Hurricane Irene

So by the time Irene reached central New England, she wasn't a hurricane anymore. Tropical storm force winds are still powerful, especially coupled with the rain attacking already saturated soil. Our town got off pretty easy compared to some areas in Massachusetts. Had Irene still been a category 3 hurricane, things would've been nightmarish. Instead, we were inconvenienced.

This is a shot of the tree that fell down the road from our house. It ripped out of the ground, bending down over the lines, then broke up and took out a couple structures. No one was hurt, which is what really counts.

More property damage

Branch on the wires

More fallen trees

Need truck to get through here!

Choppy lake!

Beach? The waterline is usually about 3 feet to the left of that string!

This tree crew (below) was from Michigan. They thought we were all very polite - we were just grateful to have the trees cleared off the power lines.Thank you!

National Grid got our electricity back on just before 8 pm Monday. YAY! We could hear everyone cheering from down the road. Glad to have this first big hurricane over - now on to the first day of school!

Mud Season Is Upon Us!

The snows are melting and the flooding has begun! The road in front of our house is alternately massive puddles or deep wallows of mud. But it's all good, because it means spring is just around the corner!

We live on one of the few dirt roads in town. It's also "technically" a private road, which means only limited amounts of town money can be spent on maintaining/upkeeping the road. The alternative is to pave it but that means widening (and we'd all lose a great deal of our yards). So we put up with the mud in the spring, the dust in the summer and the ice in the winter.




Below is a picture of the pond on Brickyard Road, so named for somewhat obvious reasons. About 200 to 250 years ago, this section of town was involved in the business of making bricks. This pond was once a brick pit - where clay was dug for use in making bricks. Now beavers have moved in, bringing new life to the once almost-still pond. In the spring the water comes within milimeters of overflowing the road.

 



It won't be long before the trees leaf out and flowers start blooming. Then, driving further along Brickyard Road you'll see this green-canopied lane.