Oh February...

Back in January, we had no snow,

We joked how winter was a big no,

We wore cute shoes and didn't slip,

We could go out to dinner and not trip.

Then February came. Ouch, what a slap,

Our driveways became an icy trap,

Many snowbanks are now above the first floor,

We may never again use the front door.

We've missed multiple days of school,

Decreasing our summer time in a pool.

We've shoveled so much, our biceps are strong,

Who needs the gym, free workouts aren't wrong.

The bitter chill has settled over the Cape,

We brush snow and our windshields we scrape.

Our feet have not seen anything but heavy boots,

We only eat chocolate things, definitely not fruit.

On Facebook, snow pictures have turned to throwback pics,

Beach scenes, bathing suits, summer sunsets in the mix.

Elsa is seen on Post Office walls as "most wanted"

Kids wearing "Frozen" shirts are now taunted.

Snowbanks have taken on a life of their own,

Town snow budgets have been blown,

When will the last of it disappear?

Hopefully soon, but as of now it's unclear.

The good news is the clocks move ahead in 2 weeks,

The extra sun will feel good on our cheeks.

The arctic cold will hopefully dissipate,

This is something we can anticipate.

Our thoughts will turn to hamburgers and grills,

Painted toes, flip flops, summertime thrills,

Beach towels, swimming, castles in the sand,

Bikinis, sundresses on bodies that are tanned.

Not much longer now Cape Cod,

We will be thawed.

Enjoy the longer sunny days that soon will be,

Holding on to a positive attitude is the key!

10 Things Learned From Juno

It's been a bit snowy here this week. Ok, well 18-24 inches of snow with 4-5 foot drifts, it snowed a lot here this week. Cape Cod kids are lucky to get a day off of school never mind 3-4 days off in a row!! 

Some things I learned this week?

1. Here is the perp from "deflate-gate". Very suspicious finding a deflated football at the beach in the winter.

2. Speaking of balls, I am not sure this glove will be unfrozen until July.

3. My sister is snow crazy!

4. The snow does not fall fairly in our neighborhood. My house was covered, my sister's house, not so much.

5. The sea is not very fair in what it takes during a storm. There was a very picturesque boat house on these pilings before the storm. Now, there are just pilings.

6. The light at the Fish Pier is so nice late in the afternoon. And after a snow storm, it is even nicer.

7. The sea taketh, but also throws up a lot of debris where it is not welcome (aka parking lots).

8. We will not be eating on the outside deck of the Wild Goose Tavern anytime soon unless they transform it into an igloo.

9. Our favorite spot on earth survived the storm. Big sigh of relief.

10. Sunsets on the day after the storm are MAGNIFICENT!!

MIssing: Spring

Remember my last post? Right, it was about the weather. Guess what? I was right. Spring was not right around the corner because we had a blizzard this past Wednesday and it was even snowing today in between raindrops. Because "blizzard day" was my Birthday, I decided to give all of Cape Cod the day off to enjoy celebrating me. I'm pretty sure that's what everyone did, right? Right? Hello? Anyway, I had a great day off and even took a drive during the stronger part of the blizzard. Guess who was in town to celebrate me, I mean broadcast the storm? Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel. He comes to your town, you know something big is coming. I thought people who do not reside year round on Cape Cod might like to get a better look at what spring is like in our neck of the woods.

A friend of mine for put this on Facebook tonight which is just priceless! Thanks Krissy :)

The Everlasting Winter

Last weekend, Cape Cod was hit with another blizzard. When my parents were thinking about moving to the Cape years ago, they wanted confirmation that there was not as much snow down here as my home town of Acton.

"No, we don't get 1/2 as many storms or inches of snow. Really!" I said somehow convincingly. As Cape Cod goes, we typically don't get as much snow. Somehow this winter in particular has blown that theory to bits. I think usually, Cape Cod gets snow and then it melts in a few days. This year it has snowed and stayed and snowed again and stayed... you get the picture.

I have been looking for the (invisible) snowy owl that has taken up residence in West Dennis. I cannot find the damn, I mean cute, thing. But last weekend on my quest to find the elusive owl, I got some nice pictures of the frozen snow between Dennis and Chatham.

We have had a couple of sunny days in the 40's this weekend. Daylight savings time is in a week. I am ready to trade in the beautiful snowy pictures for some spring flowers. And maybe I will even find that owl. What's life without hope?!

Snow

Today is 11-12-13!! Pretty cool, right?

And it snowed!

Yes, already.

I did not mind. I like snow and it looked so pretty with the colorful leaves we still have on the trees (and ground. Oh, do we have them on the ground.) The kids at school were crazy and all they wanted to do was head outside. Secretly, so did I. I was able to get a few shots on my way to pick up B from school.



Looks like I should have brought my geranium in last night. Ooops.

Don't feel too bad for me yet. It is suppose to be back in the 50's in a few days.

Nemo: The Storm not the Fish

We had a little storm here this past weekend. You may have heard about it? It was called Nemo. When did people start naming blizzards after fish with cute names or really, with names? Anyway, on the Cape it rained hard on Friday, then it switched overnight to the white stuff. The wind was crazy strong with gusts in the seventies.

