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Winter and Elsa Be Gone

Posted on February 16, 2015 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When you live in the northeast, you know that Mother Nature can dish out many different scenarios in the winter. As someone that has lived in New York State for her entire life, I have to say this winter has been brutal. Elsa needs to back off and STOP!

It is not simply cold, it is freezing in a dangerous way. Snow may not be to the levels people are seeing in New England (poor Boston and areas of Maine), but traveling around here is getting tricky. Roads have snow mounds all over which makes it hard to see when it is time to pull out into a street or make a turn. Cars are parked so far from curbs that they are blocking traffic patterns. Crosswalks are not cleared and people have to climb over snow to go across a road.

Homeowners are running out of places to pile snow up near their homes. Yes, we have given up dreaming of a clean driveway. At this point we are simply making paths to get from here to there.

While they look beautiful, icicles on homes are a sign of ice dams. This year they are horrid and I live on fear of dripping noises. Yes, knee highs once again are out on parts of my roof. I am hoping that once the temperature increases a bit, the calcium chloride will help us to avoid water backing into our house.

Sometimes you just need to vent for a few moments. After that, you go back and curl under three or more blankets dreaming of visible pavement and temperatures that do not harm people, places, and things. I also tend to dream of Disney and hope that Hakuna Matata will make this pass without too much damage.

Do you live where winter has over stayed and needs to go far far away? Let me know what you are looking forward to in the months ahead.

Categories:
Disney weather winter

Let it Go, No More Snow

Posted on February 17, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear Mother Nature,

For some reason, I think you must be a Disney fan. The hoopla and praise for the movie Frozen has made you very excited to share how you too can be like Elsa. To those of us living in the Northeast of the United States, we knew the power of your winter storm possibilities. Most of us had put our guard down a little after several relatively mild winters in recent years. It isn’t that we never thought snow piles would reach our armpits again, not at all. I think we were just naïve and forgot what extreme cold and storm after storm can be like.

Of course, those of us in places like New York State are lucky. We may complain about the snow and cold from time to time (or more perhaps), but at least we have snow removal tools. The people in the southern parts of the United States do not have salt trucks, plows, and other resources like we do. Schools throughout the country have been closed many more days than I can remember in decades. Snow, ice, freezing rain, flooding, and extreme cold are all to blame.

Can we make a deal? It is great to be a fan of the movie Frozen, but could you please cut us some slack and give our shovels a break for a bit?

Seriously, I think it’s time to Let it Go and say no more to snow! Now let the snow gradually melt and let us see the beauty that you create in the months ahead.

PS – If we can’t laugh we would likely cry. Here’s a video of TechyDad when we were digging out from nearly two feet of snow on Friday.

Categories:
Disney weather winter

Cold is an Understatement

Posted on January 3, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up in New York State, I remember a lot of snow during my childhood. The kids in our neighborhood often made snow forts, snowmen, and went sledding. Sure it was cold, but it never hurt to play outside.

Fast forward to winter 2014 where Mother Nature is roaring across the country. She is dumping large amounts of snow all over. In addition to this, the temperature is plummeting while the snow continues to fall. Right now, it is zero degrees Fahrenheit, but feels like -25 thanks to the wind chill. Many roads in New York and beyond have been closed due to a snow emergency. Road crews are having a hard time dealing with blowing and drifting snow. In addition to this, salt does not work very well in these extreme temperatures.

Perhaps it is because I am an adult now, but winter seems so much worse. It could be because we have the responsibility of our own house, cars, and kids. Still, I do not recall the roads and places being so bad.

Time for you to weigh in: Has winter changed where you are or is it just different now that you are an adult? Now please excuse me if I am quiet for a little while, we have a lot of snow to shovel.

Categories:
looking back weather winter

Gone to Play in the Snow

Posted on December 27, 2012 9:45 am by TheAngelForever

I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of snow. I loved playing in it when I was a child and made some amazing snow creations with neighbors. Then, when I learned to drive and we bought our house, things changed. Driving was suddenly dangerous, winter plans were harder to make, and keeping roofs clear of ice dams a reality.

Still, I can appreciate the beauty of the fresh white snow outside.

Later on, I will take one for the team and bundle up to watch the boys play in the snow (shoveling complete and TechyDad will rake the roof after work). You see, we already have more snow from this one storm than we had all last season. I have a five year old that jumps for joy when he sees one snow flake fall from the sky because he wants to play.

Categories:
weather winter

Numbing News from Hurricane Sandy

Posted on November 1, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

We live in the Capital District of New York. Our area was locked down in a state of emergency Monday and part of Tuesday. Hurricane Sandy’s unpredictable path made officials take extreme precautions after Hurricane Irene. People in our area are muttering about the hype, but I am not one of those individuals. No, I am counting my blessings. My family, home, and memories are secure because Sandy did not turn into our direction. What missed us did not spare countless others. Lives were lost, homes destroyed, destinations changed forever, and precious family memories lost.

Our family in PA, NJ, and NYC/Long Island have all finally checked in with us. They have storm damage and have been without power, but they are alive. Their homes were also spared a lot of what others on more coastal areas experienced. Hurricane Sandy may have “only been a category 1” storm just before she slammed into the NJ shore, but she was the biggest storm that anyone has ever seen in our region.

The reality is that the northeast is not well equipped for hurricanes because up until recent years, they were rather rare in these parts. Now, it seems to be a shifting reality. While we have the equipment to remove snow, ice, and winter weather – hurricanes and tropical storms are not something we typically brace for, especially in late October.

Growing up, I spent a lot summers going to Ocean City, MD. Vacations on the beach watching waves, time with extended family, bringing home pet hermit crabs, and more. I watched in horror and disbelief as the ocean ran up to buildings, home and businesses filled with water, and sand moved long distances away from the beach area. In this area, the bay overflowed and in some cases, the ocean breached the sea wall.

While in college, I had season tickets for the Albany River Rats hockey team. They were the AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils. During this time, I became very good friends with an amazing group of people who live in New Jersey. We used to spend time at their house during training camp and at playoff time when we ventured to Philadelphia. I have memories of cruising in convertible cars, walking on the boardwalk, and enjoying the beauty of the beach front area. Now, the photos make it look like a completely different world. The boardwalk was ripped off and a lot of homes on the beachfront were totaled along with stores and restaurants. Ocean Avenue and many other blocks are now covered in sand.

While I could have selected photos of Sandy’s destruction in these areas and beyond, I wanted to remind us of the beauty. The news has plenty of the heartbreaking images to go around. We must remember that each of the states that was hit needs our support. These places are homes to many people living in them full time. They are in need of massive work that will take lots of time, energy, and of course money. Together, we can help them to rebuild so more generations can experience the beauty of these amazing places up and down the east coat. Please consider donating blood, items, or money to charities that will support the individual in this area that have lost so much. Resourceful Mommy has great tips on how to help after Hurricane Sandy.

A huge thank you to my friends for their help with photos. I knew that I wanted to write this post and did not know where my pictures from trips were located. Sandy was able to send me these gorgeous views of Ocean City, MD and Shelley the ones of her hometown beach in New Jersey. Also a big thanks to my OC expert Shannan who was able to tell me more about how it looks now.