buried...

We're buried here. For real. I don't remember ever having this much snow in my life. The kids have had at least six snowdays in the last three weeks or so. I can't say how many exactly because I've lost count. It's a good thing that I like snowdays.

I spent last week in Texas where it was sunny and 60 degrees or more (though I've heard it's not like that this week - I got lucky!). When I left on my trip I thought we had a crazy amount of snow. Little did I know that it would continue to snow and snow and snow while I was gone.

See, here's a shot I took one morning a couple of weeks ago. That's a lot of snow, right?

Not so much compared to the shots I took this morning (I laugh every time I look at that pile of snow on top of the portico - it's taller than the roof of the portico). I think we've added two-feet or so to our original pile. It's a bit surreal. Actually the barn across the street collapsed under the weight of the snow last week - before we added another foot. The snow on the sides of the driveway is piled as high as my shoulder. I can't shovel because I'm too short to throw the snow over the piles. Darn.

A lot of people are complaining but I kind of like it (maybe because I'm not shoveling it all). I'm an indoor girl anyway so I enjoy LOOKING at it while puttering around my cozy house. You can't deny how pretty it is, that sparkling white against the blinding blue sky. Magical.

Of course the children love it, though it's difficult to play in because they can't even walk in it anymore. They can only play around it and burrow through it. They're not complaining. They've amassed an impressive collection of icicles, mostly from the neighbor's house. We have seen some pretty impressive icicles in the last few weeks.

Pinky's loving her first real snow experiences. We bundle her from head to toe and she waddles happily through the tunnels of chilly white stuff. Every time the older kids leave the house she wants to follow them. Here she is all ready to "go 'side" this morning as the kids got on the bus (after two days off). As long as she's got her boots on she thinks she's good to go. Luckily she can't open the doors by herself yet!

Ah well, I caught her and convinced her to stay inside with me by tempting her with a giant batch of steel-cut oats and lots of fresh honey. How could she resist? See, it's not so bad having the house buried in snow when you get to snuggle up inside with a warm bowl of yumminess.