This was our big snowstorm this year. It was windy and drifty and lasted all day and into the night. Nobody was on the roads. It was beautiful.
I woke up in the morning and looked out of the window to nothing. No storm. I felt a little disappointed and sat, looking out of the window. It was so still outside, and then I saw one snowflake swirling around in the still air. Then the sky opened up and tiny snowflakes were everywhere. Seconds after, the wind came and the tall trees that line the side yard all bent together. The storm was here, from nothing to storm in about a minute and a half. It was cool.
This picture above is Paxy deciding to check on the farm stand. We were all inside and he announced that he had to go and check on it, put his boots on and left! No coat, no hat, no gloves! I knew he wasn’t going far, still it was a scary feeling watching him go. He was blown about in the wind, moving through the snow drifts. He’s little but determined as all heck. He did what he set out to do, then just came back in and we all continued on.
Continued on with things such as this! What do people do in the winter in Maine, you ask? Here’s Hugo with the superhero helmet and cape that he put together. Behind him is the door of some of his best work.
What else do people do stuck inside in a snowstorm? How about bringing in some farm animals for a snuggle?
Here’s Pax with his best chicken, Silk. His shoulders are still so tiny, it’s hard for a chicken to get a good perch, you know?
And here’s another idea for something to do in the winter season – gorgeous and surprisingly easy to make jewelry! All you need is duct tape, and beautiful stuff to stick onto duct tape. And there’s no need to even think about sizes, because all you have to do is stick it right on where jewelry is supposed to go! “Oh Papa, is that from the original Shmelzers Winter Collection?…..you sassy Mainer, you!”
I took this picture on the way back from taking care of the animals. It’s still snowing in this picture, but it will stop in a few hours. By morning, the drifts will cover the porch.
There’s this eagle, called a Steller’s Eagle, that’s not supposed to be in Maine. But it’s here, having flown all the way from Russia! It’s sad to me. It’s lost. But it’s incredible. It’s huge, bigger than the eagles we have here.
Today we went to go and find it. We didn’t. But we did find a lot of birdwatchers with impressive equipment. It was a neat feeling being with them. Everyone was happy. Some had come from far away to spend the day standing on a bridge, looking around. It felt hopeful being with them, like very soon there would be an awesome show for all of us bridge-standers, if we stood for long enough.
Here’s a picture of a Steller Eagle that I grabbed off of the internet. I know they are beautiful and majestic, but there’s also something about its face that makes it look a little silly. It has a Muppet quality to it. That beak is a little bit ridiculous.
Seaweed makes a good prop for young Mainers to play dress up with. Perhaps it’s because I’m from away that the thought of shoving cold, wet seaweed in my hat and around my neck didn’t seem worth it.
So, I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. It’s sea foam. It felt warm (and not like warm-ocean warm, but real warm….warm water from the tap warm). I think it comes from decomposing stuff that gets all frothed up in wave action, but the air smelled like a lovely beach day. It looked like it was alive as it wiggled in the wind. It was so cool.
I’m going to go and put those boys to bed. It’s the start of February break. Cassidy left today for Florida – Disney! She’s going to Harry Potter World with Heather and the family. For the rest of us, February break doesn’t mean anything different from any other week. We’ll still be here in our little house, doing all the stuff we do.
I hope you guys have a happy break. I miss you tons.
Our Family in Maine 