Refugees from The Island of Misfit Glass Bricks - Reprise

What is This, Boot Camp?  Hell Week? It's easy to get confused, what with the twice a day workouts and all, getting snow and ice off the roof(s) before the next cold snap and/or snow surge.  We've had a couple of days 'warm' enough for the ice icicles to start some serious melting, although we still ended up on a ladder just outside the kitchen window armed with a mini sledge hammer and protective eye-ware, literally beating back the ice.

Fall Ends in New England

Here We Go...FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS, IT COULD BE A BUMPY RIDE

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA

424 PM EST MON NOV 11 2013

...SNOW SHOWERS WILL IMPACT THE TUESDAY MORNING COMMUTE...

A STRONG ARCTIC FRONT WILL QUICKLY MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. BEHIND THIS FRONT EXPECT RAIN
SHOWERS TO QUICKLY TRANSITION TO SNOW SHOWERS DUE TO FALLING
TEMPERATURES. THIS TRANSITION WILL OCCUR DURING THE MORNING
COMMUTE...BETWEEN 5AM TO 9AM. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SNOW SQUALLS IS
ALSO A POSSIBILITY WHICH MAY RESULT AN INCH OF SNOW IN A SHORT
TIME. THIS MAY CREATE SOME SLIPPERY TRAVEL ALONG WITH POOR
VISIBILITY DURING THE TUESDAY MORNING COMMUTE. 

                              - From The National Weather Service

Fall Sunset in New England

It rained all day and at sunset this was the view from my office. Taken with my cell phone camera just moments apart.

The Tree on the Common, Fall New England Style

The Self-sufficiency Quotient - Reprise

As hard as it may be to believe, besides Valentine's Day there is another equally compelling reason for the purchase of new wood splitting tools and it is that Raj and I are in the process of upping my self-sufficiency quotient in advance of Raj's departure for India.  At the end of the month Raj leaves The Fahm and travels to Delhi for the birth of Jacob and Vini's child, Raj's first grandchild. The timing of the birth couldn 't be better; Raj is also due back in India for Round 2 of his 3-part dental procedure begun last spring.

It Sure Is a Good Thing We Enjoy X-country Skiing So Much...

...because otherwise this protracted Winter might start to feel like a pain in the ass: Winter storm may dump another foot of snow on the area

Roof Scrapery 101

Roof scraping in 25MPH winds.

It Has Been Snowing All Day

...And here I was, all naive and whathaveyou, thinking we had already started Mud Season! The sap buckets are on the sugar maples but now they are buried under 6" of brand new snow. Far be it for me to complain though; this much more snow means we can cross country ski for just a little bit later in the season, and that's not a bad thing.

But! All this godforsaken snow means more godforsaken roof raking which is very, very hard. If you listen carefully, you might even be able to hear me grunting and swearing or my triceps screaming, as I  flail about with the floppy and recalcitrant roof rake.

The Gorgeous Aftermath of Storm Q

This is what 9" of fresh powder looks like. 

Let the Shoveling and Raking Continue!

Just as we learned from Laura Ingalls Wilder, chores must be done before playing can begin. In other words, until we rake the back roof again, scrape snow off cars, and dig out driveways, we will not allow ourselves to SKI. And since we're dying to ski, my morning procrastinations today will be much shorter than usual.

Live-blogging Blizzard 2013

2:30 PM: It behooves us all to be reminded that I was raised in sunny southern California and this whole "blizzard" thing typically only ever occurred on set, or during the Universal Studios Tour and is complete bullshit.

2:16 PM: Light snow showers at 18 degrees F, feels like reading is 3 degrees F, in NNW 16 MPH winds gusting to 33 MPH.

2:12: Governor Deval Patrick just had a news conference and offered some post-blizzard advice for citizens.

12:55 PM: 15 degrees F, feels like reading is -2 degrees F, in NNW 19 MPH winds gusting to 38 MPH.

12:53 PM: A light snow has started falling again and the sun is still trying without success to emerge. It is therefore time to do that which any sane person knows to do during a blizzard: play Scrabble huddled next to a hot wood stove in the kitchen, while having hot cocoa and grilled cheese sandwich triangles.

12:13 PM: 14 degrees F, feels like reading is -3 degrees F, in NNW 21 MPH winds gusting to 42 MPH. The snow has finally stopped. Our power has been solid as a rock; Verizon's high-speed Intertubes via land line connection, not so much. Mobile hotspots are the new black.

