Northwest Arkansas gets cold in the winter. But, the ice storm that came the other day was not like any ordinary winter storm. It may have been the storm of the century! Who knows, since this century is still in its infancy.
Here are some photos, taken by mr. newenglander’s oldest son:
The part of Arkansas where my home is was not hit this hard. Northwest Arkansas is where the University of Arkansas and the Walmart headquarters are located (for those unfamiliar with Arkansas).
mr. newenglander and I thought long and hard about our decision to sell the house that we love so much. Unfortunately, we just don’t get up to northern Maine often enough, so the house sits empty most of the time.
It is such a nice house. I especially love the front porch. I enjoy eating out there and looking out the windows, where you can get a close-up view of New Brunswick, Canada. The house is on the Canadian border, in the Saint John River Valley.
One of the best things about the property is that there is lots of it! Part of it is forested. Part of the land includes a portion of the International ATV trail, running between the US and Canada. The trail is lined with raspberry bushes. mr. newenglander picks berries by the bucket!! Here is a picture of the trail, on our property:
Snowmobile and ATV paradise!
Click here to see the house listing
I hope it sells before the summer arrives, but I will miss my beautiful cozy “cottage”.
I have twin boys. One of them is pictured in a previous post (the manhole picture).
Today, I spent time with the younger of the two. He is younger by one minute. He works on
his family’s farm and is among those in the fourth generation.
Farming isn’t all work and no play…..
Here is a picture of my twin boys’ great uncle. He is in the second generation of the farm.
His parents started the farm in 1914. He is 88 and is very healthy and strong.
He still works on the farm, mostly in the summer months.
My kids adore him and so do I.
Mounds and mounds of snow are everywhere! Snow keeps falling and the temperature stays below freezing between the storms. So… it just keeps piling up, snowfall after snowfall. After a while, one runs out of places to push it!
When I was young, my father would take my brother and I out to Burger King after our Saturday piano lesson. I looked forward to these weekly lunches. So, following in his footsteps, I took my son to Subway for a grinder and some quality conversation…
So much for quality conversation. He spent our time together texting his friends!
Today, I took some pictures of houses that I have always thought are beautiful.
New England is abundant with historic homes. Here are images of two homes in
Cheshire, CT.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/20/content_10692402.htm
Whether one voted for him or not, today we have a new president.
As Americans, I hope each of us will embrace this new president and will
respect his leadership.
This morning, on WTNH-Channel 8, an egg was cracked into a frying pan. The pan was placed on an asphalt parking lot. Within 5 minutes, it was frozen solid. While I was living in Arkansas, a meteorologist set an egg up for a similar demonstration. Of course, the result was different. Within five minutes, the egg fried. While I watched it this morning, the juxtaposition amused me.
For the past few weeks, this frigid climate has endured. The other day, I went outside for my morning walk. As I passed by my van, I was reminded just how cold it really was that morning.
Water slowly freezes to the ground
How else to describe this, but as a frozen water drip?
When I saw this, I almost decided to go back into the warm house and forget my walk!
When I returned from my walk, I put my scarf on the bed. A little while later, I saw my cat Emily napping with it.
At times, I can’t help but wish I were Emily. She gets to lounge around all day, has her every wish granted…and will never be expected to earn her keep.
This is the first winter that I have been home in four years.
Today, I drove around town, taking pictures along the way.
This is MacKenzie Reservoir on the east side of Wallingford, CT.
The road that my mother lived on for many years, when I was young.
The land where my mother’s house once stood. It is now “Open Space” and will never be developed.
The house that is next door to where my mother lived. This house was moved from its original location about 20 years ago. Can you imagine? Piece my piece, taken apart and moved. Then, lovingly restored.
Whirlwind Hill Road in Wallingford, CT is very picturesque. Here are some photos from that most beautiful road.
At the bottom of Whirlwind Hill Road is a reservoir, on both sides of the road.
Choate Rosemary Hall is the preparatory high school from which John F. Kennedy graduated.
It is in my hometown and I enjoy driving on the roads that surround the beautiful campus.
This tree is on the Choate campus grounds.
Does it remind you of the trees that Dorothy encountered on the way to Oz?
This is where literature came alive for me. I read voraciously as a child. I learned how to read in the classroom to the right of the doors in the photo. See the three windows grouped together, to the left of the tree in the center of the photo? That was my first grade classroom. My teacher’s name was Miss Paolillo. Years later, her brother would become “Arnold Horshack” on Welcome Back, Kotter. (Just a little meaningless trivia…)
Well, I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of my hometown. I received a camera for Christmas and will be adding more pictures as the weather permits. It is c-o-l-d outside and another snowstorm is heading our way.
How many moments can you recall having looked down a manhole in deep contemplation? That is exactly what my good friend (a.k.a. ex-husband) was doing the other day.
The handsome teen is our son. Father and son are the third and fourth generation of the family’s farm.
Meet Emily, my sweet siamese-mix kitty.
mr. newenglander and I don’t have children together.
There are my teenaged twins and his adult children… but we claim Emily as our feline child!
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