Is this an omen? Snowmageddon? Snowpocalypse?

I know it’s only 27th December, but is 2013 going to come in like this? March is the month that’s supposed to go out like a lion, not December. This is the first time a a very long time, that I’ve missed work because of the weather. The last time was the 1998 ice storm. Thankfully, this is snow and not the wet, heavy stuff we got on the Friday before Christmas.

The snow started shortly before we went to bed around 11:00 last night and was well and truly accumulated when the son had to leave for work around 3:00 this morning.

Hubby did go to work this morning and called me when he arrived. The motorway hadn’t been plowed from Maitland east to Prescott and the on and off ramps hadn’t been touched. Since I have to work on New Years Day, it didn’t take a great deal of persuading to get me to stay home and use today as my day in lieu.

I finally ventured outdoors after 1:00 p.m. – first out onto the back step where I took this photo.

my backyard from the top of the steps
my backyard from the top of the steps

then out front so I could get my hat and mitts out of my car which was tucked safely away in the garage. The snow up against the garage door was deep enough that I had to cut out a section so I could step over it.

driveway dec 27 2012
Son’s silver car (he got home between 9:30 and 10:00 this morning) in the partly shoveled driveway, and the shovel-width opening I cut in the snow to get into the garage

I could have been standing in the middle of the road when I took this. The snowbanks are well out into the road’s surface and cars can’t pass without one giving way by pulling over into the foot of a shoveled out driveway.

looking towards the river from the foot of our driveway
looking towards the river from the foot of our driveway

Jake was out front with the grandson and me while we took turns on the business end of the snow shovel. Earlier the dog wouldn’t set foot off the deck out back. But when I brought him in, the first place he headed was to the back door and into the yard.

Jake trying to come up the steps
Jake trying to come up the steps

Poor boy (and he’s a big boy) couldn’t get back up the steps. He stopped, circled in a number of attempts before he finally got almost all the way up the steps, then as his front feet reached the platform at the top, his back feet missed the last step and he was stranded. He’s back inside on his bed now – no worse for his experience.

We put our garbage and recycling out last night for this morning’s pickup but the garbage men haven’t come, probably can’t get out themselves so we may never see our garbage or recycling until containers until spring. Yikes!