It can prove to be difficult to make any short or long-term plans here in New England, particularly in the Winter when the weather is at it’s most unpredictable. I have a flight planned to North Carolina this coming weekend, and I have been obsessively and frantically checking the forecasts and radars for any inclination of snow, ice or wind so I can prepare myself for any flight delays or cancellations accordingly.
This past weekend was a perfect example of “Frigid February” turning a couple of days – and many roads/walkways – upside down. On Saturday, after having watered and fawning over the surprise bouquet of flowers I’d received from Troy for Valentine’s Day while working from home Friday afternoon and then heading back to Central Massachusetts as the sun was rising, I’d scooped up Oliver and my mom to bring him for a scheduled grooming appointment bright and early and then treat my mom to breakfast at The Vanilla Bean Café just over the state line in Pomfret, Connecticut while we waited for the groomer to finish up a couple hours’ worth of bath time, blow-drying, and fur-cutting.
We got the phone call that Oliver was nearly finished with his appointment shortly after I’d finished my pesto scramble (the perfect breakfast special for savory flavor lovers like myself!) and when we went to pick him up – I was pleasantly surprised that she’d taken my request to accentuate Oliver’s miniature schnauzer mustache seriously. I had actually requested she give him the “Count Orlok” treatment – and she understood the assignment perfectly!
We knew that snow was coming on Saturday night, maybe even some ice/sleet – so I’d stopped to pick up some groceries for my mom on my way back from dropping her and Oliver off at her house after his appointment so that she wouldn’t need to venture out for supplies if it became too slick or slippery on the roads. The storm started almost immediately after we’d returned to her house, however – and it stuck FAST. I ended up having to stay through Sunday as every square inch of the state was blanketed with thick, heavy ice and snow.
I had mentioned that we did some baking to pass the time, watched some old movies, and at one point I ventured out to take photos of the storm’s aftermath near Purgatory Chasm in Sutton. For the first time in a long time, I was the only one there – and captured some really pretty photos of the roads and trees without venturing too far into the park (it’s filled with jagged rocks and deep cliffs – so you never want to go when it’s slippery or when there’s poor visibility!)
What I hadn’t counted on in the aftermath of the storm, however – was the wind and windchill. Gusts became so powerful across the state that many people lost power for significant periods of time when trees and powerlines came down, and as the sleet turned to rain and the temperatures dipped dramatically by Sunday afternoon/evening – things froze quickly – and only seemed to calm down and warm up by yesterday afternoon when the winds finally stopped howling and people could safely salt and sand the walkways and sidewalks around their neighborhoods again.
I’m back at my apartment now, and still have some packing to do – but the forecast looks okay into this weekend. There might be some more snow/ice by next week, however, so we’ll see if that impacts my return flight home or if I’m going to need to extend my stay in North Carolina for a little longer!
I guess we’ll have to wait and find out!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 