SNOWPOCALYPSE!!!

 

Tape measure indicating a whopping 18" of snow. Not a drift.

The media frequently exaggerates oncoming weather, no doubt to drive "clicks." But yesterday was an exception. If anything, the weather forecasts that K. and I watched minimized the storm. Long story short, from about 1:00 in the afternoon Friday until (it sounds like) 3:00 in the morning today, we received 18" of snow here at Steepmeadow. We watched the snow pile up all afternoon. After a bit of supper and guitar practice, we cleared the driveway for the first time, trying to keep it manageable. By the time we'd reached the bottom with shovel and sturdy electric snowblower, the top was already 2" deep again. We would look up from re-running the Dr. Who Christmas Special Voyage of the Damned to see it swirling down. The firepit looked (and still looks) like a crazed blancmange, intent on winning Wimbledon for the Scots. 

Blancmange

We awoke to a marshmallow world. I abandoned plans for an arm workout in favor of actually using said arms to work outside. 2.5 hours later, the driveway was again clean and, with much flailing, the 30' pole with the toothbrush on the end had cleared off about 1/2 of the solar array. 18" is a whole lot of snow. 

The intrepid little Sno Joe taking a well-earned break at the end of the driveway

Weirdly, it should melt by Wednesday, when the temperature is going to take a shot at reaching 60 degrees. That can't be right. Of a certainty, there will be a lot of wet mess.