At Home | The Beauty Around Us

Early March Snow Storm

We returned home yesterday from a 2-week vacation, most of which was spent in Surfside Beach SC. We left sunny skies and much warmer temperatures to come home to a winter storm advisory. About an hour after our return home, it started to snow.

This is what we awakened to this morning.

This is what Winter is supposed to look like in NW Pennsylvania. This is the most snow that we have received at home (Warren PA) this Winter season. I am thankful that we didn’t have to drive in the snow, while it was falling!

I will be providing details and photographs of our South Carolina vacation soon. Those posts will be backdated and will take place over the next couple of weeks.

Breakfast with Sue from Florida

Ten days ago, on the morning of September 3, I met my friend Sue for breakfast at Mama Janes Restaurant.

Sue and I became friends via Facebook. Our online friendship began in February 2013, when Sue became a fan of my Facebook photography page and my friend on Facebook as well. We attempted to meet each other in October that year, when Sue came to Warren to visit her family. That meeting did not happen. Five years later, in June 2018, we finally did meet each other in person. We met at Tim Hortons. Bob met Sue then, too, and we both met Sue’s husband Matt.

Since 2018 we have met up three other times — in November 2019 again at Tim Hortons, in November 2020 at Bob Evans Restaurant and 10 days ago at Mama Janes.

We didn’t remember to get a picture at any of our meet ups, until today.

I am looking forward to the next time we are able to get together. Until then, we will keep in touch via Facebook.

New Roof

Complete Roofing Systems arrived around 7:30 am on August 8th to replace our roof. By 8:30 am most of the old roof had been torn off, and sheeting was being laid.

It was so noisy inside the house that I went outside and sat on the pavilion for the duration of the project.

The roof shingles arrived shortly before 9:00 am.

Neither Bob nor I had ever seen shingles brought to a roof in this manner.

By 12:30 pm the shingles had been laid, and they were putting on the vent at the roof peak.

At 12:39 pm they were cleaning up. One man was still working on the chimney flashing.

At 1:30 pm they were packing up to leave and left shortly thereafter.

The roofers did a great job, including cleanup afterward.

Standing Tall

I was walking through our kitchen to the living room, when I glimpsed “something” in front of our shed. Bob said he was going to start a fire to roast hot dogs. My first thought was that he placed a wood stack in front of the shed. I squinted my eyes. Was the something really a stack of wood? NO, it wasn’t!

“Mr Chuck” is BIG!

As I was preparing this blog post, a rhyme came to mind …

How much wood
could a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
As much wood
as a woodchuck could chuck,
If a woodchuck could chuck wood.
By Mother Goose

Bob says he needs to buy some cantaloupe that he will use to trap the woodchuck.

Anniversary

Today is my blogging anniversary. I have been blogging 13 years today. I uploaded my first blog post on March 1, 2009.

Winter in Northwest Pennsylvania

My first blog post of the year was about the lack of snow in Northwest Pennsylvania on January 1st. It didn’t even feel like winter that day, with temperatures in the low 50s. About mid month Winter arrived, with a vengeance.

I took this picture around 9:30 am on January 16th. We had a couple snow storms earlier in the month, with no more than 6 inches lying on the ground at any one time. This picture shows how much snow was left from the last snow storm. Then came Winter Storm Izzy …

I took this picture the next morning, on January 17th. This picture shows how much snow we got from Winter Storm Izzy in a 24-hour time period.
Bob estimated there was 10-11 inches of snow on the ground.

After Izzy left, lake effect snows began. Snow continued to fall at least through January 18th, adding 2 or 3 more inches of snow on top of the 13-15 inches of snow left behind by Izzy.

The warning for Winter Storm Landon began at 1:00 am on Thursday, February 3rd, and lasted through 10:00 am this morning.

I took this picture on Wednesday (2/2) at 2:43 pm before Winter Storm Landon arrived. The snow on the ground is what remains from our last major winter storm, Izzy, and lake effect snows. Note that the fire ring located behind the pavilion is visible.

I took this picture at 7:36 am this morning, while we were still under the winter storm warning for Winter Storm Landon. Note that the fire ring behind the pavilion is totally covered.

We got at least a foot of new snow from Winter Storm Landon. It is almost noon, and snow continues to fall! This is Winter in Northwest Pennsylvania.

Crazy Weather

This afternoon we went for a short walk in our neighborhood.

Looking Across Neighbors’ back yards to our house

I live in northwestern Pennsylvania. What crazy weather! It is January 1st. There is no snow, and the temperature was 53 degrees during our walk. The weather is crazy, but I like it. I would love today’s weather, if the sun was out!