a cold wind was blowing from the north

1.29.22 ~ sunrise

So, the facts and figures have been determined. We had blizzard conditions for over 8 hours yesterday. And, Groton’s snow total was 21.5 inches! The wind chills were below zero every time I checked. I took pictures through the glass every once in a while, all the following are in order, but I can’t remember the exact times I took them.

snow collected by first light
(the shadow is from a security light)
river birch from my kitchen window
snow swirls and drifting from the wind
an attempt to photograph the wind gusts
and still more snow
the mini snow plow seemed overwhelmed
this little table has turned out to be a great way to illustrate snow depths

Before it got too dark we opened the front door to take a couple of pictures of the garden. We had to push hard on the screen/storm door to move the snow out of the way.

the wind blew the snow inside the storm door to decorate the winter wreath
our garden
our car in the middle
one last picture before dark

The last time we had a blizzard like this was seven years ago on January 27, 2015.

Today we were hoping to go to the Essex Ed Groundhog Day Parade but it was canceled because of the storm and how long it will take to clean up the roads and parking lots. Sigh. Itā€™s something fun to look forward to between the winter solstice and spring equinox! Maybe next year…

Instead, it looks like today we will try to brave the cold and shovel some snow off the balcony. I don’t even want to think about getting to the car, although it looks like the sidewalks were shoveled overnight.

36 thoughts on “a cold wind was blowing from the north”

    1. You’re welcome, Peggy! And after a couple of frigid days our temperatures are supposed to get up to 50Ā° on Thursday.

      1. Roller-coaster weather. We had 13 degrees yesterdat morning and 30 degrees this morning. We are due for more weather like this in the next few days.

        1. It was 7Ā° this morning ~ no snow melting today! We might be getting an ice storm on Friday, but I hope the forecast will change before then…

    1. Lol! No! I will not be making snow angels today! I’ll be doing well if I get out there to push the snow off the balcony. šŸ™‚

        1. šŸ¤£ I don’t know, but our snow removal contractors for the condo complex disappeared yesterday without finishing the job. And schools are closed today because the town hasn’t finished digging out…

    1. Thank you, Donna! We usually store that table away inside over the winter but now I’m glad we were feeling too unmotivated to do that this year. We left the snow on the table when we shoveled off the balcony, so now we can watch the melting progression…

  1. Oh man! What a great photo story of snow piling up, as it is wont to do. I feel for you. We got snow but maybe 4″ which is quite manageable for us. Stay safe, stay warm. ā›„ļø

    1. Thank you, Ally! My sister lives about 50 miles north of us and she only got 5″. Much more manageable and enjoyable. I’m content to wait another seven years for more of this much snow… ā„ļø

  2. Brrr! That patio table is a perfect illustration of the snow piling up. We used to get snows like that every few years here. Now, not so much. What we’ve had this year has been frigid temperatures and not much sunshine. I’m not having to shovel as much, but it’s far too cold (and dangerous) for me to walk Monkey. Enjoy burrowing in for a spell!

    1. It’s those below zero temperatures that get the better of me, too. We shoveled the snow off the balcony yesterday, but left the mound on top of the table so I can watch it melt. It was very sunny and our very kind neighbors dug our car out for us, but so far we’re staying put. School is cancelled because the town still hasn’t finished clearing the parking lots…

  3. 21.5 inches! That’s a lot–even more than our last storm by an inch or two. It sure is hard to photograph the swirls of blowing snow, isn’t it? Almost impossible. But you showed a lot here. Hope you shovelers are staying safe and not overdoing it.

    1. We shoveled the snow off of the balcony ~ that was enough for one day! Then our very kind neighbors dug our car out for us. Thanks, Kathy, it was fun trying to capture the swirls of blowing snow, even if just capturing a little wisp of the magic.

  4. Great blizzard photo journal, Barbara! Definitely took me back to my Colorado blizzard challenges. Luckily the snow will melt! In the meantime, I enjoyed seeing the snow flakes attached to the window of the views with the table tracking reports. Fingers crossed that all continues to go well and those groundhogs keep you in good company!