12:07: The sun is trying hard.

12:04 PM: Our Front door.

Noon: Roof scrapery over the kitchen is complete. Snowshoes were required although not much use in 30" of fresh powder. I wasn't in over my head (that would've been during our first winter here at The Fahm) but I was in over my knees!

Before

After. What isn't documented are my screaming triceps.

10:17 AM: Still procrastinating. Briefly contemplated the wisdom of having a medicinal bloody Mary stirrup cup as encouragement to get outside and rake snow off the roof. In 3' of fresh powder. During a blizzard. But noooo, we hearty pioneers do this shit SOBER.

10:09 AM: WBUR's Bob Oakes just asked for an update on the situation in Scituate. Hell was described as breaking loose there. Which is a helluva Scituation.

10:03 AM: I'm almost done with my morning procrastination which means it is time to put on the 39 layers necessary to sustain life outdoors in a blizzard, pick up my damn snow rake (with extensible handle), and go rake the damn snow off the damn roof so The Fahm doesn't end up encrusted with malevolent ice beasties.

9:43 AM: We have the great good fortune of our closest neighbor being kind enough to plow our driveway during the winter. That neighbor has arrived! He's plowing us out for the second time in less than 24 hours. We like our neighbor very much. :)

The Plowful Neighbor

9:37 AM: Travel ban is still in place. 13 degrees F, feels like reading is -5 degrees F, still snowing in NNW 25 MPH winds gusting to 40 MPH.  Wachusett Mountain ski area, 5 miles up the road, is open for business and reporting 28" of fresh powder on the ground.

8:40 AM: 14 degrees F, feels like reading is -3 degrees F, still snowing in NNW 16 MPH winds gusting to 33 MPH. Looks like 2 - 3' on the ground; I have the dreadful feeling that we'll be outside raking snow off roofs before this is over.

8:32 AM: Princeton Municipal Light Department once again saves the day! We never lost power. Verizon's high-speed Intertubes via land line connection was up and down (mostly down) all night.
----------------
8:43 PM: Verizon's high-speed Intertubes via land line connection goes down AGAIN; switching to service via mobile hotspot.

8:38 PM: 16 degrees F, feels like reading is 1 degree F, snow blowing every ding dang way in N 25 MPH winds. Very blizzardy.

7:55 PM: 16 degrees F, feels like reading is 1 degree. We are going to eat potatoes and play Scrabble now.

7:28 PM: 17 degrees F, feels like reading is 1 degree F, light snow blowing every damn way in NNE 17 MPH winds.

7:20 PM: We're out in the country and without streetlights it is now too goddamn dark outside to see WTF is happening.

7:00 PM: The wind is picking up and The Fahm (aka Brimstone Manor) is starting to creak and groan in protest.

6:59 PM: Potatoes are done and ready for supper.

6:28 PM: Verizon's high-speed Intertubes via land line connection is back UP. Yee haw! Turning mobile hotspot off.

6:15 PM: Verizon's high-speed Intertubes via land line connection goes down; switching to service via mobile hotspot.

6:05 PM: I put two russet potatoes in the coals of the wood stove in the kitchen, for our supper.

5:24 PM: 18 degrees F, feels like reading is 3 degrees F, light snow blowing every damn way in NE 16 MPH winds.

5:19 PM: Out my window.

4:00 PM: Raj made popcorn.

3:45 PM: 18 degrees F, feels like reading is 5 degrees F, light snow blowing sideways in NE 13 MPH winds.

3:07: Out my window.

2:07 PM: Currently 20 degrees F, light snow.

2:00 PM: Listening to more breathless news and disaster predictions on WBUR radio!

1:45 PM: Travel Ban Throughout MA just announced, all traffic and all roads except first responders in effect from 4:00 PM "until the travel ban is lifted". The wording of the announcement is ominous, don't you think? The ban is in effect "until the travel ban is lifted".

Right Now

Because ... Wind Chill

Right now, at the onset of cocktail hour EST, it is 12 degrees F in Princeton. Tonight's low is forecast to be 4 degrees F with one caveat: wind chill readings will be as low as -18 degrees F, or as described in local parlance, "really fuckin' cold". I should be commended (as someone raised in the sunny environs of the Los Angeles area) for being out and about in parts of Boston today where high temperatures reached no more than 20 degrees F (I'm talking to you Chinatown, Leather District, and Southie), or as described in local parlance, "fuckin' cold".

