Ok...! This IS Winter, Blizzard of January 11, 2011

Well; Yes! Mother Nature did it to us again, and She did it with gusto! This storm travelled up the east coast from the deep southern portion of the United States. We knew we were going to get smacked hard. It was all you heard on the local news stations for days prior. Massachusetts was even declared in a 'State of Emergency' a day before the snow started. Schools were closed (and I hear schools will be closed a second day as well). Non-essential state employees were told to stay home. We were even told we might hear thunder while it snowed; and I heard it! I heard it twice within 3 hours. I have never experienced thunder while snowing and it was a weird, delightful occurrence. I thought it was a plane flying too close over the house. Winds were blowing hard and with great consistency. When I went to the front and back doors to take photos, I had to brace myself to obtain a movement-free shot and the wet snow was blowing in my face and onto my camera lens.

It was a heavier, wetter snowfall than the last. (See the post below this one) Branches of trees and bushes were weighed down. In some areas outside of the city, electricity was lost. What saves a city like Boston is, the majority of their lines are underground. I stayed up until 6:15 AM because I enjoy keeping track of how things are going, and I will open doors and take photos if I see accumulation in significant amounts.

This snow accumulation will be with us for a week or so because temperatures will be in the high 20's and very low 30's during the day.

The people in the neighborhood were shoveling hard afterwards digging out their cars, sidewalks, driveways, steps and porches. I think people are changing because this is the first time I have seen neighbors helping neighbors. Young people were pitching in helping those older than themselves; and that was a first as well.

It reminded me of when I was little back in the 50's and people were more neighborly and looked out for one another. I hope that time is heading back. The planet needs it. We all need to begin showing little acts of kindness to others. There has been enough of being self-centered and ignoring those around us who are in need.

As to how much snow we got; I think it might have been about 15 inches; give or take a few depending upon where the snow was measured.

I even saw a Front-end Loader clearing snow from the intersection; something not usually seen around here. But I remember the Blizzard of 1978 in Boston, and nothing can compare to that. We got about 36 inches of snow. Transportation came to a total stand still. People could not get to work for at least 4 days. Those who worked for hospitals and were essential personnel had to be picked up by the National Guard in jeeps. My husband; not to be outdone, walked to work; and we're talking about a 15 minute drive when all is well and traffic is not a factor. Walking is 42 minutes on bare ground.

I am going to include some individual pictures below.

This shows snow falling highlighted as ribbony squiggles in the floodlights.

Here is a close-up of the snow falling. When you first look, it appears to be gossamer strings of silky fibers.

You can see the strength of the wind interacting with the snow and illuminated by the street light. This was taken at night at the beginning of the storm.

The following photographs were taken tonight, after all of the shoveling has been done. It is however, still lightly snowing, but nothing that is going to accumulate.

Icicles dripping from the street lamp.

You can see the snow still weighing down the evergreen bushes at the foot of the stairs, and clinging to the tree branches above.

All is well in the streets tonight. You can see the snow on the rooftops after this snowfall. In the slide show prior to this posting, the snow is nowhere to be seen on the roofs.

Now; I will present a slide show of photos taken from beginning to the end of the storm.

We all must keep in mind that for the past few years Mother Nature has been re-arranging Herself, and cleansing her body (the planet) of thousands and thousands of years of negative emotional energy deposited into her by the emotional thoughts and actions of every human who has spent time here. She has to do this in order to continue living. She is; after all, a living entity just as we are. Just as we need to cleanse our body of toxins in order to continue living, so must our Planet. So when you read, hear, or see reports of unusual chaotic weather conditions happening, understand that our Planet is clearing Herself of accumulated toxins.

Major and minor cities in various countries all will eventually have their "cleansing" times; whether it comes in the form of flooding, snows, hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes. Look back in history to see what war like atrocities occurred in these areas. And if war was not a part of the history, how were people treated there? Were they slaves and denied a 'life?' Was there emotional or physical turmoil going on?

All of these conditions must be neutralized and transmuted. So hold on to your hats. Some form of cleansing is coming your way if it hasn't already; large or small, it's coming. In general, the heavier the emotional turmoil that took place on or under the surface, the heavier the cleaning of toxins. It might even need more than one cleansing in order not to completely destroy all life in these areas.

I need to add an addendum here. After posting this I read online that at the time this storm swept north, the National Weather Service reported snow on the ground in every state except Florida. Even Hawaii had 7 inches of snow on Mauna Kea Mountain.

To have the slide show automatically advance for you, click on the large triangle lying on its side in the middle of the slide show screen, then click on the smaller triangle lying on its' side in between the two arrows.

The Boston Blizzard of December 2010

Weather has been crazy all over the country, and over the entire planet for that matter. We haven't had a 'normal' application of weather for a decade, but lately, it seems as if something or someone is standing above our planet using a giant spoon stirring the weather around as if we are in a cauldron. The last few years we have been 'wintering' in Boston to escape the harsh heavy snowfalls we usually get in Maine. I live at the top of a steep driveway and every time it snows, it has to be plowed and sanded. That can run into big money over a very short period of time, and there are few people available to plow my type of driveway these days.

I often get teased for 'wintering' in Boston. Most think I should go further south, but the rent is free in Boston, and any place else won't be; and since no one is rich we go where it is more convenient. Believe it or not, Boston does get less snow than my area of Maine because Boston is on the ocean, and my home in Maine is in the foothills and mountains. There is a big difference in temperature; hence more snow. Moisture in the air in my area during winter means freezing rain, sleet, or snow. Moisture in Boston means either rain, or snow. And if it is snow, it doesn't stay on the ground frozen until Spring, piling each snowfall upon the last one, until you have 4 or 5 feet of snowbank looking at you. I'll take 24 inches of snow for the winter any day over 5 plus feet.

Well; back to the crazy weather patterns our nation has been having lately. Massachusetts was threatened with two snow storms, but at the last minute, they veered away only to pull a surprise and give us about 2 inches of the powdery stuff one night in early December. Then, about 5 days ago, we were stuck with the 'big one.'

The weather man was calling it a blizzard. A word that sends fear into the hearts and minds of man (at least it does for me). They tried to make us feel better, giving us the explanation that a blizzard is nothing more than consistent winds of at least 25 miles per hour while it is snowing. The blizzard condition simply means that snow will be whipping around in the air constantly, making driving and walking difficult because you cannot see far in front of you. Whew!! That's a relief. I used to think that "blizzard" meant to expect at least 24 inches of snow.

Anyway, as you can probably tell; I love taking photos, so when it started snowing I stood and braced myself in the threshold of the back and front doors and snapped away. The wind was blowing like crazy! I dressed in coat, hat, and pulled my collar up around my neck. I went out three times: at the beginning when the snow was whipping around like crazy and there was little snow; then about 6 hours later when there was more accumulation, and finally; after it stopped and people were out with shovels trying to clean up and make paths to walk and park their cars.

Parking is at a premium in Boston 365 days a year. This city, established in the 1600's was not created to accommodate the 3 and 4 cars per household that it does today. So when it snows, people shovel out a path for their cars to park on the street (very few driveways available) and leave beach chairs, traffic cones, step stools, etc. to hold their spot until they come home. Usually people respect it and drive around looking for another spot to park.

Here is a slideshow of the snow from a very narrow range of view. The first shots were taken at night.... It's hard to tell, but I suspect we got around 12 to 14 inches of snow. The winds were whipping so hard, blowing snow all over the place, that after all was said and done, some areas of the block got less snow than others.

Enjoy!!!