Welcome to the last Sunday in January! I’ve been sharing some of my favorite local snow photos (most taken in January sometime in the past few years) but for today, I want to share The Big Snowfall that took place the first week of February, 2017.
Our youngest granddaughter had just been born, and Grandpa and I had been over to their house for a few days helping with the big girls while everyone adjusted. And the day we drove home, the biggest winter storm of the past fifty years had just begun. But we had to get home, the storm was going to worsen for days before it got over itself, hubby aka grandpa is an experienced winter driver, our car had good tires… so we went for it. It took considerably longer than usual, partially because all the passes were closed and we had to take the long way, but we made it home!
As you can see, even the deer found the road easier to traverse than the mountainsides… maybe partially because there were very few vehicles out and about.
Winners this Week
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Specials this Week
Janet W. Ferguson’s novella Falling for Grace will be FREE through January 29.
Reader Gathering
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Last Week on Inspy Romance
On Monday, Narelle Atkins offered a book recommendation for After the Rain by Brandy Bruce… and #giveaway.
On Tuesday, Elizabeth Maddrey shared what happens when life gives you lemons… and #giveaway.
On Wednesday, Jackie Castle laid out the makings of a new series.
On Thursday, Staci Stallings observed a new way of thinking.
On Friday, Marion Ueckermann is setting sail… and #giveaway.
On Saturday, Janet W Ferguson shared why she writes in Living and Writing through Tough Issues… plus #freebook.
Next Week on Inspy Romance
Monday: Alexa Verde (Guest Post with Kari Trumbo: Why Do Disappointments Happen?)
Tuesday: Melanie D. Snitker (Memories of Snow + #Giveaway)
Wednesday: Heather Gray
Thursday: Liwen Y. Ho (When Does CCR Become Too Preachy?)
Friday: Cecelia Dowdy
Saturday: Ginger Solomon (It’s in the Redo)
Yes, hubby drove around the tip of that fallen tree in our VW Jetta! We did some slip-sliding around, but didn’t get stuck.
New Releases
January 2019
The Sweetest Spark (The Spark Brothers 3) by Liwen Y. Ho
Southern Comfort (The Bakery Romance Series 5) by Cecelia Dowdy
Sown in Love (Garden Grown Romance 1) (formerly in Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley) by Valerie Comer
My Beastly Billionaire (Grimwood Legacy Series 1) by Jackie Castle
February 2019
Raindrops on Radishes (Urban Farm Fresh Romance 6) by Valerie Comer
Kiss You Now (Savannah Sweethearts 7) by Jan Thompson
This shows you how much snow we got in 24 hours. Imagine your average round patio table, thirty inches high like a normal table you’d sit at to eat. Then imagine it with “this” much snow beside it and on top. You can see the edge of the round top between the layers. The piece of wood sticking out of the snow on the left is our wheelbarrow handle!
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Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Hi Valerie, wow, that is awesome snow! We might get that much in an entire season! Whenever we drive up to the snow, we have to carry snow chains, there are special chain fitting bays which we have to use to put the chains on if there is enough snow. I cannot imagine driving any car in the snow in your pictures- especially around that tree!
Blessings:)
Hi Valerie! Happy 2nd Birthday to your granddaughter. Our youngest granddaughter turned two beginning of January. Thanks for sharing your snow pictures. In my lifetime, I have experienced several big snowfalls, all drivable, as long as we do not have whiteout conditions. Friday January 25 was the anniversary of the Big Blizzard of 1978, which closed down Michigan for an entire week. I was 7 months pregnant and worked for one of the large food distribution corporations in our state. Since a major freeway had ten foot snow drifts (3.04 meter), our trucks could not make delivers and grocery stores were running out of food. My main challenge was helping a twenty year old blind man in our deacon group understand why our city did not have bus service. The snow was piled so high, we tied red ribbons to our radio antennas. Front end loaders dumped snow into Lake Michigan. Snow about parking lot lamp posts took to the end of June to melt. The winter of 2013 / 2014 was also a record breaker with over 180 inches (15 feet or 4.57 meters) of snowfall. While it has snowed ever day this week, because of cold the snow was a light. More concerned about the dangerous frigid temperatures arriving this week – up to minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 37 degrees Celsius. Best wishes and stay warm.
Hi Wemble! Living in Michigan, we are a border state with Canada, our cars have special tires made to drive through the snow. With the heavy traffic in Michigan, chains are forbidden. Our roads during the winter have enough damage from freezing and thawing. After the first initial snowfall by January most drivers know how to drive in the snow. Winter driving is dangerous when we have blowing snow (whiteouts) or ice underneath the snow because of temperatures around freezing. This week while we had snow, it was the ice on our expressways that made driving treacherous. Enjoy your summer.
Beautiful snow photos! So glad you were able to make it safely through to home! Happy birthday to your youngest grandgirl!!!
We don’t always get that much in a single season, let alone a single day! But some years we have more snow than others. That winter, we’d had very little snow before that day (in fact, I think Christmas 2016 was brown, not white), but it didn’t let up until late March!
Like Renate said, we have special winter/snow tires in the north. They are softer and have an aggressive tread. In BC, we’re required by law to have those on our vehicles from October through April.
