Well, this winter has been a roller coaster ride, as far as weather is concerned. Swings of 40 degrees in twelve hour periods. A day of low temps followed by highs in the 50’s. People are running around in shorts one day, and heavy winter jackets the next. The last week has exemplified this trend.
Two weeks ago I thought winter was over. The roads all got posted for weight. This happens as the ground underneath the road bed thaws and settles. To keep the roads from being damaged, heavy weight is kept off of them. The constant freezing and thawing does enough damage, without more of it due to the weight of very heavy trucks, while the roads and the ground beneath them, are settling out from the winter.
Mud season had never come so early! I was ready to go out and start throwing seeds into beds so they could stratify and start their growth season. But, then pow- winter returned!
Last Sunday we had a Nor Easter come in, which dropped between 1 – 2 feet of heavy, wet snow. The storm was supposed to start around 11 PM on Friday. It actually started snowing around 4 AM on Saturday. At 9 I walked to the post office, and there was about a foot of snow, and it was coming down!
Main Street Damariscotta was deserted, with the snow spitting and blowing hard.
It continued through out the day, and by late afternoon there was well over a foot on the ground.
The house I rent is on a corner, and a LOT of snow gets plowed onto that corner. This is at 9:15 am!
I actually like days like this. The storm howls outside, and there you are. There is not a thing a person can do about it. If one loses power, well, that is a different story. The good thing about this storm was it was not that cold- just under 32 degrees. But, it made the snow very wet and heavy. If the temperature drops, and the wind picks up, that is when one starts to worry about losing power, as the weight of the snow, frozen on the power lines, with wind, is when the lines go down. But, being that warm, even though the snow was heavy, when the wind did pick up, the snow just blew off of the lines.
Sunday dawned bright and clear- the storm had blown itself out, heading down east. People started shoveling themselves out. Because the snow was so wet, and it was relatively warm, the houses were dripping from icicles early in the day. And, by noon people were out looking at how much snow there was, and as the temperatures rose, people were running around in tee shirts, enjoying the day!
What a change from Saturday!
The temperature went into the 50’s, the snow was melting away quickly, and the sun was out. Around 2 in the afternoon I decided to get out of Dodge, so to speak, and take a drive. Every once in a while I like to go up Bunker Hill Road. At the top of the hill there is a wonderful view out over Lake Damariscotta. One goes around the end of the lake, on 215, then one takes 213, heading north. One winds past farms and fields, and eventually one gets to the top most point of the drive, where the Baptist Church sits, looking over the lake.
The view is amazing up there!
As I was standing, looking out,
I suddenly heard a bird’s cry.
And, looking up suddenly saw a bald eagle.
He, or she, was headed toward the pine trees at the edge of the hill,
and then landed in the branches
and a few seconds later,
I heard another cry!
And, it’s mate came flying by!
He dove into the pines near her.
I had never seen a pair together before.
I felt so lucky to see it,
and so lucky to live in a place where I could see it!
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Below are some random pictures that I have taken over the last few weeks.
I had to go down to Boothbay one day, Feb 7. It was a beautiful day, and I decided to head down to Newagon, to the town dock. I like it down there. The Cuckolds look really, really close from there.
The night before,
there was an amazing sunset.
I could see it through the neighbors’ trees.
Another Nor-Easter is expected next week-
I will keep you posted!
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