Gnurple dot Net

Last Sunday in Ottawa we had some fine record-setting snowfall. 37cm fell on Sunday. We were lucky we had guests over: their cars took up space in the driveway and made some of the snow, er, portable?

Memorable snowfall moments:
* We didn’t have enough food - rather, I’d gotten food the night before but we didn’t have enough for our guests, too - so a trip to the store was in order. The store is 1.2km away. The trip to the grocery store took 20min. 8 to get the car out of the driveway and facing the right way down the street, 8 to get the car around one corner, and the last 1.0 km took the rest. I love my standard transmission at times like this.
* One of the cars was parked on the street ‘cos our driveway was full. We see the plow go by in the window (fortunately he does the other side of the street first). As one, everybody looks at each other and says “PLOW!” and then we all go throw jackets and boots on. Grabbing shovels along the way, we dash to her car and dig out enough of the road and the neighbour’s driveway behind her. Just as she’s parking, the plow comes back. WHEW! Or at least, that’s what we would have said if we could’ve stopped panting. Then we dig out the neighbour’s driveway again so she can get free.
* We shoveled our driveway at least three times that Sunday.

On Wednesday afternoon, while shoveling away yet more snow, I discovered that a team had shoveled out the fire hydrant that lives in my yard. As in, they burrowed a hole through the snowbank and then dug out a 3ft. radius circle. I can safely describe this as a cylinder whose snowy walls are at least twice the height of the hydrant itself. We had another 5cm on Wednesday, and by Thursday the plow had come again.

I’m going to call it a plowel movement from now on since it’s a load of crap the plow dumps at the bottom of my driveway.

Anyways, you’ve been patient enough with my stories so here, a picture or two:

House, Yard and Driveway

Here we see my house. If you look for the highest peak of snow in the picture (toward the right side), just above the peak you’ll see a shiny reflective white thingie. That’s the top of the hydrant flag. This pole attached to the hydrant stands about 8 feet tall.

[Things I like about this picture: the sky! That’s the glow of the city there. I also like the glow cast from the light by the side door, with its rays.]

Caption

Look for the doorway, the brightest spot in the picture, and you will find the yellow hydrant flag. Follow it down to where it disappears into the snow and you’ve found the hydrant’s cylindrical home. The hole burrowed into the snowbank has since been filled by the passing of the plow.

[Things I like about this picture: the sky again; the texture of the snow; the snowy evergreens on the right, balanced by the bare branches on the left; the kitteh in the window.]

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