    1. Thank you, TD! I can imagine that blizzards are a far more common occurrence in Colorado than they are here. ā„ļø It’s been seven years… That’s enough excitement for me for the next seven years! The groundhogs have been enjoying the show and are looking forward to their upcoming outing on February 2nd, weather permitting. šŸ˜‰

    1. It was something else and I’m so grateful we didn’t lose power. Still haven’t ventured out and about, definitely snowbound!

  5. I bopped over to see if you had posted anything today – this is just incredible Barbara. I have seen people do time-lapse videos on Twitter when there is a record snowfall and they often use chair or table on a patio to measure snow – this is incredible. Finish that book and put your feet up. Our Tuesday – Thursday storm is now predicted to be 8-12 inches unless it takes a different track (please take a different track). And it comes with ice. Ugh, no double ugh. Walking will take a a substantial hit if that happens. Glad you and Tim are safe.

    1. I’m still not inclined to go anywhere today and it looks like the town is having trouble getting all the roads and parking lots cleared — school was canceled today. Hope your coming storm doesn’t hit you too badly. It’s supposed to hit us Friday as a “wintry mix,” which usually means ice or freezing rain or sleet at some point. I know you’ll be careful and not walk if it gets too treacherous out there, but I send you best wishes to stay safe and warm! You’re pretty good at catching up in the spring. šŸ™‚ (The plows have returned!) ā„ļø

      1. That will be rough for you getting out for a while and our snowstorm, if it tracks on schedule is going to be 12-18 inches … they’ve upped the amounts today. You are right Barbara – I’ll walk tomorrow and that is probably it until Sunday, if not beyond that. I will try to catch up in Spring – last year I did get caught up, then we had all the torrential rain and it was often on the weekends.

        1. As long as you don’t give up! I admire how you don’t get discouraged and wind up walking again as soon as the ice melts and all is safe again. We’re probably just getting the freezing rain and sleet with only a possible dusting of snow on the tail end of it. And then into the deep freeze this weekend. Sigh. It will be a skating rink out there for quite a while. Enjoy your 12-18 inches if you can!

          1. Well with today’s snowfall of four inches, we should only get to ten inches, falling short of the original total, but we’re getting more snow for Saturday morning. Then I may take the camera out when I go out or walk on Sunday. Be careful of that ice … I had ice under the snow and I did not clear to the cement as it was very heavy to lift … bladed off the top which was bad enough as it was heavy. We have single digits tonight – back to dripping faucets, open cupboards and small loads of laundry at night and early morning to keep the pipes warm.

          2. Ten inches is nothing to sneeze at! We’ve had more freezing rain and still more on tap for today. Sigh… I want to get out to the post office to mail Valentine’s Day cards to my grandchildren on time. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Frustrated because we can’t seem to get out for enough walks and that makes me lethargic and grumpy… Cabin fever! Good luck keeping your pipes unfrozen and your power on! Stay safe working on that ice!

  6. All I can say is Wow! My brother in Fairfield said they only got 9 inches, but further East in Connecticut there was much more. Thanks for the photos!

    1. You’re welcome, Timi! Yes, usually the northwest hills in Connecticut get the most snow and the southeast coast gets the least, but this time it was totally reversed. Definitely a change of pace. šŸ˜‰

  7. Hi. I just sent you a long comment but it seems to have been swallowed up – maybe by that amazing great blue heron. Your photos are tremendous. And so great to HEAR birds. I miss bird song so much in the winter and is one of the things I look forward to the most in the spring. Well, that and warmer weather. I never would have known what that ‘nest’ was all about. Wonderful!

    1. Arghhh… it’s so frustrating when that happens! I checked my spam queue and found nothing. Thank you for leaving a comment here, though, my friend. Although I’ve been spotting great blue herons a little more frequently these days, my heart still skips a beat when I see one and manage to get a photograph. šŸ™‚ I’m waiting for bird songs, too. A couple chickadees so far staking out their territories with their “fee-bee” calls.

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