Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve always liked the change of the seasons, but this winter has been especially cold and, in case you haven’t seen the news recently, snowy in the Eastern part of the US.
Here at our home in Westminster, MD we are almost at the top of the highest part of Carroll County, at about 1138 ft. above sea level. One of our kids had done a paper on the curvature of the earth many years ago and we had to get a US Geodetic Survey map that showed elevations, contours, etc. and we found out that piece of elevation information that has stuck there in the back of the brain. That elevation also is exactly the same height as the top of the Television Tower in Baltimore, which is 38 miles from here as the crow flies. You can see it from the top of the hill on a clear night.
It’s generally about 5-8 degrees colder here than about 5 miles away in the city of Westminster and not a bad thing, until this winter. It began rather inconspicuously. This spring, summer, and fall we had about 16 inches less rainfall than normal. We have a spring fed pond in the rear of the property and the springs dried up for the first time in the 23 years that we’ve lived here. The pond level dropped about 18 inches; grass dried up at all the neighbors’ houses. Our lawn, fortunately, is made up of variegated species of Americanus Weedius Dandylionezze which stayed green and somewhat lush during the summer. No chemicals for us.
Then came the winter, and as the almanac predicted but missed by only one week, we got slammed with snow the third weekend in February. There has been snow on the ground at our place since Christmas Eve. It was beautiful then, and melted from everyone’s yard but ours: something about being on the twilight side of the hill.
Remember, I’m in Maryland, the capital of Panicsville when there is a call for 1-2 inches of snow. If you were at the grocery store and saw the run on toilet paper you would think that is was going to snow prunes here. No one gets anything but TP, bread and milk. What do these people do during the normal weeks? What do they use, old Sears catalogs?
Maybe you can explain it to me. They actually sell packages of TP with 28 rolls. I don’t understand all I know about that. And they were out of it!
Well, we’ve been eased into the snow this year: 4", 6-8", ½-2" (which is worse for traffic than 8"), and finally starting Saturday Feb. 15, the snow of snows. 27": the most ever recorded in the Baltimore area during one storm. That 27" was on top of the 8" plus the 2" of "light dusting" earlier last week. Tuesday Feb. 18, there was another 2" of powder just to make it pretty.
Now I’m reasonably astute for a 60 year old. I plowed the first 10" Sunday before Church, came home and plowed another 8". I also made room for the additional 10" that was expected during the night. Put this into perspective because you can only push the snow so far with a 17 HP lawn tractor with a snow plow blade that is 15" high and 42" wide. So, anticipating the worst, I pushed snow off the drive and about 3 feet onto the buried lush lawn.
Went to bed. Got up Monday early. Looked outside and saw that the wind had blown and drifted the snow into mounds that were about six feet high in places. No kidding; six feet high down to about 18". OK, I have an engineering background. I can out think this minor problem. I get out the snow blower with, you guessed right, an electric start. Plug it in, prime it, set the choke, and push the button. You all know that I like John Deere products: I’ve had this snow blower for the last 18 years and it’s great. And it works beautifully. "Let the machine do the work. Guide it: operate it." That’s what my Dad used to say. He’s still right. He died 25 years ago, but I still miss talking to him at times. He would have liked this snow storm.
I digress: when the 6-8" fell earlier this year, we had two of our grand-daughters spend the night, Emily four, and Carly, three. Mary was in taking care of her Mom, and I took the girls out for rides down the driveway in the saucers we had bought last year, when it didn’t snow one inch all winter.
You folks have seen me walk with my cane: you should see me get ready to walk in the snow. You should see me with the vise grips clamped to the back of my boots pulling my boots on, with the skate hook pulling the zipper of the coat up, and with the shoestring tied on my pants zipper. Then I have to put on my15 year old snowsuit pants. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes, but I’m an awesome sight.
Then I have to help the girls with their snowsuits, mittens, hats, boots and scarves. I almost have to shave again it’s taken so long. But, we are outside now and the night air is invigorating.
We had put low wattage mercury vapor lights about 35’ high up in the trees years ago shining down on the driveway just for the kids, big and little, to be able to see when they go sleigh riding at night. It really is beautiful with light filtering down through the tree branches, kind of like moonlight. The 8" of snow was plowed to one side and was banked up about two feet. A perfect night with the two of them.
All of my grandchildren call me Grumpy. Go figure that one out.
Emily and Carly take the first ride down the hill, and up the embankment, around the corner and out of sight, down into the back yard. Screams! ……. well, I can’t even walk four steps to see around the corner in the time they went 250 feet on the sleds …….. of delight. Thank God; no one hurt, just deliriously happy. "Grumpy! Grumpy!" They shouted as they carried the sled back up to where I was waiting. I was the epitome of Grandfathers: two thrilled young girls who just had the first great snow ride of their lives, and wanted to, no, had to run as fast as they could back up to where I was standing.
With all my years of raising our four children, I had forgotten that one simple rule: no snowsuits unless you go to the bathroom first. Two of them running into the house, hurrying: zippers, mittens, scarves, snowsuits, clothing, underwear, etc. We all made it unscathed and without incident. Then re-dressed them both and back outside for an hour and a half of one of the best evenings ever. Grumpy’s New Rule about snowsuits, Bathroom First, will be remembered for a long time, especially by me!
A great product: YAX-TRAX, sold by Herrington Catalog, is fantastic. I’m more sure-footed with them on in the snow that I am in shoes on dry pavement. Check that out for yourselves if you have any ice or snow where you live. They are like tire chains for your boots, and they work better that the advertisement says. I’ve only fallen down twice recently, both times at strategic locations where there were at least two men larger than me who lifted me up by my belt, one on each side. Thank you to them.
In the time since I started this, last week, we have had three more snows which made it the most ever in Maryland. While it has been both baneful and beautiful, the kids will be in school until the fourth of July, the day after it all finally melts.
Stay well, and smile,
John
March 1, 2003