Season of Discontent

Whew! It's finally stopped. The rain, that is.

After six inches or so, plus six inches of snow and sleet, horrendous winds that downed trees across power lines and blocking roads, it is momentarily quiet. There's even a hint of blue in the early dawn sky and the seemingly incessant drip drip drip of water in the computer room from a limb through the roof has stopped, too.

That was a bitch of a gale, let me tell you. And I'm 45 miles inland and sheltered to the Northeast! Down on the coast it was far, far worse. Out to sea in the Gulf of Maine there were steep, choppy waves averaging 35 feet with occasional rogues to 50 feet -- that's as tall as this house is long! Winds along the coast blew a steady 50 knots, with gusts to 83 knots.

So don't mind me -- there's so fixing and picking up to do, on top of the normal Spring Hustle. I expect the "daily" in this blog's title to become a figment of our collective imaginations. At least for a while. But do know we survived and we're thinking of you and yours.

More Season of Discontent

Around here, April is one of the cruelest months. While all of the rest of the lower 48 have begun their long swing into Spring, Winter still holds us in her icy grip. More like an icy blanket some 14 to 16 inches thick, actually. All of which have come down in the last 72 hours, starting with the little bit I showed you on Wednesday which nearly all melted away. But Thursday took care of that problem. By mid-evening when we got plowed out, I'd begun despairing of ever getting out of here again. When Willow the Wunderhund stared reluctantly from the porch at the white pudenda freezing crystals blocking her path to the happy dumping ground, I knew it was getting deep. See for yourself:

Season of Discontent: Spring Cleaning

We all know about the ritual of "spring cleaning." But, I'll bet you a doughnut you didn't know they need to clean the river up every spring! Take a couple of minutes to watch this Bangor Daily News photo slide show with voice-over of two US Coast Guard tugs on ice-breaking duty on the Penobscot River, cleaning out the passage so fuel barges can get up river to resupply the city...

Mud Season II

It lies there. Silent. Deep.
Just waiting to swallow a car or cat that dares to approach.

Now Begins Our Season of Discontent

It's the Vernal Equinox this evening. That point where the length of daylight and darkness are equal. It happens twice a year, Spring and Fall. Here, it's marked by the onset of Mud Season: