I’ve been profoundly grateful that this winter has been gentler than winters past. Lake Champlain’s atypically high water levels and a pair of weather sensitive outdoor projects were the principle concerns. And while both still might be adversely affected if March delivers lots of snow (or rain) it’s high time I acknowledge our good fortune.
In recent years it appears that late winter through early spring weather patterns are shifting. I’m obviously not a meteorologist, so take my observations with a grain of salt. But the trend that I have detected is a shift later and later in the season for heavier and heavier snowstorms. March stands out as receiving some of the biggest and heaviest snowfalls each winter.
So I’m well aware that we’re entering a period of high probability snowfall. And while I don’t want to tempt fate, (yes, superstition is real!) I also don’t want to overlook the lucky streak we’ve been enjoying.
And what better way to observe the difference between where we are today and where we’ve been at this time in the past, then a flashback to this March 1, 2007 snowstorm?!
The photographs in this post were taken by me 17 years ago today. We had begun what would prove to be a massive rehabilitation project of Rosslyn half a year prior. The scope of work had been mushrooming for months. Each project we tackled revealed three more hidden problems that we had not anticipated.
Yes, it was a period of excitement, transforming our dream of an Adirondack Coast home into reality. But it was also an increasingly all consuming, anxiety inducing, budget busting, timeline warping, marriage straining ordeal.
As you might be able to discern from these photographs, we received so much snow that the majority of the driveway (to the west side of the house, and up to the carriage barn and icehouse) had to be abandoned. We plowed parking access on the front lawn in front of the house and north of the driveway.
It was discouraging. Month after month after month, wading deeper and deeper into this project had amplified the scope far more often than yielding actual progress. Our original timeline and budget advantaged into thin air. We had no idea what was ahead. And, as much as I love a good snowstorm for skiing and snowshoeing, it wasn’t a welcome arrival on March one 2007.
Today, a productive Friday under the belt, lawns clear of snow, carpentry underway that would normally not be able to be undertaken at this time of year, I know, for certain how fortunate we have been. May the weather continue to spare us! Thank you.
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