A Brutal January

January 24, 2011 — This month of January has been brutal. After three good-sized snowstorms in eight days, the temperature dropped to 17 below last night. It was 4 below when I left for my dentist appointment at 11, but with no wind and a bright sun, it didn't feel all that bad, as long as you didn't stay out in it too long. The city is buried in mountains of snow. Where it's been so cold, the snow has remained pristine and white.

I was hoping for a few days rest before the next storm, predicted for two days from now, but I had to go out and shovel a path to my natural gas unit on the side of the house this afternoon after the gas company notified me they'd come by tomorrow morning to install a ground which should have been done when they first installed the unit a year ago. The temperature was about 8 above while I was shoveling.

It's now 10:30 in the evening, and the temperature is 3 below 0. They predict higher temperatures tomorrow, in the 20s. That's not exactly balmy, but at least you won't be risking hypothermia if you stay out more than 10 minutes.

Nor'easter Hits the Region

January 13, 2011 — Yesterday's storm was predicted, and they said it was going to be a blockbuster, so I wasn't surprised when I got up in the morning to find it snowing heavily and about a foot already on the ground. Shortly after I got up, my dentist's office called to reschedule the appointment I had for that morning. I was wondering if my appointment for car service this morning would also be postponed.

I waited until early afternoon before I started shoveling out, slowly with frequent breaks. Later on, a kind neighbor came over and helped me shovel through the snow bank thrown up by the street plow in front of my driveway. It continued to snow lightly after we finished, so I was resigned to the fact I'd have to go out one more time to clean up a few more inches. Later in the evening, I cleared about an additional two inches. The final official total accumulation for the city was 18.5 inches. It looked like I'd have no problem getting to the dealer for my car service.

This morning I dropped the car off at the the dealer's and picked up a loaner car. The sun was shining, the snow was beautiful, but I was amazed at the huge snow banks left by plows, snowblowers and shovelers, piles that would take three or four storms to reach these heights in an average winter.

First Snow

December 27, 2010 — The first snowstorm of the season, reaching blizzard proportions in many areas, came roaring up the East Coast over the past 48 hours. Highways became impassable and air traffic was almost at a standstill, stranding thousands of holiday travelers. The snow started falling in my New Hampshire community about 4 p.m. yesterday and accumulated to about 10 inches overnight, far from the two feet that buried some areas to the south. I shoveled out late this morning while a light snow was still falling, but it stopped shortly after and the sun came out, but the temperature was falling rapidly.

As I write this, it's 14 degrees with dangerously high winds. The wind is causing me some concern, because a power outage at these temperatures, if prolonged, could have serious consequences. Last February, winds took out power for 68 hours, but fortunately temperatures were above normal at that time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Christmas Round 2

December 25, 2010 — Well, I thought Christmas was over for me after last weekend, but I got an invitation to share Christmas Eve with Sheila and family, a Christmas buffet on Christmas morning at Kathy's, and Christmas dinner with Steve and family. I accepted all three invitations, even though they were spread out over 100 miles. Fortunately, the weather was good throughout the holiday weekend.

I think I've finally had enough Christmas, although every minute of it was immensely enjoyable. You can see photos and videos of my second round of Christmas activities at this link:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/christmas10part2/

Early Christmas

December 12, 2010 — Pam and Roger returned north for the first time since they moved to North Carolina last May. The extended family joined them at Sheila's house in Massachusetts for an early Christmas celebration. We exchanged gifts and enjoyed each other's company, and I stayed overnight. The next day, December 13, Pam left to spend a couple of days with old friends. Roger and I spent some time in the morning at a coffee shop with Wi-Fi satisfying our internet addiction. We went to a movie in the afternoon. I stayed over one more night. The next day, December 14, Pam returned and I left for home. It was great to spend time with them again. They insist I come down to North Carolina to visit them in the spring. I'm giving it serious consideration.

A few photos and a video of our Christmas observance can be seen at this link:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/christmas10/

"Hedda Gabler"

September 10, 2010 — I thought my summer theatre season was over until I discovered Theatre Kapow was staging Henrik Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" at the Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. This is a difficult play and I admire Theatre Kapow's gutsiness in taking it on. They did an admirable job for the most part, but this play is all dialog with little action, so it's important that the actors convey the characters' feelings and motivation. I thought they could have done this more effectively. At times I felt they expended so much time and energy memorizing the enormous amount of dialog, that they didn't give enough attention to studying their characters' personalities. They didn't really bring the characters to life for me.

The multi-talented Carey Cahoon had the difficult role of Hedda. She also participated in costume selection for the play, and has had experience as a director. The costumes and set were accurate for the period and well-done.

Overall, in spite of my complaints, I'm glad I saw this production. I saw one other Ibsen play, "A Doll's House," on Masterpiece Theatre a few years ago, and had always been curious about "Hedda Gabler," the tragic ending of which I was aware of, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this presentation.

Ashley's 13th Birthday

September 5, 2010 — My grandniece, Ashley, entered a new phase of life today, the teen years. She turned 13 and her parents threw a party for her, to which I was privileged to be invited. Refreshments were served in the large garage with its tropical theme and tiki bar Ashley's father built. The pool in the backyard was filled with screaming and splashing kids all afternoon. My photos and videos of the occasion can be seen at this link:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/ashleys13th/