Winter Wonderland 2011 and Other Info

Yesterday was our first Nor’easter 0f 2011. The snow came down fast and furious. Greg took Mark’s truck to work in 4 wheel drive all the way. I am an avid bird watcher so first on the storm prep list was making sure the feeders were filled.

Emily’s inner child was in full force. She enjoyed the storm.

Everything is always so beautiful right after a storm.

 

My small army swung into action to help with snow removal. Mark and Derek’s cars were buried. Derek is shoveling out his.

Em is working up near the house and Mark has the big guns going.

We took our official measurement from the snow on the deck.

These shots were taken the day after. Almost all the area schools were closed for a second day. One of the big problems in this area is the lack of places to put snow after such a big storm.

The above picture doesn’t due justice to the size of the branch that broke off. Luckily it didn’t hit the house. It’s huge.

Looks like we won’t be grilling for awhile this time.

Spring can’t be too far away, is it…

No, we don’t have a bathroom on our deck. With the new year came our to do list. We’ve decided it’s a year of home improvement. We are starting with the bathroom the kids/guests use. Last weekend Greg replaced the toilet. This new model is a super flusher. We were assured it would flush golf balls. So far it has handled everything we’ve put in it. It also is a little higher to sit on. Taller folks will find it the best seat in the house.

We have ordered granite for the sink top and will also replace the faucets. We’re waiting to hear from the plumber to change the shower faucets which will lead to new tile.

Some other goals are to have the house painted and the driveway redone. These are all contingent upon not having the unforeseen come up.

Here’s a little update on the family. Emily will be going back on Sunday. We’re driving her to the south shore to her boyfriends house to catch a ride back. Greg did the preholiday pickup and his mom is taking them back. Derek has another week off. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned that he has a part time job. One of the area high schools was looking for someone to teach their marching band percussion winter drill team. Derek’s marching band director highly recommended him. He was interviewed by a team of 3 at a local restaurant and got the job. They quizzed him on how he would handle discipline situations should they arise, they commented on how young he looked but in the end said they would take a chance on him because of how highly recommended he came. He works Tuesday’s and Thursdays’ 6-9 pm. and Saturday’s 10-2. He loves it and the kids want him to do it in the fall. Another perk of the job is a new lady friend. She is in charge of the color guard. She graduated from Syracuse University a year or so ago and is a video editor.

Derek has also joined the New England Philharmonic Orchestra by being recommended from the guy he was replacing. They took him sight unseen. They rehearse every Sunday from 7-10 p.m. at Simmons College in Boston. Last Sunday was his first time in. He was very excited about it. I was on needles and pins about him driving in but he did okay with the GPS. He did make a wrong turn, but it got him back on course. The other group he will be joining is the Stowe, MA orchestra, that starts in March. His percussion instructor recommended him. The key to the music world is networking. Derek has a firm handle on that.