by Salman Hameed
I was again reminded last weekend, how glad I am to be living in the 21st century (though not as glad as the 24th century). I can't imagine living in the medieval times. I think it will just be too cold or too hot (unless, living in Hawai'i), and definitely showers will be limited to cold water. Plus, no blogging. Nooooo!! Well, we got a little taste of it. We were hit by a freak October snow storm, and the power was out in our place for two days. It was fun as our heating is controlled electronically and we only have electric stove and electric oven. But worst of all - no internet! :) Some places are still without power. Hampshire College was closed today, and classes will not resume for another couple of days.
The storm dumped more than a foot of snow. Since its still October and leaves are still on the trees, the weight of the snow brought down numerous trees and power lines along with them. There were only two places open in Amherst on Sunday: Rao's Coffee - that was serving cold teas and coffees, and Antonio's Pizza, that was serving pizzas in the dark. As expected, there were lines going out the door of Antonio's. I don't think pizza has ever tasted better than that!
Okay - enough bad things about the storm. Here is how it looked like on the morning after the storm:
I was again reminded last weekend, how glad I am to be living in the 21st century (though not as glad as the 24th century). I can't imagine living in the medieval times. I think it will just be too cold or too hot (unless, living in Hawai'i), and definitely showers will be limited to cold water. Plus, no blogging. Nooooo!! Well, we got a little taste of it. We were hit by a freak October snow storm, and the power was out in our place for two days. It was fun as our heating is controlled electronically and we only have electric stove and electric oven. But worst of all - no internet! :) Some places are still without power. Hampshire College was closed today, and classes will not resume for another couple of days.
The storm dumped more than a foot of snow. Since its still October and leaves are still on the trees, the weight of the snow brought down numerous trees and power lines along with them. There were only two places open in Amherst on Sunday: Rao's Coffee - that was serving cold teas and coffees, and Antonio's Pizza, that was serving pizzas in the dark. As expected, there were lines going out the door of Antonio's. I don't think pizza has ever tasted better than that!
Okay - enough bad things about the storm. Here is how it looked like on the morning after the storm:
Is this really October? Look at the trees behind our house. Some are leaning and will loose those branches some time soon. We only had one tree that fell close to the house. But there is no damage. Phew!
A snowy wonderland. These are trees right in the backyard, and the morning Sun is behind them.
The view of the front road from the house. Oh - wait. It is hard to tell where the road is. But this is a great winterscape.
Be interesting to see how well the trees recover in spring. They usually remove nutrients from the leaves during fall and sequester them to kick start in spring. Trees which retain their leaves also move their chloroplasts deeper into the leaves for protection. This is done in response to shortening day length.
ReplyDeleteIf this snow storm was unusually early it could have interrupted these processes and prduce knock on effects in spring.
I know that you are suffering in the cold, but I gotta say, what great pictures!
ReplyDeleteWinter (autumn!) wonderland indeed ...
Yes, it will be interesting to watch the trees in the spring. By the way, Vermont, which is to the north of us, escaped much of the damage because the trees had already shed their leaves. It is fascinating to think that that the falling of the leaves is so crucial not just for the trees, but for their survival in snow storms.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks Snuze. Yes, it is always a treat to walk out on a sunny day right after a snow storm. Absolutely phenomenal!
Big Foot is watching you
ReplyDeleteHmmm...no electricity and a mouth watering clear sky. What exactly are you thinking?
ReplyDeleteAs a Texan, I can say I'm thoroughly jealous of the snow and cold weather you guys have received. Of course going without electricity and the hassles of being under a foot of snow probably has me valuing the beauty of snow a bit much.
ReplyDeleteSalman,
ReplyDeleteConsidering the drought you guys have been having, yes, this may be better. In terms of weather, I'll still go a bit west of Texas - New Mexico :)