Cheimatica

[annis]

Here at William's Grammaticarium, we've had a bit of snow. Not as much as my father, who lives in NY, who is going to get (24+ inches) later, but still. A nice little storm.

I love snow.

I also love how all the city lights are diffused during a nighttime snow storm. One can take photos with a still camera and no flash (click image for larger).



Then of course, it's all so pretty in the morning.



And it hasn't stopped just yet.

[Kopio]

We got nailed with a frozen rain storm last week....it was pretty crazy! Snow I love...I have a big 4x4.....frozen rain I ....doesn't matter how many wheel drive you have, you just slide.

Loved the pictures Will, especially the trees, nice shot.

[Emma_85]

Lovely photos, thanks for sharing!

Winter here has been really warm, we had snow twice and it only settled once really and that was in November. Some times I've even been able to go out without a jacket on. So unlike the normal -15°C, it's been around freezing for just above even.

[annis]

Loved the pictures Will, especially the trees, nice shot.

The trees are an in memoriam shot. The large horizontal branches belong to a beautiful tree in the yard across from me. Next month I'll have lived in my house for two years, so I moved in in winter. My first spring, when the giant tree across the street leafed out, I was amazed... it's an American Elm. It had survived the Plague. This is so amazing that I don't complain about the several billion fertile seeds it drops into my gardening.

Last summer, again, it leafed out beautifully. Then, suddenly, wilted. It looked just sad, and held on for about two months with droopy leaves, but was totally dead by late summer. Based on the weeping from a knot, I assume it has heart rot.

I worry about my neighbors, who do not seem to share the urgency I would have about removing a giant, hollow dead tree hovering over my house. I am probably safe. It'll be sad to see it carted away.

[klewlis]

ick. snow.

it's pretty until you have to drive in it.

and then it gets mixed with the dirt from your tires and the gravel they put on the roads, and it's just big brown heaps and 6 inches of slush on the roads while you're trying to drive. only you can't drive because the snow piles on the roads narrow the lanes so that only 1.5 cars can go through instead of 2, and traffic crawls. not to mention cleaning the stuff off your car every morning at 7am in -25C temperatures.

(don't mind me, i'm just suffering from seasonal affective disorder. ;)

[swiftnicholas]

I'm also in New York. A short time ago the first few flakes started falling faintly. I'm headed home to curl up with Homer beside the woodstove. I love being snowed in at home, isolated in the deep white woods.

I'm sorry to hear about the tree, William. I've lost a few dear trees in my short life. A tree can really define a landscape: often that only becomes clear when the tree falls.

[Emma_85]

Loved the pictures Will, especially the trees, nice shot.

The trees are an in memoriam shot. The large horizontal branches belong to a beautiful tree in the yard across from me. Next month I'll have lived in my house for two years, so I moved in in winter. My first spring, when the giant tree across the street leafed out, I was amazed... it's an American Elm. It had survived the Plague. This is so amazing that I don't complain about the several billion fertile seeds it drops into my gardening.

Last summer, again, it leafed out beautifully. Then, suddenly, wilted. It looked just sad, and held on for about two months with droopy leaves, but was totally dead by late summer. Based on the weeping from a knot, I assume it has heart rot.

I worry about my neighbors, who do not seem to share the urgency I would have about removing a giant, hollow dead tree hovering over my house. I am probably safe. It'll be sad to see it carted away.

yeah, it's sad that all the Elm's have died - I don't even know what one looks like.

[classicalclarinet]

Ah, William, snow is pretty at first.. but one longs for dry gound when one is smothered with 2 feet of frozen ice and snow 5 months of the year.

You have a nice house!

[Episcopus]

Oh my god can I build a hut there. Do you have any 1024x768 of that street snow shot?

[annis]

Oh my god can I build a hut there. Do you have any 1024x768 of that street snow shot?

Sure: street snow shot.

Edit: the file was huge, so is gone now; I hope everyone who wanted it has grabbed it.

[annis]

Ah, William, snow is pretty at first.. but one longs for dry gound when one is smothered with 2 feet of frozen ice and snow 5 months of the year.

Oh, I know. February is the worst for me, and I'll be thinking a lot more about my bonsai plans by then, impatient for them to come out of their winter storage.

You have a nice house!

Thank you.

[Episcopus]

You rule thanks annis!

P.S. Does that 'sure' refer to my building a hut next to your house haha

[mingshey]

Ah, William, snow is pretty at first.. but one longs for dry gound when one is smothered with 2 feet of frozen ice and snow 5 months of the year.

This reminds me of an article, bearing the title: "A Texan moves to Wisconsin" or "Diary of a Mad Shoveler".

But, nice photos and lovely house, William!

[Phylax]

They promised snow last night here in East Sussex, but none came. Indeed, looking at the various web cams available at http://haggishunt.scotsman.com/
not much fell in GB anywhere, despite the forecasts. (I wonder if our colleague Turpissimus had snow in his East Saxon fastness?)

