It snowed and snowed and snowed some more. It was a day of pushing snow around the landscape, that had looked so warm the day before. The sun was supposed to show up yesterday and warm up all that wet snow and I knew what that meant. Yes back up onto the roof I would go. He put the heavy ladder up against the lowest roof line and held the ladder while I went up with cameras wrapped up in plastic bags and placed into a canvas bag, I also brought up the electrical wire draped over my good shoulder and prayed I made it to the top of the ladder with no slip ups. Once upon the roof I found out rather quickly how slippery it was and fell hard on my bad knee. Is that not the way when you have an injury? Now I had to get real close to the edge as he handed me up not one but two shovels, our Christmas gift from Mom the electric Snow Shovel. I plugged the electric cord into the machine still not thinking it was right to run an electrical appliance in heavy wet snow, I dropped the other end down to him and prayed the wiring was safe and that some of my cheap boots had a little rubber in them. Now with trashed knee and bad thumb on left hand and bad left shoulder I set out to see if I could do this alone while he used the roof rake on the front of the house, as reaching up hurts me more. When he had the whole roof over the kitchen and spare bedroom completed he passed me up this rake as well so I could do the loft bedroom across the way, while I stood on the flat roof covered by rubber and 8″ of snow. No one wants us up there mostly us but when you have snow build up then rain or more snow is predicted it must come off or fear of a roof collapse is a certainty and insurance may not pay if they say you were negligent in not caring for your home. Being poor and injured is no excuse. I pay over $400.00 a year to them, to protect my home from things I can not but a roof and new batteries for fire alarms can be done so far by us. While I was clearing roof with electric machine it went so much faster than with a shovel, that is for sure. I had been dreading this after shoveling heavy wet snow the whole day before as he cleared the rest of this place with the gas snow thrower. We were so tired we went to bed early with our achy bodies. Today I had a game to watch so I went up early but it ended up taking me just one hour using this new tool and a shovel and roof rake, I was surprised. I ended up falling two more time both down on that left knee. I have been walking on ice for two weeks ever so careful with no falls and today there were three. I was praying I would be able to climb the ladder down. Yes I am too old for this so is he but we have no other choice. So as I caught my breath and let my heart slow down I unwrapped the cameras and began to take in the beauty of our winter landscape. It really was pretty with all the snow-covered trees and almost 30 F. No sun was visible for which I was thankful.
Time to share a few shots with you. Enjoy our chilly landscape if you are having terrible heat where you live and I am so sorry for all of you living with horrible floods or draught. I am not alone when it comes to a winter landscape so many are looking out their windows at scenes such as these.
The side of the home along the river we can not reach to clear it off but this is also where the sun will do its work and melt it over time. One good thing about clearing the roof is we no longer will have horrible icicles or ice damming occurring and causing water damage.
The wild birds flit to and from the forest to the feeders some scared by me up above them.
Many run to the Apple tree as I move about trying to capture the yard below.
The row of bushes I keep all along the southern edge of the upper yard is for the backyard birds to run into for cover as well. Hawks have to usually throw themselves into my plantings to get one of my pretty little birds they usually leave hungry and have to go in search elsewhere for easy pickings. You know me by now I shall never take a photo of death by any means. I am just about the beauty and joy playing out around me.
We sure wish the yard was not so flooded, as this week all of this water will freeze solid, as a new cold front slips south and over our area. Did I forget to tell you another 3 or 4 inches of snow is coming on Tuesday night and into Wednesday as the cold arrives. We will not do the roof if that is all we get we need to rest our bones.
Looking out from the windows I sit in front of when I make pretty things no wonder I work in such BOLD COLORS!
🙂
Thanks for stopping by I really appreciate all of your visits as you can we pretty much have the dog and cat and wild birds and each other to keep from going stir crazy on snowy days!
Folsom Mill Studio/Eunice Miller 
Reblogged this on 20 Lines A Day.
This is beautiful…makes winter all worth it when I see beautiful photos like that. Thank you! Oliana
Thanks for stopping and seeing the beauty 🙂
Yes you are right it makes everything pretty and smells so pretty with the Pines and all the wildlife that flocks here but I still wait on spring 🙂
Ah gee, now you make me miss the campground with the giant pines in Old Orchard…mmm, I should drive up there one weekend, it must be so pretty this time of year.
OH you should what town was your campground in we have such beautiful spots up here.
Well, that was Old Orchard Tent and Trailer Camping across the street from Wagon Wheel. They used to have a Snowman as a sign because the owner (at the time) Mr. McCallum loved Quebec City and the BonHomme Carnival. I am not sure if it still belongs to that family. They became friends with our family in the 60`s…so I am dating myself now. I remember going to Peebodies …(sp?) when the mall first opened in Boston…it was a BIG deal to have such a big mall then.
