Journal of a Sabbatical

January 13, 2000

snow flies

Good news on the dredging project - looks like they're not going to put the yucky stuff in or near Watchemoket Cove. Buffleheads rejoice. Maybe.

Today's Reading: Winter from the Journals of Henry David Thoreau edited by H.G.O. Blake, Faith in a Seed by Henry David Thoreau, Beach Grass by Charles Wendell Townsend

At least one TV news commentator actually referred to people celebrating the first snowstorm in 303 days. Celebrating is going a bit far, but it is nice to see some snow. It kind of gives you that "all's right with the world" feeling.

BusyBody was out there cleaning off her car and shoveling her parking space almost as soon as it started. She wasn't going anywhere, she was just shoveling for the heck of it I guess. I finally went out to clear off the car - I draw the line at shoveling my parking space; that's what we pay condo fees for. BusyBody exclaimed "This weather is unreal!" Unreal? It's unreal to be halfway into January before it snows. That's what's unreal. I'd say this is pretty real.

When I got my car cleared off and was about to drive off for coffee at Starbucks, BusyBody was shoveling her front walk (which we pay big bucks to the condo association to do) and sweeping the added snow as it fell. She told me it was falling at the rate of 2 inches an hour and it's going to last all day. No way. It's gently drifting down, and we're only supposed to get 4 inches. Later I heard on the news that Boston did get an inch and a half in 55 minutes, but then it stopped. It never snowed that hard here.

When I came back from Starbucks, having failed to connect with any of my friends, BusyBody was still sweeping the snow off her front walk as it fell. And she thinks I'm strange.

The wind has picked up again and it's blowing the snow that has already fallen all around. The actual snowfall itself has stopped. It's supposed to get down to single digit temperatures or even below zero tonight. Brrr. Bet there'll be a run on polypro long johns.