. I know it is not unprecedented or even particularly unusual, but that doesn't make it nice.

Rev. Paul said...

Glad you're dealing well with it. Now that all our snow tires are off, my truck is the only one that will still "go" in a late-season heavy snow. At least I don't have to climb any mountains to get home.

joated said...

Ruth and threecollie, You should be happy that you don't have to deal with the foot of heavy wet snow we've had. My buddy only got about 6" down near Jersey Shore and he's lost at least one flowering crab apple and, perhaps, all his early crop of beets, cabbage, lettuce, etc.

Paul, I could "go" if I had the ambition too (and cleaned out the road plow's leavings) but, being retired and all, the mail can wait one more day.