On the last day of February, it’s hard to remember those winter days when we had rain instead of snow, and lots of it!
The snow started in November, and we’ve had snow here in Sandwich ever since. The snow on our porch roof is now blocking the window in the guest room (otherwise known as David’s room), and Stephen is having to bring his skidder over periodically to use the giant blade to push back mountainous plow piles.
In December, we had a strange warm spell, accompanied by rain, that melted the snow completely in surrounding towns. We in Sandwich were fortunate to squeak by with a white Christmas, but just barely. The woods were roaring with water and ice was shifting. There were numerous flood watches throughout the state, and the cold that followed led to the phenomenal ice skating conditions on Squam Lake.
On Little Christmas Eve (that would be December 23rd), Todd, son David, Beau and I hiked into Beede Falls and were treated to an extraordinary site. Ice slabs from the pool under the main waterfall had been dislodged by the forceful rush of rainwater and pushed onto land.
I’ve written about Beede Falls before, and I’ve visited the area countless times during all four seasons, but this was new! Nature’s like that. (Yes, I’m as wise as Yoda.)
Chunks of clear ice were also strewn about fancifully, some catching the afternoon sunlight and glowing. It was mesmerizing. David, our Colorado boy who currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area, collected ice chunks and stowed them in our freezer. Remember that “Wear Sunscreen” spoken word song from the 1990’s? It’s full of good advice, including: “Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.” (The music video has more than 16 million views on YouTube!)
Cold has settled back in, punctuated by sunny days that tease us with hints of spring. We were sugaring by this time last year. You just never know.
Here’s a photo of the stone dogs in front of our house guarding David’s ice chunks in December. And next to it is a photo of the stone dogs in February. What? You can’t see them? They’re under there!
Well that is pretty wild stuff at Beede’s! I used to love to watch the ice jams on the river in the spring . . . If you need a taste of earlier spring come see me here in NC!!!
Finally a few hints of spring here in the Chicago area. Cardinals are dining, esp. on sunny days. Hawks and gulls are coming back. The yellow bulbs—winter aconite?—which are usually in bloom now are frozen in bud to the ground. But we are finally above freezing. Who knows what is next?