Snow, Snow Tunnels and Memories

The wind is still swirling around the hills of Cabot, Walden, and West Danville, and is now sweeping straight down the pond out of the north. This is a switch from yesterday when the wind was coming at us from the southeast, which is unusual for winter storms. The snow turned very briefly to rain yesterday afternoon, but the temperature never got much above 30 degrees. The good news is, the sun is coming out this afternoon to give us all a lift before things get cold and wintery again tonight.

Today we are in the single numbers and teens above zero, and with the wind, the chill factor is around -10 degrees. I measured 2 in. of new snow yesterday morning at 9 a.m., and this morning I measured another strong 7 inches. The wind was whipping it off the snowboard, so there could easily have been more snow accumulation overall. Measuring snow in almost any sort of weather is not an exact science.

 I received this photo (top right) from Cousin Ora - I'm not sure where she found it, but it brought back fond memories for me (again!). The snow always drifted very high in front of our house on Cabot Plain. (Next photo down.) When I was growing up an only child, I had to entertain myself a lot of the time, especially in the winter. Then I used to make snow caves in the big drift. I carved doors, windows, seats, shelves, even rooms into the snow. I was out of the wind and I don't remember ever feeling really cold - I just had great fun digging in the snowbank.

It was a chore clearing a path out from the house to the driveway, (bottom picture, with our Scotty dog, Heather at the top of the path). I often shoveled the path, but because my father had to be out of the house and up to the farm to milk the cows early every morning, he was the one who cleared it every morning. Some winters he gave up and simply tunneled through - about 10-12 feet. That left just the two ends to shovel out, which was a lot less labor-intensive.

Most years we just climbed up one side and down the other. My mother sometimes complained when the snow got above the windows in the kitchen so all she could see was blue-white snow when she looked out. (Bottom picture.) The snow doesn't seem to build up the way it used to anymore. Not as much snow to blow around, and lots more melting in between, I suppose. 

I can't say I really enjoy shoveling snow these days, but I don't hate it, either. It's a fact of living where I do. However, my back sometimes lets me know I'm no longer that kid of seven decades ago, so even if I had large enough drifts, I probably wouldn't test my architectural skill to make a snow tunnel. But I wish every kid had the same opportunity.