Unexpected Snow Day

Back of the House
~ Photographed by our Backdoor Neighbor ~

Thanks Suzan!Velvet Shoes
Let us walk in the white snow
In a soundless space;
With footsteps quiet and slow,
At a tranquil pace,
Under veils of white lace.

I shall go shod in silk,
And you in wool,
White as white cow’s milk,
More beautiful
Than the breast of a gull.

We shall walk through the still town
In a windless peace;
We shall step upon white down,
Upon silver fleece,
Upon softer than these.

We shall walk in velvet shoes:
Wherever we go
Silence will fall like dews
On white silence below.
We shall walk in the snow.

Elinor Wylie, 1885 – 1928
American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s

Front Door ~ Ready for Easter
P.S. Big Chill, Big ThawThough not as drastic, I was reminded of Valentine's Day 2007 -- the snowfall of the decade! No more wondering if Winter was really ever going to come or if the season was going to come and go without a nice big snow to mark the occasion. 2007 was not to be one of those winters of merely a few flakes; it was the real thing! The schools closed, the university closed, the county closed. The whole family curled up in front of the television and watched Casablanca a few times. We shoveled and sledded as a community. We celebrated and commiserated together. All of those neighbors who had been cocooned throughout December and January were suddenly out on the sidewalks to greet you and say "hello" -- like summer, except snowy!

First there were the beautiful days, then the worrisome days and the exhilarating days, and finally the mushy, messy days, when the snow began to thaw -- right through the roof and onto the ceiling!

Not only did we wait a long time that year, but no sooner were we mesmerized by the first warm days of Spring than -- whoosh -- they were gone again. Luckily we had a taste of things to come when March went out like a lamb and the neighborhood was filled with the unmistakable signs of Spring Cleaning! Once again the Clean Sweep seemed to bring out the best in everyone as Purdue students volunteered to work side by side with New Chauncey homeowners, planting, raking, and tidying up a winter's worth of debris [same as this past Saturday].

As for this year, once again, we're still waiting! Hopefully March will go out like a lamb, and we can pick up where we left off, with the windows open wide to welcome the warm west wind!
2013


2007