February Where I Live

February blew in like a Polar Bear. It started just after midnight, February 1, 2011, rain turning to sleet and wind howling. We woke up this morning to snow covered surroundings, winds blowing powder snow up into drifts and too cold to stay outside in it for very long.

I needed to mail a birthday card. It was just going to Lawton but tomorrow is Susanna's birthday and I wanted her to get her birthday card on time, for once. Walking to the post office seemed easier than driving so I put on my hat, gloves, long winter coat with hood, long curly scarf that doubles as ear muffs, snow boots, grabbed the card and my camera and ventured out the front door. This is the view from my front porch.

This is my front porch. It's kind of cozy, if you're a snowman.

I tenderly and cautiously crossed the porch and walked down the steps.

On the sidewalk, out of the protection of my house, the wind almost blew me over. It uncurled the scarf from around my neck and blew my hat off.

This picture isn't blurry. That is snow blowing. It isn't falling form the sky but being blown up from the ground to be redeposited elsewhere.

The ground looks flat, doesn't it? When I crossed the street, I stepped into snow up to my knee. Who knew the gutter was so much lower than the sidewalk? I had made it across the street from my house and considered going back but I needed to get Susanna's birthday card mailed so I forged on.

There was a snow mountain in front of the post office. Susanna's card flew out of my gloved hand while I was trying to trudge around and through it. I chased the card and was able to catch it before it took off to Oz. Luckily this snow is dry so the card didn't get wet at all.

I made it into the post office. Mission accomplished and warmth!

I mailed my card and had a short conversation with a postal worker I'd never seen before. In the lobby I repositioned my hat, put the coat hood over it, wrapped the scarf around the hood to hold everything together and looked at the door. I didn't want to go outside, I wanted to live at the post office.

I thought about oatmeal cooking in the crock pot, fresh hot coffee, a fire in the fire place...and I headed out the door towards home.

A car piled with snow drove by me and stopped at the stop sign. I heard their tires squealing and turned to see that they were stuck in a snow drift. Walking was a better idea.

I snapped this picture of our church trees enjoying the moisture. This snow is some relief to our drought.

I like to take pictures of the little evergreen. We planted it as a Girl Scout project probably 20 years ago. He doesn't look 20 years old, does he?

The snow angel in my front yard greeted me on my return from the post office. I was almost back in the house.

My camera battery died after I took this picture.

These pictures will make my sister in California shiver. She hates the cold. My friend Sarah, from Wisconsin, probably still thinks we don't get snow in Oklahoma. This little bit doesn't count as real snow.

We don't know how to deal with snow so all of the schools in the county were closed today. I think it's a fun way to welcome February.

What is February like where you live?