Thursday, November 3, 2011

October Snow



It started on Saturday. I was at my favorite bakery, Cocoluxe, with my dear friend Robin. We were sitting at a table by the window when we saw the first flakes appear. As you can see, the maple trees were still aflame with autumn color.




At first it looked beautiful -- a patchwork quilt of green grass, autumn color, and white snow. For the past three years running, we have had our first snow in late October. Those others were just a dusting, and soon melted, but this one was different.




As the morning progressed, the snow began to accumulate, and I began to hear our small town's emergency sirens go off several times.

Then we lost power.




We have a generator which runs our furnace, well pump, sump pump and kitchen and den lights. The generator kicked in, and I breathed a sigh of relief. At least our pipes would not freeze and our cellar would not flood. My husband had been in Washington D.C. and was scheduled to fly into Newark on Saturday afternoon. He took the train instead, which was probably a good thing. Newark was pretty much shut down by late afternoon. By early evening, we had around 4-5 inches of snow.

Power returned around 2:00 am Sunday. We cheered. But then it went off again at 8:30 am. And it stayed off for the next four days. I spent most of Monday trying to reach someone (anyone) at our propane supplier, to supply the generator. And I went through internet withdrawal. ;)




We were very lucky. We had a warm and dry house. And even though this huge branch came down on our deck, it did not break anything. Driving around on Sunday, we viewed hundreds of downed tree branches, hanging wires and swollen streams. Roads were closed to through traffic, and getting around town entailed several detours and a thorough knowledge of the back roads. Schools and businesses were closed. A few of our surrounding towns cancelled Halloween.

And I ate way too much Halloween candy.

So, how was your week?

40 comments:

  1. Good to have you back on line we missed you.
    I think it won't be long before we see snow here in England.

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  2. Beautiful pictures you took, my week was pretty much like yours only we received two feet of snow but only lost power for a day. Or snow is melting quickly thankfully.

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  3. Oh, does that make us even more homesick. Happy Thursday.

    Hugs

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  4. Exquisite photographs. It was just as you describe...at first beautiful. I am sorry that you lost your power for so long. The length of time is almost incredible to me. Hope that the rest of your state is up and at'em. As for the Halloween candy? Cheap and almost as good as tranquilizers. Glad that you're back!

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  5. Hello Mary
    I knew something was amiss when MM wasn't posted. I'd like to say the snow is pretty but when you end up without power for so long, I'm sure another word might come to mind. I cannot imagine no power for so many days, we rely on it for everything - even contact by computer.
    Without provoking envy, our weather has been unusually mild here the last few days, rather nice actually.
    Hopefully the problem has been corrected so that it doesn't occur again when the temperature is much colder.
    Judith

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  6. Oh, Mary. I had no idea you were going through this. Fantastic that you have a generator, though. And your photographs - they are sublime. OMG.

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  7. You really got hit with this one. I was expecting the same here in Ontario, but we escaped the snow. Would have been quite a shock on Saturday to see the snow as we were getting off a plane from Florida.
    Glad you made it through without too much damage. Some of the other bloggers I follow really got hit hard.

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  8. Glad to hear you were OK during the storm. So many people without power for so many days - you were well prepared with the generator!
    Beautiful photos of the storm.

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  9. I was wondering where you had went. :) Beautiful pictures with the autumn colors and white. Simply beautiful.

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  10. Amazing and beautiful and I am glad you have a generator.

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  11. ???? Snow????? Ops. We are in the mid of fall in Germany right now...
    Markus

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  12. Mary,
    I'm glad you are o.k. We have a fireplace and when we lose our electricity we live near the fireplace...often even sleeping there. It does lend some light and heat so that is always good. You are smart to have a generator. The photos are lovely.
    xo, Cheryl

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  13. Beautiful photographs. My family lost power, too, though they got it back within a day or so.

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  14. Hello, Mary...Wow, that was some storm! I was raised in NJ and my brother (West Orange) and sister (Flemington) still live there. They made out all right, but there were a lot of wires down, as well as trees split and, like you many lost power. And such a shame to have Halloween cancelled. I'm glad you're 'up and running' again. Keep warm! And to think, here right outside Houston, Texas, we're jumping for joy it was 54 degrees this morning, colder winds blowing - like a real autumn.

    Enjoy a wonderful, blessed day,
    Marianne

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  15. I know many people in CT and MA who have been out of power for that many days but I didn't realize the snowstorm went as far south as your town! 4 days without power! We were very fortunate to escape with just a little snow and no loss of power or trees. I think we are in for hard winter!

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  16. My grand-daughter - lives at the moment i Mahopac as an au-pair - was without power for 4 days. So the family had to move - and live with some friends for 4 days! Must be hard for a family.
    Here i Denmark we still have autumn with wonderful colours on the trees! And quite nice temperatures for the month!
    Enjoy your day - greetings from Denmark

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  17. Hey, with the snow and your weather in general, I don't think you can eat too much candy!!! I hope this kind of weather doesn't go on all winter, but it surely is off to a bad start! I should never complain about our gray skies and rain -- at least we haven't had any wind to speak of and we haven't even gotten into the 30s yet here in Seattle. I think that will probably change tonight though. Have a good weekend, stay warm!