The Spirit of Winter

Cold

In a fit of ambition, and in keeping with the Spirit of Winter and the New Year, I found myself at a sporting goods store in the next town over, buying cross country skis. Not only did I get skis - I also purchased boots, bindings, and poles, which I understand come in handy for this activity.

-4 Degrees F From the Inside

Welcome Back to The Fahm!

Since last Winter was so traumatic, Raj and I relocated for this Winter to Easthampton, MA, in a small, snug, spotless apartment within walking distance of three restaurants, two pubs, and an art store. Now that Spring has sprung though, it is time to go back out to The Fahm in the country, which we did yesterday only to discover that pipes all over the kitchen had ruptured, which then began to spew rusty dirty water everywhere as soon as Raj turned the valves back on.  Since the pipes are inside the cupboards where the plates and bowls and glasses and cups are kept, the rusty dirty water tainted each and every item therein, requiring that each and every plate, bowl, glass, and cup be removed and washed and the cupboards cleaned before the kitchen can be used at all, much less returned to anything resembling actual order.


Further complicating our workload, mice or flying squirrels or bats or something wintered very nicely downstairs, and spent their time eating decorative soaps, decorative fruit, and indecorous amounts of dried edamame while shitting on every single counter, both sinks, and in a few drawers. I thought that was as bad as it was going to get until I ventured upstairs to reclaim our bedroom only to discover a pile of feathers on the floor in the middle of the walk-through closet, and what is undeniably bird poop under each of the upstairs windows. We have so far not found a body so it may be that the outcome of whatever Wild Kingdom vignette took place up here wasn't as dire as it appears. Or, the remains could just as easily be hidden away in some dark and not-yet-examined corner, like an avian version of Arsenic and Old Lace. My money is on the latter.


Once again, Spring has arrived with the gleeful spewing of water and beshitting of surfaces that we here at The Fahm have come to know and love so well! In other news, the daffodils are in bloom and the tulips are almost ready...

Somewhere in New England

From Buzzfeed

Magic: Not in the Air but Pretty Much Everywhere Else - Reprise

Our apple tree

Morning Calisthenics - Reprise

You may have heard media hysteria that there is a storm in New England right now, a snow storm, in case you aren't sure.  Anyway, it snowed all day yesterday and most of the night last night.  Raj shoveled the front path and the path by the barn for the car last night shortly before going to bed; this morning, after another 3 - 4" fell you couldn't tell. This morning it continued to snow ever so delicately but around 8:30 I began hearing tiny castanets of ice pecking at the windows.


Somehow in the general shock and awe of our lives we never managed to get our hands on a snow blower; I wasn't surprised when the sound of castanets was shortly followed by Raj entering the room and announcing, "It's time to SHOVEL."  I cannot in good conscience stand back and let Raj do it all; it is a testament to the benefits of physical therapy that I can, actually, dig and lift a shovel, flinging snow with such abandon.  Raj tutored me in proper snow shoveling techniques: lift with your legs, not your back; use your arms to to swing and fling the snow, not your back; and stay away from the ice beasties clinging malevolently to the eaves, don't turn your back I added that last one myself.

Malevolent Ice Beasties, mid-storm, 02.02.11

After donning the 39 layers of clothing required for stepping outside in the middle of a nice rambunctious storm, I picked up "my" snow shovel and set out to beat the path from the Coal Room to the driveway into submission. Raj, already outside, had the good sense to turn the radio in The Bahn on so we shoveled and grooved with Jimmy Eat World, Sting, and The Stones.


Shoveling snow, for those of you who have never had the pleasure, is an excellent workout, especially if you lift with your legs not your back and swing and fling.  Upper body workout, lower body workout, cardio...really!  The only thing that kept me from really getting into 'The Zone' of my workout was, to paraphrase Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull, the "snot running down my nose."  It is difficult enough to reach 'The Zone' but with snot stinging (and, I was certain, freezing to) my upper lip, I just couldn't get there.  Even so, the end result is very worth it, and although unsupervised, I completed the task without injury or other mishap.

That's some damn fine snow shoveling right there

Raj dug a path from the stall where we park the car to the driveway, a task made harder by the giant drifts deposited in our driveway by the Town Snow Plow.

  
All in all, a most excellent morning exercise session!