There has always been this saying about New England weather that if you don't like it, wait a while and it will change.

Well yesterday we got 20 inches of snow. The camera battery died after taking this one picture of the bird feeder piled high with snow.

We were out of the area to visit colleges yesterday and the forecast was for the storm to start at night but as we were sitting at 2 eating lunch an hour away from home, the snow just appeared heavy and continued and continued. An hour return trip took 4 hours. Traveling part of the highway that I do every day, coming up into the hills was about the worst I have experienced in 10 years of commuting. Trucks and buses were getting stuck, on the other side of the highway traffic was stuck on hills for miles. The car was skidding so much that the wheels were at a right angle yet I was going straight. Sure did exhaust my winter driving knowledge and experience. The plows were out but just couldn't keep up. Getting close to home the road to Lenox, up a hill of course, was backed up with skidding cars. We turned around to go the back way and got to the final hill a tenth of a mile I got stuck and the smell of burning tires from skidding was in the air. Backing down a bit and getting it into first I was finally able to get to our street and make it in the driveway.

The pellet stove has been really acting up this past week. Soot, soot and more soot. I have cleaned it out, adjusted the settings, changed the fuel, cleaned it out over and over and about fed up with it. Took a break to go out and plow the snow and the snow blower died 10- feet out from the garage and I had to do the driveway by hand. Fortunately it worked last night when my youngest did the first 10 inches. The sun is out and it is starting to melt. Hurray.

So, quite a weekend it has been. Our first taste of winter and I am not sure I am ready for the full meal.