Redirection Road

Another year rolls in….. ❄️❄️❄️

🥶 January has rolled in with an ice sledge hammer! We have already had three major winter storms dumping tons of snow. More snow is on the way. It is so beautiful, but daunting if you have go anywhere or do anything. The mountain has been shut off and on with the storms. It is winter, however, so we just have to tuck in and stay warm.

Good things about winter:

• Hot Cocoa ☕️
• Snowman building ⛄️
• Crackling fires 🔥
• Hot toddies 🥃
• Snowball fights
• Skiing ⛷️
• Sleding 🛷
• Absorbing the great beauty of winter
• Icicles
• Let’s not forget….Snow! 🌨️❄️

Winter issues I would prefer to avoid:

• Icicles
• Ice 🧊
• Subzero temps 🥶
• Did I mention Ice? 🧊
• My driveway
• The mountain shutting down….

🥶 Winter is Here ❄️

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Circe got new winter clothes….

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I made my first snowman here. I was hoping to see others, but people up here are different. I haven’t seen any snowball fights, sledding or snowmen. I did throw down the gauntlet on the local FB (Facebook) page, but didn’t get any takers. I am an interloper, outsider and independent woman so people are not rushing to welcome me here. Overall, people are not that friendly here. However, up the mountain in other towns, they are more welcoming.

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The arctic storms just kept coming in. I never knew they named these storms, but they do. We are actually due for more storms next week. Seems winter is not done with us yet.

I actually saw a snow plough! I think it came around a couple times during January…lol. We don’t have those here on the rural roads. VDOT only gets the main highways. It certainly would take more than one pass to conquer this mess.

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The winter sunsets are just stunning!

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I discovered a new atmospheric anomaly, bright sky. It is an effect where the nighttime sky is so bright you could read by the night light. It happened a couple times here so far. It was so magical with the snow and all. Normally, it is pitch black and night here. You need a flashlight to go outside it is so dark.

I know, you’re saying–my personal streetlight is lighting the area, but it doesn’t throw off that much light. It looks like it, but typically, the whole area is dark. You wouldn’t be able to see any of the trees. This is at night, not dusk, not evening or twilight, this is night. If you look, you can see stars in the sky. It is hard to explain unless you actually see it, but it is beautiful.

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I forgot to put on my “Things I Hate” list was shoving snow!!! I must have shoveled a ton of snow this year. I see a snowblower in my future.

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I have had some trying moments this winter, but also I have enjoyed the beauty of winter. I really do love winter, just in short bursts with a fully stocked freezer.

Saw my first rainbow here in Virginia around January first. It was beautiful cresting over the mountains. I hope this is a good sign. Though, so far, January has been a struggle in some ways.

I am still working on getting things from last year’s list finished before tackling this year’s list. I have had some new issues come up. The house is just beating me up…..I am still in it, but coming at it from a different viewpoint. Maybe one day I will get ahead of it.

I have wondered, of late, if my move here was a tragic mishap. Only time will tell, but it does cross my mind in the dark of the late evenings. I leave you with Circe curled up in her spot in front of the fire. It is her favorite place these days. She just loves a good fire.

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