A Snow Emergency

   We woke up to a 'Snow Emergency' today.  The lower photo is the view west from our TV room window looking at Wally's house next door.  Can you see it?  Neither could I but I doubt that it moved overnight.  We were suppose to get 3-6" of heavy wet snow after a coating of ice and wintry mix.  The town trucks were out coating Smallsbush Rd starting around 9pm and thru the night trying to keep it safe.  This morning we had maybe 3" of wet, heavy snow when we got up but the temperature was above freezing and the snow had stopped.  I couldn't see or hear any traffic sounds from Rte 5 although it's only .2 of a mile away!  This is the same storm that had hit Georgia and the southeast with heavy rain and tornados over the weekend.  The upper photo is the last cedar tree that my dad planted across the south end of the TV room.  Wally's dad had given him the 4 seedlings on a visit to their camp in Ontario, Canada. (Yes, we 'smuggled' those seedling across the border 45 years ago!) Wayne Paul had to cut down the other 3 when they got too tall and hung over the roof of the house.  I think my mother cried that day but it was the trees or the roof.  If you click on the upper photo and enlarge it you can see the bend, broken branches in the middle.  I guess it's self-pruning.  Cedars bend very easily but this one broke this time.  Jeff thinks we can save most of it.
   There are branches down around the yard.  The wind was very strong yesterday and that helped by the heavy snow brought a lot down.  But we faired very well.  One of the shop members lives in Forestport and she posted that they're power was out.  Good thing she has a generator! (One of the things Jeff keeps saying we should invest in.)  And, it's been on the news that Ilion has a water main break and a 'boil water' order. Wouldn't want to work for the Ilion Water Board today!   All of the school districts around us...including Utica...are closed again today. (Utica is still under a Snow Emergency...with no unnecessary travel.)  There have been quite a lot of fire sirens this morning...accidents, down wires or trees...one on German St in the village narrowly missed a guy who was shoveling his sidewalk!  It's not snowing and the temperature is above freezing but we're suppose to get another couple of inches today.  
   I got my mojo going (finally) and yesterday finished my 1st sweater and hat for the new season.
Well, I haven't exactly
finished it yet, still have
to sew on buttons and do the embroidery but the knitting is done.  It's a size 2 done on a circular US7 in Red Heart acrylic in a color called  "Pretty 'n Pink".  The hat will fit a toddler 2-3 years old...same as the sweater...and both will have white flowers with light green leaves.  Definitely a spring outfit! If only Walmart would hurry up and get their stock of spring buttons I could clean them out of buttons!  I took my time buying buttons last year and they ran out before I had all I wanted.  This year I have A Plan.  Each week I  will buy all they have of one color.  In 4-6 weeks I will clean them out and have my stock for the whole year!  I hope it works! 
   Time for to get cozy next to the fire and start another sweater.  I got a nice skein of yellow in my Secret Pal package this year that I think  will work up beautifully.  You'll see when I post the photo!
(1/25/17...the cedar tree hasn't 'sprung' back the way it usually does after being weighted down with heavy snow.  That break on the one branch is very clear now so Jeff will have to finish removing it, but if the rest of the tree doesn't straighten up, he may have to do more pruning.  He even bought a new hand saw yesterday in anticipation of the work ahead!)