January Without the Thaw

It's pretty common to have a January thaw here, but this year I think we will be doing without a thaw. Monday and Tuesday we had a huge blizzard. It started snowing  early Monday afternoon and finished up about midnight Tuesday, except for a bit of ocean effect snow and some lingering wind.  Of course, two or three feet of snow cause a slowdown in activity even after it stops falling. School is still out today, and we did not have mail delivery or Post Office services Tuesday or Wednesday. We spent most of Wednesday just digging out. Our heat pump unit is outside and still has enough snow and ice in it that we are not using it. We are sure glad we left our baseboard heaters in place! With more snow coming tonight and Monday it may be a few more days before everything is back in order.

To avoid the inevitable power outages we removed to a hotel which shares a power grid with the Falmouth Police Department Monday night. As it turned out we did not lose power at home but found hotel life less than luxurious.  The hotel is changing hands at the moment so things were not up to their usual standards: no restaurant, no continental breakfast, terrible coffee. We forgot our boiled eggs and lived on cheese and crackers until Tuesday afternoon when we made a rather poor decision to flaunt the travel ban and drive home. The trip was hair raising, with terrible visibility, wipers freezing on the windshield, and no place to park at home. I barely got away with leaving my car on the street overnight because I ran outside when the police came and promised to get it out of the street first thing in the morning. We parked it up the street at a gas station until we could get enough driveway cleared to accommodate both cars.

We probably ended up with around 30 inches + higher drifts in a few places. The deck was shoulder high in snow, which has packed down a little. This means no access to the back yard at the moment. We are located far enough from the coast that flooding is not an issue, nor is salt spray freezing on the house. The dogs are going for frequent walks, as the street is the only place they can go and find a place to "go"! They are liking it so far except that the mornings are so cold that Mitzi wants to head back to the house right away whether Roxy is ready or not. I am not enjoying it so much. Getting out of a warm bed to put on my rubber wellies and get out in the cold is not my idea of a fun time.

With Shana's new schedule Tuesday is our day for day trips off Cape - last week we went into Boston to the New England Aquarium, lunch at Legal Seafood Long Wharf  and desert at Flour Bakery. I'm glad that was the Tuesday we chose to go to town, as this week would have been a big  disappointment. Tuesday is a great day for trips to the city; there is less traffic than on the weekend and it's easy to get a delicious lunch and still get home before the rush hour traffic picks up.



I have had a few people ask me if wild turkeys can fly. While they are not to be seen winging their way around the place in big flocks I think seeing the local bachelor surveying the neighborhood from atop a chimney should provide good evidence that indeed they can. This guy also hung out on our deck for a while one day peering into the house with no evidence of alarm when I opened the door to snap his picture.  This particular bird follows one of my neighbors around her yard. She has chickens, so he knows she will be a soft touch for food.