Deep In Snow

On Sunday, 15 February 2015, the Maritimes were hit with a classic "raging blizzard." It started in the morning and lasted all day and night. By Monday, 16 February, the snow had stopped but the fierce winds continued all day. Snowfall amounts varied across the province, but an average of perhaps 50cm fell, and it was whipped around causing huge drifts. Many roads were closed and it will take days to dig out (keep in mind, the Maritimes already had several feet of snow on the ground from previous storms). Most of these storms came up the eastern seaboard, hitting New England hard, including Boston, which has had its snowiest February ever on record. Elizabeth Bishop's "Boston States" and her Maritimes are both groaning under an immense amount of snow. Great Village did not escape. And I pass on a couple of photographs sent by our faithful village correspondent Patti Sharpe, taken this morning, 17 February. The sky has cleared, the wind has diminished and the temperature is moderating -- but the roads are still treacherous. Many of the back roads still impassable. We will get through this severe winter, with its abundance of snow -- keep our thoughts focused on The Elizabeth Bishop Festival on 8 August 2015 -- surely it will be warm then!

Elizabeth Bishop and her dachshund Betsy playing in the snow circa February 1916 (AUA)