Stillmeadow Friends

Dear Shelley,
I'm finally getting back to the computer. I was busy most of yesterday and all this morning.

First they said we were going to get a lot of snow, then they said we weren't. Guess what happened? we got DUMPED on!!

I think meteorology is very much an inexact science in spite of all the hi-tech thingamybobs they use for predictions. I think seasoned country folk are better at it...

A few years ago, in Southbury, a fine countrywoman pointed to a tree and said, "look at those leaves and see how they're turning themselves around and showing their undersides? We'll get rain soon". And we did...

I remember my friend Suzanne telling me about the Blizzard of '78... She headed off to work in Massachusetts, after being told they were in for some flurries, and she ended up being stranded at her workplace for three days!!

Anyway, Mike and I are aching all over today. We went outside to shovel after the plow had cleared our drive. The picture below is before we started shovelling. I did not look quite so happy after we had finished!


It looks incredibly pretty because it is the heavy variety of snow that sticks to the trees and branches, and because of the weight of the snow, quite a big branch came down from the huge pine and the oak tree.

Last night there were more deer in our front garden. at least two and possibly more. They are eating the evergreen shrubs in front of our house. I'm going out later to try to buy some food for them. Apparently they like grass, fruit, acorns and nuts, but in the winter their only source of food is usually from woody plants, and yet they looked quite plump.

Emma stayed in front of the woodstove just for a change. She's there now and only moves to meouw for food or treats, and I know she tries to get me into thinking she's hard done by, but in my next life, if given the choice, Oh yes indeed, I want to be a cat!

Mike and I are going to buy a flotation pump today. Our basement flooded last year during the spring thaw and we never want to go through that again. We built a sump and hopefully it will work. There's nothing worse than waking up to no hot water because the boiler and everything else on or near the basement floor is immursed in a foot of water. It took us a long time to dry out after that!

Well, I'll send this off for now because I must get ready and I'll be back later to give you my Mum's scone recipe!

Take care,
Love, Susan
New Boston, New Hampshire.