OLD ORCHARD is awesome and camping still up there too! Are you Taking about Peabody MA? just a few miles north of Boston Liberty Tree Mall and Danvers Mall are huge now. Maine has their own as well and Kittery Maine just south of OLD ORCHARD is a shopping mecca now with so many outlet malls 🙂 how the world changes but is still the same in many ways. I have so many photos of Maine beaches in my online stores it is like a second home to us 🙂
The summer Peabody opened, we spent a good 4 or 5 weeks at the camping…4 of which my father was on a “business trip” in Philie.he insisted on driving to Peabody’s and it was 105deg F …I remember…we did not have air conditioning in the car…all I remember was the hot drive…my sister and mom loved shopping….I loved the ocean…sigh
Yes I love the sea as well shopping in malls not so much 🙂
Reblogged this on Traces of the Soul and commented:
Now read this and admire the beautiful winter scenes and THAT makes Winter all worth the cold…well for a few more days, anyway 😀
Hi Eunice, How on earth do you manage to get such beautiful photo’s of that cursed stuff Snow. Reading your post and how you have to manage with your injuries gets me so angry that no one comes to help you, but then again other people are probably trying to do the same and clear the dam stuff away. I do hope you don’t have to much more in the way of snow or rain for that matter. As I have said before Eunice, I’m sure if all of us bloggers were near enough we would be there to help you. Take care.
How nice of you to say. I am just blogging to let you have a peak into my world but sadly I am not alone with injuries and responsibilities If I was rich that new configured roof with metal would be up but Mom reminded me they also have their issues 🙂 Life would be boring if I had nothing to do and so far it is not day after day sometimes we get a week in between storms. I am really more worried about the river height so I hope we do not get torrents of rain when spring arrives. Hoping the state can help us or they will pay for the damage done to my land 🙂 We are all my age or older but we have learned how to make the best of things. Do not worry about me up there besides 1 hour to save a home is so worth it 🙂 and photos too 🙂 I agree snow is horrid but so many others have it so much worse so I am trying to embrace it some days 🙂
Stay happy and keep blogging for diversion Eunice. We are expecting 2 to 4 or maybe more inches overnight and then very cold – probably spring weather compared to what you are getting. Chin up and watch that knee!
Thanks Dor we will get the cold and snow but I will either clean windows or make something pretty 🙂 Knee is swelled but no horrible pain 🙂
Reblogged this on Lavender Turquois.
Gorgeous snow photos but the roof experience sounds really ouchy. In my youth, I shared a cabin up on the crest of the Sierra near Donner Summit on I-80. The snow would get so deep we would have to carve steps up the snow bank and enter through the second story. We had to put poles in front of and behind our cars because the cars would disappear under the snow and the snow plow would crash into them. One time in the early 80s the snow got so deep that the cabin disappeared under it. There was lots of snow shoveling then. 🙂 Don’t need that any more… –Curt
Thanks so much it was pretty and had the sun been out they would have been spectacular but it would have been even slipperier. 🙂
I know that neck of the woods well you spoke of Curt. I remember having to leave my rig one night and go with highway patrol to a motel. Those mountain passes are not something to mess with in a car never mind the 18 wheeler I was in.
My son lives in Jackson Hole and rides a skateboard down mountain passes on nights when the full moon lights his way, yes he is not all there. 🙂
Man I remember snows like that just plain crazy my son is in some skiing movies with the titles of 300″ 600″ that is plain NUTS I whine when we get 100 inches in one season. I have not been out to see him where he lives and it is because I HATE SNOW and JH has what 9 months of it 🙂
Thanks for reminding me of the beauty of the North West. I left Boston for ID and WA every 9 days way back when well most winters I tried to run just the southern routes 🙂
!8 wheeler huh. Bet there are some fascinating stories there. And I get the southern routes. Peggy and I have been known to drive a thousand miles out of our way to avoid a major storm. 🙂 –Curt
You would have made a great trucking team! Stories those I have indeed what an amazing country this is and oh the many different types of people I ran into on a daily basis.
You would have to did deep in my blog to find some of those I do not write often and hardly about those times as I miss it so much in fact this winter may get me back healthy enough to hit the road once again. I hate being poor with so much knowledge 🙂 Used to owning my own rig and being in charge.
Probably hard to get much more independent. –Curt
🙂
You take care of yourself especially on roofs! So dangerous and slippery and with injuries – a disaster waiting to happen young lady! The photos are gorgeous, no matter how freezing it looks – there is so much beauty out where you are and you have captured it well. xx
Thanks so much Mum I know it worries some but I take it with a grain of salt as it is something we need to do we do not want to be as you can see I have a huge place and we do share equally. He and I miss the plow truck I had he sold his junk I tried to keep mine going and now with this old beast we need chains as it was never a plow truck before he used his skills on her. With plow parts from my truck! If all we had to do was plow yard and then shovel the roof it would be awesome but for now we will do the best we can to keep this place open for fire and rescue if needed and keep the roof where it belongs 🙂 Do not worry we do not want to fall off either 🙂
Yes, it is a very gorgeous landscape around you, but all that shoveling and roof climibing is very challenging! Take Care!
Thanks we will get more than 12 inches Tuesday evening and Wed. 😦 I will be back up there 🙂