It’s Not Pretty Any More!

“As winds increase from a strengthening nor’easter, blizzard conditions will bring dangerous travel over the interior Northeast, while a wintry mix, rain and flooding continue to advance northward along the coast through Tuesday. The storm has forced a State of Emergency to declared in multiple states. Blizzard conditions with heavy snow, very low visibility and drifting snow will clog streets and highways from parts of central and eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New jersey to much of Maine and New Brunswick.” — AccuWeather, March 14, 2017

Outside, “Winter Storm Stella,” as its been dubbed, is in full force. I was proactive this morning and took Gypsy (see I Have a Dog) out fairly early so we could get a good walk in before things revved up.

We went for a smaller walk in Deering Oaks Park later just as things were starting to get hairy. It wasn’t too terrible until we turned to head back across the bridge at which point our faces were encrusted by sideways, wind-driven stinging crystals of sharp snow.

No Squirrels (Or Dogs or People) Out Today!

We Might Want to Think Twice About This

Good Thing We Live a Block Away from the Park

Enough already! It’s not pretty any more! It’s lost whatever charm it had way back in January! There usually comes a point during the Maine winter when you feel yourself starting to slip psychologically over the edge. This could be the one for me.

STELLLLLA!!!!!

At least maybe I’ll be an origami master by the end of it (see Darned Socks and Origami):

The Broken Record

The historical record low for March 11 was minus 1 in 1953. Around 11 am this morning, it was 4 degrees, with a 24 mph wind and a wind chill (also known as “real feel” or “feels like”) of MINUS EIGHTEEN. So, whether the ruthless frigid air breaks a record or not today, this winter has definitely become “a broken record” for sure. Yesterday’s snowfall was disheartening. Today’s Arctic blast is more existential, as it now feels like a Sisyphean task to make it to April.

Maine! Our current motto is: The Way Life Should Be! It used to be Vacationland — if your idea of a vacation is somewhere north of the Arctic Circle, that is, which is possibly why it was changed.

But wait! There’s more! The icing on the cake will be the Nor’easter predicted for early next week, with 6-12 inches of you-know-what expected and winds ranging from 40-60 mph. Smart Mainers don’t put away any cold weather gear until mid-April at the earliest.