Paul Cyr posted this picture on his Facebook page today. He is one of the most respected photographers in "the county". His images of northern Maine are well known and compelling. I am both horrified and in awe of this photo of two Amish men traveling in this weather. At 8:00 a.m. this morning Julie and I headed out to Millinocket. As promised the sun was out and the winds were wailing. The roads were good, but required much concentration to adjust as we hit areas where the winds blew snow across the roads and with a real temperature of 4 degrees (yes 4 real temperature) I was on the lookout for black ice. Every once in awhile Julie and I would look at each other and ask, "are we nuts"? We laughed and I kept on driving south. Just getting in and out of the warm and toasty car was brutal. The piles of snow made for layers of blowing snow, and parking a car is a feat especially in Millinocket. Today the town had huge open semi trucks that they were blowing snow into the trucks to carry it away somewhere unknown. I am sure that there will be the shards of snow piles in June!
I am home and snuggled in for the night. The wind is so strong and blowing so hard that there is a pervasive coolness that is seeping in from the windows and doors. It isn't exactly a draft it's just like the windows and doors can't keep all the coldness out. I don't know when this wind is supposed to stop, but I am glad that we have electricity and that I have such a warm and cozy little house.
In between the trips in the car (that reminded me of scenes from Dr. Zhivago) I was working at the library. We have a new circulation system and it is really fun to be learning all the new bells and whistles that we now can access. Patrons are so patient, and they share my excitement and relief when all books are successfully checked out or in. It has been so good to show someone how they can search for a book (we now are a part of collaborative system and can borrow materials from 17 other libraries in the state). People can go online and order the book they want and they get an email when it is ready to be picked up. Today I learned how to enter books into the collaborative catalog, because now we not only can get books from other libraries but patrons from those libraries can also borrow materials from our collection. The time on my shift goes by very quickly and I really appreciate being a part of our library community.
The other good news is I get to bring home new books for me. Today I picked up my book club book: "Every Note Played" by LIsa Genova. Then I renewed: "An Incomplete Revenge" by Jacqueline Winspear and lastly I checked out a picture book for ideas and enjoyment: "Handcrafted MAINE Art, Life, Harvest & Home"by Katy Kelleher.
Being in a snow globe is a good time to read, and I am going to do just that tonight.
It is Tuesday, only two more days in February. I haven't heard the weather report but hope that we get out of the deep freeze soon or at least the wind blows somewhere else. I am off to Lambertville, NJ for the weekend and hoping that Philadelphia will be milder and that the ride along the Delaware River will look different than the white and gray that is everywhere here. Soups on and the books are ready to be opened
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