I’m sure many of us have admired Currier and Ives Christmas card scenes — picturesque drifts of snow, frosty wreaths on doors and gates glistening under a dusting of fresh powder, shoppers bustling along sidewalks, smiling and greeting each other. Maybe the spire of a country church is outlined against a brilliant winter sky. Or a farmhouse nestles into a stand of snow-laden trees, windows outlined with twinkling coloured lights.
Then there are the beautiful nature scenes. So very pretty!
It’s all very magical and nostalgic. The trouble is, this isn’t the entire picture. While admiring such scenes, there’s a reality we tend to forget.
Impassable roads, burdened branches and breaking trees…
Damaged power lines…
Constant clearing of snow and ice to facilitate going anywhere on sidewalks, driveways and roads…
Trying to salvage expensive garden shrubs, often to no avail…
Are you getting the picture? I love the beauty of a fresh snowfall as much as anyone does, but if you’d been within earshot this past week you’d likely have heard my hubby and me muttering about the dratted white stuff. After all, enough is enough!
All these photos were taken on our property and street. The heaviest snowfall we’ve had in twenty years blanketed the neighbourhood over several days last weekend, taking down trees and power lines, and plunging us into four days without electricity — no lights, cookstoves or water. Fortunately, we do have a wood-burning fireplace in the family room, plus three kerosene lamps, and an emergency supply of bottled water. We spent most of our days huddled in the one warm room which usually stayed around 15-17 degrees celsius as long as we got up a few times during the nights to keep stoking the fire. The bedrooms, however, were a chilly five degrees. Thank goodness for cozy down duvets!
Of course we survived. I suppose it was an adventure of sorts, but we’ve seen enough snow for now. I’m thankful to have all our electrical conveniences back. I’d be happy to get our television cable restored, too (it’s been off for a week), but that’s a minor inconvenience.
I’m ready for spring. Crocuses and snowdrops are buried somewhere under all this white stuff and we’re hoping the predicted warming trend will soon return us to more typical balmy west coast February weather. I think our local critters would appreciate that, too. These guys are camping out on our back deck, begging for extra birdseed.
No, there’s no real point to this post. I’m just complaining a bit. Once in a while a body just has to let loose and rant. 🙂
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MUSINGS 
One of the reason´s hubby and I moved from Alberta to Vancouver was to get away from the snow and cold. I remember the first time it snowed after we moved there and how it crippled the city. It took me 3.5 hours to get home from work! It seems you folks got it very bad this year and I feel for you. There is also the danger of slipping and breaking a bone or two. Of course, we could have used all that snow the year of the Olympics. Remember how warm it was that February!! Glad you have your power back. xo
Complain away. It’s not as if you moved to Haney for the white winters. What a shock. We’ve been watching the news. Unbelievable. So glad I’m not there. Sorry, I know that’s not helping.