There are pull-out areas on both sides of any mountain pass, though, for drivers of semi-trucks to chain up if conditions require it. They hate chaining up – they have a lot of wheels! But there’s nothing much scarier than having an eighteen-wheeler sliding toward you on a steep stretch of road…
If it had been just me, though? I would’ve probably stayed at my daughter’s house for another week or ten days! That was a crazy drive, and I’m far more chicken. I agree with Renate here, too, though… while I dread driving in snow at the beginning of each winter, my muscle memory comes back after a few trips to town and it’s rarely a problem after that.
In recent years, there have been so many budget cuts that highway crews don’t always have the equipment and personnel to handle excess snowfall efficiently. But that week of February, 2017, shut down a lot of eastern British Columbia. School buses didn’t run and most schools were closed even to walk-in kids since teachers couldn’t get through either. Many, many businesses were closed for several days. The mountain passes were closed completely and other roads were labeled “winter advisory driving conditions” or basically, don’t leave your house unless it’s a life-and-death emergency. I’ve seen other severe winter storms (winter of 96 comes to mind) but this one took the prize!
We don’t get the extreme cold you guys do on the flatlands around the lakes. I remember that cold from growing up in Manitoba. You guys stay warm and safe!!!
I do remember that our grandgirls are close in age! Hope your little had a great birthday. We’ll be celebrating three grandgirls in February, our son, and our son-in-law!
That was a crazy day! And life with Littlest has been crazy ever since. We expect to celebrate her and her big sister on Friday (their birthdays are a day apart).
Hi Valerie! Happy Birthday to your family – son, son-in-law, and grand girls. You and I have many similarities. In our family we start the birthday celebrations early January. January 4 – daughter-in-law’s dad birthday, the 6. Daughter-in-law’s birthday, 8. my cousin Hans in Germany, the 9. my youngest son, and the 11. my 2. year old granddaughter. Then a break in February. In March my two oldest son’s birthdays are 12 days apart. Stay warm and have fun celebrating.
Yes, you do have a lot of January! There are only ten people in our family, and half of them were born in February! At my daughter’s house, her hubby and their three girls are all Feb birthdays. She’s the only outlier (October).
If we extend out a little farther, I have two brothers-in-law, a sister-in-law, a nephew, and a niece also. I have so many cousins I haven’t a clue there.
Thanks for sharing the snow pictures. We live in a little town in central California on the way to Yosemite. We do get lucky and get snow here, but it does not get down this low very often. We have had some good snow up in the mountains and the rains have made the creek not far from us on the property next door run pretty good. It is nice to see it running and also to be able to hear it from our front porch.
Happy 2nd birthday to your granddaughter. Our youngest granddaughter turned 7 in October. Or middle granddaughter turned 15 on January 9th. They do grow up so fast. Our oldest granddaughter will be 19 this year. We also have 5 grandsons. The youngest will turn 5 the end of May. Pretty good for only having 2 kids. My daughter has 5 and my son has three. I am truly blessed. Especially to be able to live on the same property with my daughter and her kids so get to see the all the time. God is good.
You guys have had such super dry conditions I’m glad to hear it’s been raining!
My two kids only gave us four grandkids! All girls #pinkpower. Our son and his family live on our farm, so I understand your joy at having your daughter and her family so close! The grandgirl who lives next door to is 6.5. I get to pick her up from school on Tuesdays and we hang out, often baking together. Last week we printed off a cat coloring sheet for each of us. Maybe we’ll get them finished this Tuesday!
Valerie, the snow is beautiful! Although, people who got snowed in wouldn’t agree :)
Something to remember for sure!
Have a blessed Sunday!
My daughter homeschools her three sons 12, 9, and 4.5. They are over all the time. We have lived here it will be 7 years in May. It is wonderful to watch and be a part of all of the kids growing up. They are truly a gift from God.
I think everyone likes a good snow day from time to time!
What a joy for you to be part of their life! I get it. I truly do.
Love the snow pictures! I enjoy looking at snow, when I’m inside and warm :-) We live close to the ocean in northern California. It has snowed at our 600 ft altitude in the past, but it’s been over 30 years since the last snowfall I remember!
Not loving the winter weather. It is hard on this old body. The one thing I do like is the wider and awesomeness of a new snowfall. So still and quiet. It is like the Lord is saying be still for a moment and rest in me. Let the everyday business pass you by for a moment. He is so good!!!
Wow, that’s a long time. I’d really miss snow if I moved away from it.
Yes, there is something so hushed and holy. I’m reminded of how God makes us white as snow, and how pure and wonderful that is.
Our youngest grand daughter was born in a snowfall last year in January in Nashville, Tennessee. They never get snow. We left Kentucky in a snow storm and thankfully got ahead of the storm front on our way to Nashville. We got to the hospital where our daughter was and by next morning had quite a bit of snow. Fortunately my son had a suv so ferried everyone around. We were used to driving in snow but a lot of people weren’t. This year they’ve only had a very light dusting of snow. Enjoy the grandkids!! Thanks for pictures. They’re always amazing. God bless!
I was born and raised in Michigan. I miss seeing the snow, but now that I live in the south, I don’t think I would ever want to go back to living full time in the north!
Thanks so much, and blessings on your family!
It would be fun to go cold-free one winter, maybe, but I honestly think I’d miss it!
Thanks for sharing all of the snow pictures. It looks so pretty.
You’re welcome :)
Wow! That is a lot of snow. It would have been a white knuckle ride for me although I would have enjoyed the beauty of the snow. Of course, being from Texas and Missouri, I have never driven in snow that deep.
LOL, I was definitely white-knuckling at times, like around that tree. Thankfully I wasn’t behind the wheel is all I can say.