Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Sounds of Winter

I am finally back in Maine after an unexpected and lengthy visit in Connecticut. Winter trips are worrisome, so many things can go wrong at home as the picturesque Holiday season gives way to the harsh bite of winter. While we were away, two storms roared up the east coast dumping over twenty inches of snow in Connecticut closing schools and snarling transportation. We had no idea what awaited us in Maine, but all was as it should be. The house was warm, there were no burst pipes or dripping water from the weight of snow on the roof.

Sleep eluded me last night as I listened to the familiar sounds of winter. Sharp cracks like a rifle's retort pierced the dark; it is the sound of frost heaves. Our back steps are attached by hinges so they will not break apart as the frozen earth buckles. Rain melted enormous icicles which broke apart crashing on the roof like boulders, then skidding down the sharp slopes and landing with a muffled thud in the snow. I still remember my first year in this sturdy old house built in 1890 and how I ran to investigate each crash and boom...and the day I discovered a big dent in my car from falling ice (now parked a safe distance away!) It's snowing again now, perhaps tonight I will hear the reassuring sound of the snow plow passing by.

There was little time for photography. The following images are from the Holiday aftermath and our time in Connecticut.

Cooper and the Gentleman
A personal favorite of Cooper and his gentleman taken after Christmas!

Doxie Mayhem!
Doxie Mayhem in Connecticut as Cooper learns to hold his own with Olive and Hazel...and he did too!

After the storm 01
For a moment, sunlight breaks though the cloud cover and illuminates the trees in the Connecticut winter wonderland.

After the Storm 03
Trumbull, Connecticut

From a Kitchen Window
Light brushing a puff of snow, viewed from the kitchen window. All of the Connecticut photos were taken with my cameraphone. This particular image has been processed with a neat little app called "PicSay" for Android phones.

Day after "The Bomb!"
The Weather Channel referred to the last Connecticut storm as "The Bomb!" Just imagine getting three short little dachshunds and one cranky shih tzu out in twenty inches of snow the next morning! Peter, with the help of a snowblower, deserves a medal of valor! The above photo was taken later in the day when the sun burst through with incredible brilliance.

9 comments:

  1. What a long, strange trip it's been. . . Welcome home. xo

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  2. Janet, indeed it has...welcome home to you too! xo

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  3. Home sweet home! Lovely photographs as always. I've had smiliar sounds at my apartment, as ice which accumulates on the ledges crashes down against the windows. I swear I have a heart attack eatch time! THUMP!

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  4. Stefan, perhaps not so much noise as those B52s!!! And thank you very much!

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  5. And what a blizzard it was...the winds practically took my breath away, and I had trouble standing upright---and as you know, I am a fairly substantial obstacle to most winds...

    Welcome back, all is right with the world. You make winter look so lovely---now make it warmer...

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  6. I have worried about you, The Bomb and Cooper having to go deep snow diving for his dailies. Doxie Mayhem looks particularly story-rich. I hope the Dowager Pet Rock (she does remind me a bit the Dowager in Downton Abbey!) comes to grace. If not, maybe even funnier stories.

    We got 6" of snow yesterday. I think we'll get 3" more this morning. This on top of last week's snow. But nothing like THE BOMB. Glad you are home safe...if not soundless. To good night's sleep in your own bed! (who knew we Boomers would come to value that?).

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  7. Dilettante ~ I can't get past the image of you "being a substantial obstacle to most winds..."

    Thanks for your warm welcome home and kind comment, as for the weather and 6 - 10 inches expected tonight with below zero temperatures...I feel like I'm letting you down!

    home before dark ~ We are recovering...two weeks, three children, four small dogs and two major snowstorms! The uppity shih tzu literally became invisible during her Ct. visit while Cooper wholeheartedly threw himself into the chaos. Somewhere along the way from Michigan to Maine he channeled "Delta is ready when you are" and embraced his vagabond status. He cavorted and tumbled with the adolescent doxies almost twice his size and fell asleep with "Miss 10" each night when she went to bed. The ice princess noticed and on the way home, she actually fell asleep in the car with her head on his back...although now that we are home, it's back to the imperious tail swish.

    Ahh yes...our own bed! Thank you so much for your wonderful comment!

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  8. I shared this with JCB yesterday, but think it might be a useful instructional video for the Dowager Scih Tzu on how to love "outside the box" so to speak! http://www.dogwork.com/kddk2b/

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  9. glad you found everything as it should be at home! love your little cooper! I grew up with dachshunds- they are so precious!
    people have told us over the years that they thought ella had some dachshund in her (we also hear: dobbie, pit bull, greyhound, coon hound, etc!!) and this week at the vet there was a little black and tan dox and it looked like ella's 'mini-me'! I think it's the coloring and the sweet face!
    hope you are staying warm!
    joan

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