Look Both Ways Before Crossing

While out on my route this morning delivering mail, and driving from one location to another, I noticed this awesome creature making it's way from the safety of the sidewalk and heading out onto the street!

I immediately turned around and chased it into the underbrush and hopefully back into the water!

There is no way this big Northern Water snake would have made it across the street.  There's no doubt it would have been run over.

We had a nor'easter around these part the last 24 hours or so and it dumped upwards of 7" in some locations!

Most of the local streams and rivers and ponds are above their banks and with the water roaring in torrent's.  I suspect this BIG beauty was collateral damage and likely washed away or washed out of it's home as a result.  Also, the temps have dropped considerably this past week hovering in the 40's at night and maybe the 50s to low 60s during the day - chilly and raw.  Perhaps, this snake was simply drawn to the warm pavement of the sidewalk.

Whatever the reason for it venturing out, I'm VERY happy I came upon it first and chased it off to safety.

Now, back to delivering mail...

The Morning After

Post Nor'easter number 3 pictures from last week.

Emilie heading to the bus stop with almost waist high snow -

Most trees and shrubs were covered and bending every which way -

A beautiful uninterrupted, morning shot -

Blue sky and sunny morning -

The storm has come and gone -

Nor'easter #3

IT'S OFFICIAL:  Blizzard confirmed in Boston!

Whiteout conditions at times!

Today's nor'easter could be all March snow records for our area!

Here's a little taste from Franklin -

Snow drifts piled high against our rear slider -

The snow has been blowing and gusting that most of the windows are covered making it difficult to get clean, clear pictures -

Trees and shrubs, already reeling from the last storm, are facing another round testing their flexibilities - 

Pools closed today -

The poor Dogwood tree looks more like a weeping cherry.  Hoping it bends and not breaks -

Initial snow falls sure a pretty -

Wreck-it Ralph coming to plow our driveway -

The snow pile at the end of the driveway can't get much taller -

Ok, I'm off to change and fire up the ole snowblower and clear the areas the plow couldn't reach.

Frosty?

We had a pretty good nor'easter last Friday that dumped about 6" or so. It wasn't too bad a storm as the snow was light and fluffy and easy to shovel; not the best for snowballs and snowman making though.

However, Saturday morning we noticed this unique snowman at the neighbors house across the street. An elderly woman lives there so we found this snowman out of place, especially because the snow wasn't good for snowman making remember, so we took the following picture.



A couple of days later after the weather warmed and the snow began to melt we looked for the neighbors snowman but he wasn't there. Where could he have gone? It wasn't that warm to melt him away or was it?! Instead what we saw in it's place was an old tire, see below picture. That mother nature sure is creative.

January Nor'easter

We got hit by the first Nor'easter of 2008. It started sometime after midnight on Sunday and went well into Monday. Most of the area towns were ahead of the storm and issued school cancellations Sunday night. Emilie's school was one of them, so I worked at home and got to spend the day with her and shovel too.

Here are a few pictures of Emmie enjoying the snow -



Here she is looking over the porch railing into the backyard. You can get a good idea just how much snow we had by how much has accumulated on the railing.



Here she is eating and licking some of the snow she just had to throw at the door, mmmm yummy!


And here she is stretching out and rolling around on the porch.