Western New York @ MindSay 
I don't really mind the snow. It is one of those things we learn to live with in the wintry northeast. A little snowfall here and there is nice. Just enough to coat everything in a beautiful blanket of wintry white. I have a wood stove in the family room with a screen insert so I can enjoy a glass of wine now and then while sitting in front of the fire all toasty and warm while watching the snow gently falling outside. It is just those every so often winter storms with the all at once heavy snowfall I don't care for. We have had 3 or 4 so far (I am not really sure as I have lost count) this winter season and it is not even officially winter yet. I do have a 4 wheel drive SUV so it is not a major problem getting around if I have to. I am just not all that excited about having to clear the driveway and walkway so I can get into and out of the house. I suppose I could just drive over the snow in the driveway but eventually it would get so high if I did not clean it up I would never make it back into the garage again. Besides that if I drive over it again and again it would just leave icy ridges all over and I might not even make it back into the driveway. So if I must clear it out, I must. A little exercise never hurt anyone. Well, maybe a few people, but not everyone.
The latest storm was not as bad as they had predicted. At least not in my immediate area. Surrounding areas had more in some places and some had less. It varies from day to day and storm to storm. It was snowing again when I went out to clean up the last snowfall from the weekend yesterday and it continued to snow most of the day. You may not see it in most of the images as they were reduced somewhat to fit the page and for faster loading. The snowfall was not very heavy, just the nice gentle flurries you would like to watch from inside while sipping a glass of wine by the fire. Which is where I would have rather been. The following photo's are a few images of my 2 to 3 hour wintry workout with a few winter animations added for fun.
The first step was to open the garge door to see what I was in for. It kind of makes you want to go back inside where it is cozy and warm and take a nice nap.
It doesn't look all that bad. The worst part is in the front where the town snow plows packed in all the salted ice and slush.
Time to do a little digging to make room for the snow blower.
I think that is enough of the fun with the shovel. Time to get Mr. snow blower out and clean up the remaining mess.
With the major portion finished it was time to clean up and touch up the remaining spots.
I could just as easily hire some snow plowing service but some of them do more damage to the driveway and lawn and generally leave more of a mess. Besides, I can do a much nicer and more thorough job.
Now, doesn't that look so much more clean and nice. It looks better than the previous cleanup post with all the leaves and junk all over the place.
Another cleanup job well done. Now it is time to go back into the warm and cozy indoors and make some lunch.
That is about it for now until the next big event. I do want to do a little exploring in the next day or so to see if I can find some interesting scenes to photograph around the area.
Until then, have a safe, warm, snuggly and cozy week.
That isn't about to happen. Not for a while anyway. After 2 days of snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow, sleet, snow etc, (Not necessarily in that order) I decided it was about time to go out in the cold and clean up the mess yesterday. It wasn't all that bad even though the temperature was in the low 20's. Since I had not been out doing much recently it was probably time I did something constructive. "I guess I needed the freak. .in exer. .cise" *I mumbled somewhat loudly in my best Jack Nicholson imitation*. (Since you couldn't hear me just assume it was my best imitation). Besides, playing in the snow is fun.
I didn't want to bring my good camera outside with me so I used my cell phone camera to take a few pics. Since I have a Verizon cell phone I thought maybe I would be able to get some of the thousands of network assistants to help me out so I could finish faster. You know, the ones you see on the commercials for Verizon who follow the customer all over the place. I couldn't seem to find even one of them. I guess it was too cold out.
Since I realized I was on my own I decided to take one more pic and get busy cleaning up the mess.
The snow was basically powder on top but wet and icy underneath. Time to start digging.
While cleaning up the snow it just made me more aware of the mess of leaves that were still packed underneath.
It made me start to wonder if I should have left the snow there. At least it looked a bit nicer without all the leaves sticking out all over the place.
With most of the snow cleaned up it was time to clean up my snow clearing buddy, Mr. Snow Blower. Then park him back in the garage to be ready for the next Winter Wonderland Adventure.
More snow is on the way for tomorrow but probably not all that much. The next storm heading this way may bring more in the way of freezing rain towards the end of the weekend. Mr. Snow Blower won't be much help with that.
Have a safe, warm, comfortable and cozy evening.
Here Comes The Crud
Here comes the crud, here comes the crud
And I say it's turning all white
Little darlin' it may be a long cold lonely winter
Little darlin' it feels like it's rising past my ears
Here comes the crud, here comes the crud
And I say it's turning all white
Little darlin' the smiles are exiting their faces
Little darlin' it seems like it's rising past my ears
Here comes the crud, here comes the crud
And I say it's turning all white
Crud, crud, crud, here it comes
Crud, crud, crud, here it comes
Little darlin' I feel the ice will never be meltin'
Little darlin' it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the crud, here comes the crud
And I say it's turning all white . . . .
Over the last 2 days we have had just about every form of precipitation imaginable along with off and on high winds of over 50 MPH. Not bad for the first bad weather of this winter season. Yes, I suppose it could be worse. The midwest probably has had more snow and freezing rain. Today the west coast had to put up with huge storms, high winds of over 100 MPH and massive flooding. We have had a foot or more of snow in the higher elevations. More 911 calls for vehicle accidents than you can shake a bent bumper at. I guess it is a good time to stay off the roads for a while until all those who have forgotten how to drive in this weather have wrecked their cars. Then the roads will be safe for a while. Then there is the beginning of the road salt season. The time when everyone rushes to the car washes on the days when it gets above freezing in hopes of slowing the deterioration of their vehicles.
We started out with snow, then freezing rain and sleet, then rain, then back to freezing rain, then rain and now back to snow. The following image shows some of what we have had.
This is just a tease from Mother Nature to get us ready for what may be a long and cold winter ahead. But then again the long range forecast calls for a bit of a warming trend for next week. Since my lawn has not been cut for the winter and I still have tons of leaves on top of that currently buried under a blanket of snow, maybe I will get a chance to clean it up later. If not it will be waiting for me when spring arrives. If I get a little ambition tomorrow and it is not too cold and miserable out perhaps I will get out and get some pictures. I will have to see what tomorrow brings and if I can find some photo worthy scenes. The winter weather has just begun and we will not really know what is in store until it gets here. We shall see.
