Candles and Debris

.

In the wake of the disastrous seventy-two hour snow storm that hit our region, when I attempted and eventually succeeded in building snow candelabras, this is all that's left.

Tea candles...

And debris...

Slush

Today the temperature climbed to a comparatively warm 39ºF (compared to 29ºF). Which is cause for three things:

1. All the paranoid drivers are coming out of

    hiding, and getting themselves stuck in snow

    berms in the medians. Listen here amigos,

    if you drive a light weight sedan like a 

    Volkswagen or a Kia, you will not, I 

    repeat, NOT get through the twelve inch 

    berm created by the snow plows! (I don't

    blame them for doing it though; their brains

    are still slush because there is still snow,

    albeit melting snow.)

FYI: I did not take pictures of the roads because of No. 1. Doing so would be like going for a swim at a beach where shark warnings are posted.

2. Rain boots versus Sorels. Sorels are bulky,

    fuzzy inside, and cozy warm. Rain boots

    simply keep your wool socked feet dry.

    They don't stave off the cold too well. This

    is why I stopped at twelve columns, rather

    than lining the whole sidewalk as originally

    intended.

3. Wet snow, AKA slush. Once again, a lesson

    for you warm-blooded relatives basking in

    the shade of swaying palm trees. You are

    familiar with slush. It is the very same

    consistency of ice in a snow cone. At 7-

    Eleven convenience stores, the stuff is

    doused with red, blue, or purple syrup, and

    you eat it. Notice how the ice remains

    compact. This is prime snow for making

    snow men, snow balls, and snow castles.

    And these...

I made them with a commercial size dustpan (because I don't have a flat shovel) a bucket, a Nalgene bottle (not shown, but I'm drinking out of it right now), and an apple corer.

I bet you are so itchin' to know what I made!

This is what the apple corer was for. Ventilation.

This is what the Nalgene was for. A cavern.

Behold my creation, snow candelabras!

And now for a quick break from all things snow. My hunk of a husband called me in from the freezing rain for dinner.

Behold, 5-Star's creation! Cheeze melted over a slice of tomato on a bed of Sun Flower tuna (thanks to Miko for sending me some!) over a toasted English muffin.

But that's not all. He also made salad! With shredded mozarella and sliced black olives. (Mayet doesn't like olives. FYI.)

And while we bask in the warmth of an aromatic kitchen, the snow candelabras light a welcoming beacon to our front door.

Slush. It's what snow sculptures are made of. And 7-Eleven slurpies.

.

Powder

.

It's been snowing for the last two and a half days. Georgia, our loyal sentry has witnessed every flake come fluttering-  at some point earlier in the week however, pelting-  down from heaven.

And for the first time in three years my Sorels came out of storage.

In a region where snow seldomly comes around, this storm was cause for two things:

1. A ghost town. Because everyone panics.
    Because a good number of drivers' brains
    turn to slush at the sight of this pristine white
    thing.  The evidence: desserted highways and
    sparsely filled parking lots. 

2. One's inner child comes out to play. However,
    unless one has a state of the art sled to race
    down a hill, this particular type of snow ain't
    much use for anything else. See, the
    temperature today didn't get over 29ºF, which
    means the snow was so cold, it was "dry",
    commonly referred to as "powder". 

    Here's a quick lesson for you relatives in the
    warmer climates of God's green earth, dry
    snow does not stick. It's like trying to form
    dough with flour alone; you can't. If you can't
    make pan de sal with flour alone, then we
    north hemispherians cannot make snow men,
    snow balls, or snow castles with powder.

    The evidence: bucket-formed columns of snow
    that crumble at the slightest touch. 

The inner child in me eventually had a tantrum. So she went inside where the disgruntled adult takes over, and pours her grievances onto the Internet for you to witness.

.