This is the view from my kitchen window.

B was outside for 5 minutes on Saturday. It was too windy to stand up.

We were very lucky, no major power outage and only this for property damage. We have lots and lots of branches to pick up, though.

The next day dawned cold and sunny. I dropped a minivan full of girls off at the local sledding hill and took a tour around. The waves on the outer beach were so huge, we could actually see them from the Fish Pier.  

One house did not fair so well. That once was a barrier beach with many beach houses on it. Once you could drive out to the houses, but now because of some fierce ocean storms in the past 5 years, the beach is getting smaller and new inlets have broken through.

There are still people without power today, but the Nstar crews are working hard to get everyone up and running again. You know, before the next storm....

Shhh, I Love Snow

In the separation, I got the girls, he got the dog. Sometimes, though, I get the dog, too.

That is how I found myself on an early morning walk today in the new fallen snow.

Shhhhh, I love snow. It's not something I can shout from the rooftops around many adults, but give me a room of 6 year olds and I would become the Grand PooBa.

Something about the snow brings out the kid in me. We walked on an untouched bike path; Gretel sniffing through every bush and me making interesting footprints. That's right, if someone were to go out and follow us, they might be wondering what the person belonging to the big footprints was up to. I walked sideways, I marched, I dragged my feet and I walked backwards. I stopped at a circle manhole cover and made a smiley face. Because I had a dog with me, it seemed more normal. I am pretty sure I would not have gotten up early and walked around on the bike path to make footprints without her and if I did someone might have called the police.

I loved snow as a child. I skied, I sledded, I made snow forts, I threw snowballs, I ice-skated on ponds...winter was fun! As an adult, it is not as fun. I picture the grayish people in Frosty the Snowman complaining about the snow when I think of adults and snow. When it snows, you don't call up your adult friends and say, "hey let's go make some funny footprints". Adults have to worry about the shoveling, the snow on the roof, the icy steps, the unplowed roads, basically, you have to be RESPONSIBLE.

There is not a lot of snow on Cape Cod in a typical winter. I have grown to accept this. Well, at least I have repressed my childhood love of a great snowstorm and realize that the Cape has more sand than snow.  That is, until it snows a little and I find myself outside in an untouched yard and lay down and make a snow angel.

Whatcha doin?

Whatcha doin? (I love how the little girl on Phineus and Ferb says this line)

I would love to say I am being very busy and productive and working off those pounds for the new year, but I am sitting in a chair in a sunny window dreaming that I am in Aruba.

What's up with that?

The girls are back at school and it's like I have some sort of malaise where I cannot get up and get anything accomplished. Yeah, so I have a sinus infection, big whoop, what else is new? It didn't stop me from sledding for 2 hours yesterday at the hilliest golf course on Cape Cod. Of course, it did slow me down a little walking up the hills. Why did I never put in that patten for ski lifts on golf courses for lazy sledders?

Sledding can be a very dangerous sport. I saw quite a few accidents yesterday and saw my life flash in front of me as I went over a jump sideways and flew off my sled. The parents that were there were hard core sledders. We had the need for speed. We didn't mind that the wind was blowing 25, that hail was coming out of the sky or that our kids were cold. Did we jump in and help make the jumps higher? Yup. Did we give the kids an extra boost so they thought they were Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation trying out the new wax on his sled? Yup. Did we join in and hog the best sleds a little longer than we should have? Yup. Did this mom offer up cocoa and freshly baked slice and bake cookies to the masses? Yup.

OK, so after being a "cool mom" and shoveling for 2 days, I guess, sitting on my pretend beach is well deserved. Just hope I can get up in time to pick up the kids.

Oh, wait, maybe I will just send the pool boy.

Walkin' In a Winter Wonderland

It was a marvelous winter wonderland here yesterday! The Cape doesn't get as much snow as the rest of Massachusetts, but yesterday we hit the jackpot! We got about a foot and a half of the white stuff. While the girls played, I shoveled. Today, I am feeling a few back muscles I had forgotten about. The best news was getting a call yesterday afternoon saying that schools were closed for today! It would have been cruel to send the kids to school when they could be outside sledding! I think my girls also might have some sledding off the back of a horse in their future today! So enjoy a few pictures from our winter wonderland. Later, I will go venture out and see what the beaches look like.....

Waiting....

The anticipation of the snow storm that is bearing down on New England is nerve racking! The schools were all cut to a half day last night. Everything has been canceled or postponed for this afternoon and tonight. I went to the grocery store and bought food like I might not get back there for a month! I have enough baking goods to open my own bakery and sustain it for 3 weeks! My kids are practicing their sledding moves on their new sled in my office.

But as of 1:20, we haven't seen a flake.

Now DH and I have a bet going as to how much snow is going to fall. I say 6 inches, he says a foot. Doesn't really matter, because I will be the one shoveling it. Maybe we should say winner gets to sit on the couch?!