home about archives blogfriends recipes cottage

Monday, January 31, 2011

'S' Is For Snow

A typical heavy snowfall over night.

Here in our part of Kansas we don't get very much snow.
I think the most I've ever seen in one large snowfall here is
about 12 inches...at the most.

As many of you who follow me know...I moved here from a ski village in the mountains of British Columbia and each winter we got somewhere between 40-60 feet of snow.

During an El Nino winter we sometimes got a bit less snow and more rain but it was always a white winter.


Me shoveling the roof the first time that winter

The picture above and the two below show a particularly 
bad winter where we had to shovel our roof off 3 times.
See that large window? At the end of the snow season as I was laying on the living room floor (split level home with another large window under that one) my children
walked past the upper window on snow that was higher than the bottom of the windowsill. 



My two oldest boys made shoveling the roof
fun. They'd make chairs and TV's out of snow
and do flips off the roof or slide off. 
See that lower roof level in the above picture...that all had to be shoveled off before the upper roof was shoveled onto it. Then it all had to be shoveled off again.


The picture above shows our old deck that was 14X28. 
What you see is the snow from only 1/4 of the roof
that had been shoved off onto the deck. Before we could do that
the deck itself had to be shoveled off to make sure there
wasn't too much weight on it. 
THEN all the snow you see there had to be hand shoveled off
and paths had to be shoveled to the garage and wood shed.
We had a 10hp snow blower for the driveway and sidewalks.


The picture above was taken in 1975.
That shed looks short but it's not and 
the door handle is at regular door handle height. 
Yes that's me pulling my oldest son...wow 
I was skinny...probably from all that shoveling ;)


This picture above is my two youngest
taken years ago sitting on the snow bank
at their grandparents in MARCH!
This was another bad winter with lots of snow.


Last but not least is an old picture of my oldest 
daughter standing on the deck showing how much
snow we had gotten over the weekend. 
The snow had already packed down by this time!

It was truly a WINTER WONDERLAND until the middle
of February...by then 'cabin fever' was beginning to 
set in and we were all ready for the snow to quit.
Something that is pretty amazing is that school was 
seldom closed because of snow.

Even after 11 years of living here in Kansas it still
makes me laugh when I hear the schools are closed
because of a few inches of snow. 

I guess it's all in what you get used to.

I hope you have a wonderful week!
Maura :)


25 comments:

Beatnheart said...

baby its cold outside. Hard to remember days like that. We’re having a wee bit of rain but other wise not to bad. Stay warm.

Ann said...

Wow, Maura!! Those snow pictures are amazing! I've lived in quite a few locations around the world that certainly has snowy winters but nothing like what you experienced.
I guess the snow you just received is just a delight after years of such heavy snow.
Enjoy!
Fondly,
Ann
@
The Tattered Tassel

A Brit in Tennessee said...

Oh my goodness, I wouldn't like so much snow, like you, I would be worried about the roof collapsing under the weight.
I must confess, it is beautiful to look at though :)
I'm enjoying your older pictures, such memories.
Thanks for sharing with us !
~Jo

Mary, Windy Meadows Farm said...

I can't even imagine 40 to 60 feet of snow...that's incredible! We're expecting 8 to 12 inches in the next couple of days...small beans in comparison! Great photos...they really make for such sweet memories. -Mary

Ann@A Sentimental Life said...

thanks for reminding us that someone has more snow than we do somewhere! LOL

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

Wow, now that's a lot of snow. This year has been a banner year in New England. Snow storm almost every week. Another due on Tuesday. My yard will look like your's pretty soon

Country Gal said...

Great snow photos ! We have alot here as well and are getting more as of tomorrow even into Wed. Have a wonderful warm day!

Pondside said...

When we lived in northern Alberta the municipality sent a front end loader to clear the snow from the front of the houses because it went well past the windows. I think that you and I have found easier places to live!
I hope you have a return to good weather soon - your chicks must be shivering.

Chris at Red Gate Farm said...