I too love snow. I'm reminded of the Horation ode 1.9 "Vides ut alta stet nive candidum / Soracte ...", which was going to be yet another candidate in the 'Favourite verse in translation' thread' I was thinking of starting:

Look how the snow lies deeply on glittering
Soracte. White woods groan and protestingly
Let fall their branch-loads. Bitter frost has
Paralysed rivers: the ice is solid.

Unfreeze the cold! Pile plenty of logs in the
Fireplace! And you, dear friend Thaliarchus, come,
Bring out the Sabine wine-jar four years
Old and be generous. Let the good gods

Take care of all else. Later, as soon as they've
Calmed down this contestation of winds upon
Churned seas, the old ash-trees can rest in
Peace and the cypresses stand unshaken.

Try not to guess what lies in the future, but
As Fortune deals days enter them into your
Life's book as windfalls, credit items,
Gratefully. Now that you're young , and peevish

Grey hairs are still far distant, attend to the
Dance-floor, the heart's sweet business; for now is the
Right time for midnight assignations,
Whispers and murmurs in Rome's piazzas

And fields, and soft, low laughter that gives away
The girl who plays love's game in a hiding-place -
Off comes a ring coaxed down an arm or
Pulled from a faintly resisting finger.

(I copied down the translation yonks ago, but alas, forgot to note the translator's name.)

[Emma_85]

a few snowflakes here at the moment... i hope it doesn't snow, I really hope it doesn't snow during the night... tomorrow's my last major exam and I don't want to wake up and see snow everywhere... I must be ontime for that exam .

[annis]

This reminds me of an article, bearing the title: "A Texan moves to Wisconsin" or "Diary of a Mad Shoveler".

Whoever wrote this is from a different part of Wisconsin than I'm in, probably downwind of Lake Superior.

Together with klewlis' post above this little bit of humor makes plain the central contradiction of the snowplow driver's life: if you're too timid, people will curse you when they drive, if too bold, they will curse you when they shovel. Enthusiastic plowing has piled a foot of snow back onto my sidewalk on more than one occasion.

[annis]

P.S. Does that 'sure' refer to my building a hut next to your house haha

I'm afraid not. The development covenants have stern things to say about non-garage outbuildings.

[Emma_85]

i'm sure Episcopus could make do with a shed...

[klewlis]

Together with klewlis' post above this little bit of humor makes plain the central contradiction of the snowplow driver's life: if you're too timid, people will curse you when they drive, if too bold, they will curse you when they shovel. Enthusiastic plowing has piled a foot of snow back onto my sidewalk on more than one occasion.

Unfortunately true.

After our last dump of snow stopped falling, the city was finally able to catch up with snow removal and actually remove those horrid piles of snow from the major routes. It was interesting, in fact; I have lived in this climate my entire life and have never seen a machine like the one I saw last week. It was a large grater-like vehicle that literally sucked/chewed up the snow and fed it into a large dump truck that drove slowly beside it. In this manner they managed to clear my way to work and ship the snow outside of the city. (They usually dump it in farmers fields since they need the moisture more. I've seen caravans of dump trucks full of snow headed out of town.) And it's so nice to drive on clear roads again!

(until the next dump....)

[Emma_85]

it snowed last night... so my first ever drive in snow. didn't see any snowploughs, but it wasn't really much snow that fell... about the only street that wasn't clear is the one that I live in...
this snow had the germans up early... lol, cause by law everyone has to keep the pavement in front of their house clear of leaves/snow/whatever. It's so funny, lol, cause it's like 'ha! I cleared my path before my neighbour did'. they are totally mad

[klewlis]

it snowed last night... so my first ever drive in snow. didn't see any snowploughs, but it wasn't really much snow that fell... about the only street that wasn't clear is the one that I live in...
this snow had the germans up early... lol, cause by law everyone has to keep the pavement in front of their house clear of leaves/snow/whatever. It's so funny, lol, cause it's like 'ha! I cleared my path before my neighbour did'. they are totally mad :roll:

lol

we have that law too, but we don't worry about getting it done immediately (otherwise we'd sometimes have to shovel non-stop for days). As long as we get it within a day or two they don't mind. Although last year the city threw an 80 year old woman in jail for a night because she did not clear her walks quickly enough for them and refused to pay the fine, and the whole community was up in arms about it. It was amusing.

[Clemens]

Although last year the city threw an 80 year old woman in jail for a night because she did not clear her walks quickly enough for them and refused to pay the fine, and the whole community was up in arms about it.

Poor old lady!

Here we have ca. -20 °C *shiver* and finally it has snowed quite a lot after it hadn't snowed much until mid-Decemer...

[Adelheid]

Here in the Netherlands I can hardly remember the last time it really snowed. That is, more than the odd flake here and there.

It snowed this afternoon... for 5 minutes.


Adelheid

[ingrid70]

Here in the Netherlands I can hardly remember the last time it really snowed. That is, more than the odd flake here and there.

It snowed this afternoon... for 5 minutes.


Adelheid

Hmm, here it was just enough to colour the streets white, but not enough to throw snowballs. But I got some pictures by e-mail from friends with kids in the north who could go for a decent sleigh ride.

Ingrid, also from the Netherlands