    Sylvia

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  18. Wow, Mary, such beautiful pictures, and such a hard snow so early in the season. I especially love the leaves with the bit of snow on them. The snow can be beautiful against those colors, but you tend to really hate losing those colors at such an early stage. As the snow melts, it will be nothing but a brown sludge. BUT any artist can see beauty in just about anything. I am glad that you are ok! Here's to your health.
    Brenda

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  19. When there was no Mosaic Monday we figured you were snowed in and without power!!

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  20. Beautiful photos of your October snowstorm. Glad to hear that you fared pretty well despite the damage to your tree and deck. Likely things are getting back to normal now. i hope the snow has all melted. Have a good weekend!

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  21. I've been thinking about you all week, assuming that no MM meant you were without power. Your photos are beautiful, and just think of the stories you have to tell, now that all is up and running again.

    A little candy is a good mood regulator. You needed it.

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  22. Wow! My week was very boring compared to yours! I am so glad that your house stayed dry and warm. I hope this is not an indication of how winter will be. Carla

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  23. It sounds like my week was a bit better than yours, Mary. But somehow you muddled through and made it out the other side, thank goodness : )

    And you have beautiful images to share! You know, you really do need to get an iPhone.

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  24. Oh Mary, that was quite a storm. Amazing how a few inches of snow on leafy trees can stop everything. Good thing you have a generator and were safe. The photos are beautiful all the same. Pamela

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  25. Mary, you were definitely missed - and I guessed that you were without power. My daughter is in NJ and sent beautiful pics, but she was lucky to avoid the power losses. So glad you're OK and back online!

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  26. Oh dear! You too! I've been reading about power failures. Imagine the cold weather without power. Thankfully you have a generator. Glad all is well now.

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  27. Your photos are beautiful but I know it must have been so inconvenient. When MM wasn't up I knew you must have been without power. Our family in Upstate NY and our friends in CT were in the same boat. Glad you are warm, dry and back on-line!

    Robin

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  28. What can we say, though, after the last couple of months of strange weather, but, "ayuh! There it is..." sigh.

    Glad you're back to full power (again!)=]

    btw, I particularly like the image of the snow falling outside of your home and the pretty tree in the background!

    xo

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  29. Stunning images, but I'm just not ready!

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  30. We were all concerned about you...all of the Mosaic Monday friends! That was such a massive storm so early in the season. I'm glad you were safe and warm through it all! I hope this coming weekend is better and you are able to enjoy it! ♥

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  31. Such delicate and beautiful photos, to horrible hazardous weather. I guess it is pretty obvious why so many women get pregnant in the winter: when its cold and there is no electricity there are only so many things a person can do!
    Glad your family was OK.
    Cheers,
    Leah

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  32. At least one good thing came from the freak October snow. Beautiful!

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  33. beautiful pictures you got, So glad that you we snug and warm.
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  34. What a sudden arrival for winter! It's good to know that you have a generator - we do too. Isn't it wonderful when the lights flicker back on and the fridge starts to hum again?

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  35. Hi Mary, so glad you had no serious problems during the snow storm. I was thinking abut you.Your Autumn snow pics are beautiful, orange and white. I'm glad you had plenty of candy to make your feel better. Hope you have a great week.......

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

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  36. It is just amazing how a few miles can mean the difference between a storm and a little weather. My brother lives in Bergen County and he was also hit hard...we on the other hand, were oblivious...so sorry Mary!!
    ♥, Susan

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  37. Hi Mary, I wondered what happened to you and Mosaic Monday last week - and then I had contact with a facebook friend, and she had lost power for 9 days! and I realised that you were probably going through the same thing. Last week you were hinting there might be snow - you sure did get some. I hope your garden wasn't too badly damaged and that you have come through it ok. I am glad your house and yourselves were safe.
    You have still managed to share some beautiful images with us!

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  38. Hello Mary,

    I too, was wondering about you. So glad you were able to stay warm and dry. I imagine you would rather not have had the snow, but your photos are so beautiful. The orange leaves with the white snow -- something we never have around here. Hope your life is getting back to normal about now. {{{{hugs}}}}

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  39. Perhaps because I was reared in Southern California, I am still awestruck by falling snow—though this surprise storm really did pose some challenges for many surrounding townships. We were lucky, and really tried to slow down and enjoy the beauty of it all throughout the entire weekend. Glad you're up and running again.

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  40. Hi there! I found your blog on Mille Fiore's blog ... Great pictures!
    I live in Northwest NJ and we got 15 inches of snow here... but we were some of the lucky ones. We never lost power. Many ppl in our town lost power for several days. I had a friend that lost her power for 7 days. That is scary!

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