I cannot even imagine having to shovel my roof! We once got 3 feet of snow just after Christmas... I think in was 1995 or 1996, our local ski area Mt. Baker set a world record for snow that year and had so much they had to actually close! I'm much happier with our once in a while and just a little bit! Although it sure is pretty to look at.

I'm heading to Toronto in a few weeks to visit my daughter and they've had snow pretty constantly since the holidays, so we'll see how I do :)

I imagine if they'd canceled school there for snow the kids would have had to go all summer to make up...

~Chris

Jeanette said...

It never occured to me that you would have to shovel off the roof when you get that much snow but it sure makes sense! Thanks for sharing those interesting pictures! We're expecting 10-15 inches of snow on Tuesday night and I am hoping it paralyzes the city so I don't have to go to work!

Östervik9 said...

God what a lot of snow, when we are at the shelter here in Sweden. Though this much snow that it was them this past two years have not been here in probably 10 years. There are many roof which has collapsed into. We have had to shovel our roof a few times when it started to leak into ... The kids think anyway it is nice when they can ski.
Have a nice evening
Hugs
Camilla, Sweden

Deborah said...

Ooh that looks like alot of now Maura!
You've certainly seen your share of it!
Spring will be here before we know it...right?! :)
Have a great week...

Deborah xo

The Bear's Blog said...

WOW, now that's where we want to live. Love it.

Hugs
Joyce

Bearly Sane said...

Great photos Maura ... but you can keep your freezing cold, like the sunflowers I turn my head towards the sun!
Warmest Hugs,
Sandi @ Ess D'Ess Bears and Bearly Sane Studio

John Going Gently said...

and there's me moaning about our three inches last december!
I will button my lip in future
x

Midwest to Midlands said...

That is alot of snow. Fun for a short time, but I can't say I miss it too much myself. Brought back a lot of memories of playing in the snow as a kid though. Thanks for the pics.

ornamentsbypink said...

I guess I can't complain about the snow hear after seeing those pictures! Yes I can! We keep talking about moving somewhere warm, Its not the snow so much we are tired of the cold weather.
I can't wait for spring, I want to see my beautiful flowers again!
Mary

Staci@LifeAtCobbleHillFarm said...

Maura the photos and memories to go with them are wonderful. Oh....I remember growing up in Washington State (Seattle side) and a few inches of snow would shut down schools and businesses. Not here on the east coast though! We have a couple of feet now and are expecting a couple more tomorrow and Wednesday. Unfortunately, it's supposed to be the heavy stuff, not the fun powdery kind that makes nice snowmen.
Have a great week!
Staci

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Hi Maura,
What fun to see these olden pics!
We're having a winter like that one here!
We usually get a fair amount of snow but this year it just seems to be endless!
My brother used to live in Hurley, Wisconsin and they would get the Lake effect snow. He would have to shovel upwards sometimes because there would be no place left to put it!
I do giggle too when I hear they shut schools down for an inch or so of snow. We got 6 more inches today and the schools didn't even let out early.
Hugs,
Cindy

Joy said...

Well, I am almost speechless! (almost) I'm not sure I would have wanted to live in an area with that much snow--and what a hassle! Do you like living in Kansas more than where you lived before?

Catherine said...

Hello Maura!
I have never seen such an amount of snow, here with a few centimeters the roofs colapse!!!this winter the country was paralysed by a smow fall.
Have a good week.Catherine

Stella said...

I was born and raised in Montana and we had winters that looked much like your photos. We have about 8" right now and it is still snowing so glad I am tucked inside beside the fire nice and warm.

Linda said...

I don't think I will complain anymore about the amount of snow we have been getting. I am so thankful we do not get snow like that.
Thanks for sharing and giving us something to think about.

Julie said...

Now that is allot of snow! We can get over two or three feet of snow and they don't close the schools!

Verde Farm said...

Wow Maura, that is some snow. I can’t even imagine that much in my yard. I’ve never had seen more than a foot, maybe two and that was in the late 70’s, early 80’s. I love snow though and think it would be so much fun to have a snow like that. Did you all get hit this week? We didn’t get a stitch (thankfully) at my house or in Roanoke, VA where I’ve been all week. Hope you are warm and cozy :)
Hugs, M&M

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...