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Friday, March 04, 2005

SNOW!

For Presidents' Day Weekend, we got snow both Friday night and Saturday night. Both nights it was around 6 inches of snow. We were glad we hadn't made any travel plans. Sunday afternoon, we went out to the fields and found lots of kids from our village at a wonderful place for sledding. We had a great time.

Monday night, it snowed again, even more than before. We expected to hear that Tuesday (2/22) was a Snow Day, but even though the roads in our area were "Condition Red," the boys only got a one-hour delay. (The decision is made at Ramstein, where the roads were only "Condition Amber.")

Tuesday afternoon, I needed to get a prescription refill on base. I don't like driving in snow, so I rode on base with Steve and then walked home--It's downhill and an easy walk. Most of the way was on a path that was fairly clear, but for the last bit I took a shortcut through the field. The snow was up to my knees! Walking in snow that deep was a new experience for this California girl, but I really enjoyed it. Of course, the ups and downs of the field were covered by the snow, so with each step I didn't know if it would be ankle-deep or knee-deep. Since I could see the tops of long grasses, I was pretty sure I wouldn't get in over my head, anyway!

Tuesday night, we got yet more snow, but again the boys didn't get a Snow Day. It kept snowing until about noon, then stopped for several days, with temperatures dropping down to single digits Fahrenheit, so the snow only melted in direct sunlight.

Although each individual snowfall wasn't anything new, in our nine winters in Germany, this was the most snow we've ever seen on the ground at one time. (And more than I ever saw on the ground in New Jersey or Illinois, either.) And it's sticking around longer than snow usually does, still here on March 4th.

Saturday night (the 26th), we got another dump of snow on top of what had gone before, this time blown especially hard by the wind. Our driveway made a wind tunnel so that in some parts the pavement showed and in other parts the snow was a couple of feet deep. Steve was out of town, and it took me about an hour to shovel our driveway and sidewalks clear.

Monday afternoon, Timothy and I went sledding again. Other kids had gone sledding on Sunday, so the snow was packed into a slick coating. Our sled went about five times faster than it had gone the week before in powdery snow! We had to try to slow ourselves down at the bottom to keep from landing in the bushes.

This week brought no more snow. Things are the way I like it--clear, dry roads, but lots of beautiful snow on the fields. The forecast is for more snow this weekend, though.

Below are pictures of all this beautiful snow.

February 20--We got lots of snow Friday night, and even more Saturday night, waking up to a thick coating of snow Sunday morning. Posted by Hello

I like the way snow outlines the tree branches. Posted by Hello

The sun's breaking through. Posted by Hello

Looking back toward the house. Posted by Hello

Sunlight through the snowy branches. Posted by Hello

Our street, with my mountainous piles of snow from our sidewalk. Posted by Hello

Down our street in the other direction. The snowplow went through even on Sunday. Posted by Hello

Steve and Timothy ready to go sledding on Sunday afternoon. Posted by Hello

You can see the new Autobahn in the distance. Posted by Hello

Just follow the tracks to find a good place to go sledding. Posted by Hello

Looking toward the village. Posted by Hello

By the village cemetery. Posted by Hello

A beautiful snowy landscape. Posted by Hello

A birch tree extra white with snow plastered against its side. Posted by Hello

Another beautiful birch. Posted by Hello

Timothy and a neighbor sledding down the hill. Posted by Hello

Tuesday, 2/22/05, the day after Presidents' Day, we got lots and lots of snow the night before. My sad kids had to go to school anyway, for some inexplicable reason. Posted by Hello

This time the snow had blown under our overhanging roof. You can see how deep it is on the terraced planters. Posted by Hello

Looking out at the snow from our front step after shoveling. The school bus tracks are in the road. Posted by Hello

I always judge our snowfall by how high it goes on our neighbor's wall. On Wednesday, 2/23/05, there was too much to be able to use that measurement. Posted by Hello

The snow on the chairs is what fell new and blew under our overhang during the night. I think it should have been a Snow Day, don't you? Posted by Hello

The wind plastered the snow to the side of the tree in back. Posted by Hello

I like the way the little tree is almost completely turned into a hill of snow. Posted by Hello

Sunday morning, 2/27/05--Windblown snow, so much you can't even tell where the sidewalk and road are. Posted by Hello

The wind made a ridge at the top of our "steps." Posted by Hello