The snow has stopped!

What a whirlwind day! I ran between Zoom and shoveling snow and Zoom. But there is good news—wait for it. 

This was after the first shovel in the morning. This picture was taken around 8 a.m. and the snow was covering up my handiwork as I finished. 

8 a.m.

Then, at 11:30, I went out after finishing my two binding Zoom classes. A lot of snow had accumulated, and it was still snowing. 

Noon

Then, there was the shovel session at 3:00 p.m. Each time, it took between 40 - 50 minutes to shovel. Is it easing off? It seemed, but I had not finished the bottom of the driveway earlier, so I kept chipping away at that. My system of pushing the snow BACK towards the house and lifting it near the garage entrance worked like a charm. If you can, scrape it into one big pile and shovel it like mad. It goes fast. 

3:30 p.m.

I was back out at 6:00 p.m. Halleluiah—it has stopped snowing! That was a relief. Not too much snow had accumulated since the last shoveling, so I could completely clear all the sidewalks, the bottom of the driveway, and six feet into the street.  

The banks beside the garage

The street had not yet been plowed, and you can see the tracks I made in the snow when I got from our driveway to the tracks in the street to walk the girls in the morning. And that's shoveling about six feet into the snow to bypass the enormous mounds left by the plow from the last time. 

8 p.m.

The plow came just as I was getting into bed. The driver did a decent job at the end of the driveway, but I wasn't getting up to clear the windrow. I'll pay the price this morning because it'll be hard as a rock, but I was too tired. I'm guessing it'll take 30 minutes. 

Cleaning the street

The forecast for the next few days looks decent, so let's hope some of this snow can settle so we'll have room for the next round. 

We have big icicles hanging off parts of the roof, which I'm not a fan of, but hopefully, they won't damage anything. We have already had damage inside the house from previous years. I can only imagine that it will be a costly fix to prevent it from happening in the future. We have a stupid roof line with lots of valleys and corners. 

Icicles are hanging off the entire roof edge, dripping water even at this cold temperature. It's going to be a mess! 

Murphy and I trudged to the multi-purpose path, which was mostly clear so we could walk. We didn't go far, as walking even on the "cleared" path was challenging. She was unhappy when we reached the end of the street and turned around. 

MOM - stop taking pictures - let's go! 

Lexi's walk was a bit shorter, and she was even more out of sorts when we turned around. Traffic was very light - I don't know why people got their cars out unless necessary. 

Our backyard is a winter wonderland; even our whirly gig is covered in snow. 

My wind mobile is covered with snow

The backyard is covered with huge mounds of snow. But the pond is still open, and the fish should be happy. They need the opening to remove harmful gases so they don't asphyxiate.

Winter Wonderland

The girls love this weather and spend a lot of time outside. 

Mom - we're happy!

It was snowing so hard at one point that I just wanted to go back to bed and wait until spring. Isn't that what the groundhog did? Where's that groundhog? Did he predict this? 

Heavy snowfall

I needed to go to the grocery store, so I got my boots on and my little shopping bag, and off I went. Walking through the forest was so pretty and so calm and quiet!! Yep - I got some snow in one of my boots, but I was okay. The little path is narrow, so you had to step carefully, or you would be flat on your back in the snow. Thankfully, that did NOT happen to me. 

Walking through the forest

Oh, my -- look at Lexi. It seems like she has a mask!!

Bat dog!

And Murphy is just chilling in the snowbank on the back deck. 

Mom - can we have snow every day?

The snow is now pretty high along the sides of the house, blocking my light. I still have lots of light, but Murphy won't be lying outside the window looking in! 

The snow is building up outside

What is it with Murphy and her toys? I put all her toys in the two toy boxes, and she comes by, digs them out, and leaves them strewn around the floor. That silly girl. 

The toys have to be OUTSIDE the toybox

Yesterday, we had a Virtual Retreat. I actually got some stuff done, but not much. But I made progress, and that's all that counts. I have trimmed 120 of these blocks, which are ready to sew. I'll put them aside for the next sewing retreat. It's a good mindless project for that. 

Trimming blocks

I cleaned up some other things by unpicking, pressing, and putting the bits in their proper place. I still have a lot of silly things to tidy up, and we have Monday sewing today, so I'm going to try to get some of that done today. 

Speaking of Virtual Retreats, we have had so much fun! We have had some serious conversations, and we've had some good laughs! I've made new friends I would never have had the privilege of making in other circumstances. I've learned so much by asking questions; all is good! I can't wait for the next one, which is scheduled for March 22nd and 23rd. 

It's all baby steps, and soon, things will be back in order. I just have to be slow and steady at it. I'm trying to tackle the paperwork and get caught up. I doubt that will ever happen, but I will keep plugging away. I'm reading the book on Outlook and trying to do some of the stuff she says. I should peek at the previous day's email mess and whatever needs action, make it happen, and delete the rest. All the promotional stuff that I'll ever buy or the junk. Unsubscribe and delete. 

A reminder to all Ontario residents. We have a provincial election coming up, and it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to be on that voter list and vote on FFebruary 27th I checked, and both our names are on the list. If you have a new voter in your household, make sure they get registered. Today is the last day. You can do all this online. Here is the website: Remember that voting is a RIGHT that some countries do not have, and some people within those countries have not, until recently, had the right to vote.

Here is an interesting article about women's right to vote in Canada. Please protect this right. If you want to read something scary - read the reasons why women were not allowed to vote. That says it all. Make sure you are on the list, and make sure you get your butt out on February 27th. It's also not just voting; it's about understanding each party's plans. Spend a little time discussing the issues with friends or family, or research independently. You cannot complain about the government if you do NOT take some responsibility. Remember, some countries do NOT have a democracy! Protect our rights! 

Well, it's supposed to be Family Day, but I suspect I'll spend the day on Zoom and dealing with paperwork. And I hope to get downstairs so I can sew! 

On that note, I'm out of here. 

Have a super date

Ciao!!!