random thoughts – Day 1,770 – (Monday) – snow holiday

The snow that was foretold arrived when expected on Sunday and the overnight accumulation wasn’t as bad as it could have been. At least it didn’t seem that way in my yard and driveway. 

The plows were out overnight, which I know because they woke me up two or three times with the flashing lights and rumbling and scraping. In my sleepy state, I figured it must not have been too bad if the plows could hit a dead-end residential side street that many times. I woke up tired from staying up late reading then being wakened by plows, and gave up and got up around 7:30 after another plow came rumbling down the street with multiple passes.

To the plow drivers’ credit, they did a great job clearing as close as they could to the neighbor’s trash and recycle barrels lined up in front of my house. I was also jealous to see that the plows cleared right to the edge of her fence line because her barrels were in front of my house (since 7:00 Sunday morning), and if she ever moves them back to her property (still at my house at 6:13 Monday night) I will have a good four- or five-foot wide swath of snow in the street in front of my fence.

Snowfield and shadows.

The morning sky was blue and clear. The sun cast blue-gray shadows of the back yard neighbor’s tree across the sparkling snow that covered my backyard. So pretty. By mid-afternoon, clouds in multiple tones of gray had returned.  

There was a mid-morning trip outside to clear the car and the driveways, not just because I am a grownup, but also because I sometimes fantasize about spontaneous plans and want to be semi-prepared, and also because I am an older grownup who worries about things like falling in the house and the EMTs not being able to get to the door.

Like last week’s snow, today’s precipitation offering was dry and fluffy and easy to brush away. A light wind frequently blew it back into my face which was both refreshing and annoying. There are now two snow rearranging workouts logged and I’m really killing the fitness goals this year.

After the shoveling, the pot of chicken broth started on Sunday was returned to the stove for another simmer. After a couples hours of simmering, and then cooling enough to work with, the bones and onion skins and carrot ends were scooped out (the metal pasta scoop thing is great for this) and the softened cauliflower stalks were mashed into the broth before it was returned to the burner and loaded with freshly sliced carrots, spinach, onion, broccoli, and mushroom. The house smelled comforting. Even later, there was rice and chopped roasted chicken added for the supper soup.

Despite it being a holiday from work, known about for ages, there wasn’t a plan for the day other than to not work (one of my strongest bad habits). Unlike most weekend days, the TV stayed off and I read a book. Like all the weekend days, the time flew by.

The new furnace and refrigerator are quieter than the older versions they replaced, so it was peaceful. A couple times the sounds of snowblowers broke the stillness, and the plows stopped scraping the cleared street by noon-ish.

Protected by the chair fortress.

Kiki meowed frequently and sought face rubs, but still always on her terms. She will come to me when she wants attention but if I approach her, she runs away. She sat in the beam of sunlight that comes in through the kitchen window in the mornings, and watched me from under the rungs of a dining room chair. It probably feels like a safe space with all the chair legs, but open enough to see what's going on and with multiple escape routes. She even slapped her fish toy around a little.

It was a good day at The BungaLowell. Maybe I'll make a plan for the February Presidents Day holiday weekend. Or not. I seem to do ok at home.