Hope It Misses Us

We always knew we wanted to retire in the NC mountains.  Every year we came down to look at land and every year we found the prices increasing.  So we bought some land in Haywood County several years before we planned to retire.  As we visited the area more often, it dawned on us that our land was above 4500 feet in elevation.  And in the NC mountains, elevation at that level mean more frequent and heavier snows.  Having spent 20 years in WI, we were ready to leave the snow behind.  So we sold the land in Haywood County and built in Transylvania County at an elevation of 3200 feet.  A place that would get some snow, but not often and not heavy.

Earlier this week we had the kind of snow that is typical for us.  We awoke to see a dusting of snow with a bit more to come.

The sun was not up yet.

 Same area by one o'clock that afternoon

 Now that's my kind of snow.  But several times a year, more in some years than others, we get deeper snows.  The deepest snowfall in the town of Brevard was 17 inches.  Since our community is a thousand feet higher in elevation than Brevard, the deepest snow was likely much deeper.  But in the scheme of things (think states in the Rocky Mountains or the Mid-west) that's not a lot of snow.

One year we had a surprise snowstorm in mid-March.  I had a friend visiting from WI.  Her flight home was delayed two days by snow here in NC, not in WI.  No sitting on the deck as we had planned.  But we did enjoy watching the birds in the snow.

The little goldfinch sat atop several inches of snow on the rail.

We are under a winter storm advisory with predictions for snow this afternoon and for the next few days.  If the predicted pattern continues we will be under a winter storm warning later this evening.  In WI, a prediction of five inches of snow means very little.  Happens all the time and in fact, is considered a small snowstorm.  But here in Brevard, five inches of snow will bring things to a halt.  And especially in our community with our streets winding uphill or downhill and heavily shaded, a five-inch snowstorm means we won't leave the community for a while.

Our pantry and freezer are well stocked.  We have plenty of propane for the generator and fireplaces.  We have good books to read and wine to drink.  Maybe a bit more snow might not be so bad after all.  But it would be nice to see the temperatures rise a bit.

 Lucy is oblivious to the weather as long as she has her pillows.

Yes, she has a new one.

Hope your Wednesday is a good one, whatever your weather.