The Day After Winter Storm Stella

March 16, 2017

There’s a lot of snow-blowing and shoveling underway at the farm.

Earlier this week, Winter Storm Stella covered much of the east coast with a blanket of snow. Governors in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia declared states of emergency. Flights were cancelled, schools were closed, and travel bans were in effect on many of the region’s major roadways.

Yesterday brought a definite calm after the storm. Although there were a few brief snow showers and 20-mile-per-hour winds, it was a beautiful, sunny day - a good one for the big clean-up. Enjoy these photos.

: Winter Storm Stella dropped 13.7-inches of snow here in Bedford, New York. Here is my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, using our trusted tractor to move snow from the back of our Equipment Barn.

: Icicles hang from the Equipment Barn roof. Always watch out for icicles that may form from the rooftops – these could really injure someone if they fall.

: Here’s my big plow, which is kept in the front of our farm pick-up truck during the winter months.

: Dominic, who works here at the farm, placed a big tree stump in the rear of the plow truck to help keep the truck more stable.

: Paths are dug for all the animals – this is the long path to the peafowl coop.

: Dawa is in the smaller peacock enclosure removing snow surrounding one of their perches. It is important that the animals have room to walk comfortably outside their shelters.

: My dear Friesians did not seem to mind the cold weather and gusts of wind. In fact, Sasa is very happy to be outside today in his paddock.

: Here is Clive, one of my three Sicilian donkeys, waiting his turn to go out to his paddock. During any bad weather, I keep all the equids in the stable, where it is safe and warm.

: This is the herbaceous peony bed. It is surrounded with a boxwood hedge which, of course, is covered with burlap for winter protection. The wind drifts make it almost hard to identify.

: Pete is in the courtyard behind my Winter House clearing the space for the dogs.

: Here is Fernando shoveling another section of this courtyard. When shoveling, remember to always bend at the knees and lift with your legs – this helps to reduce back strain.

: The gale-force winds caused the snow to drift and accumulate in many places. The snow-blower was put to good use in the driveway in front of my carport.

: Look at all the snow. We got more than a foot of white, heavy, wet snow, but this storm was expected to drop nearly two-feet in this area – we were lucky.

: After the snow is blown and shoveled out of the way, the tractor is brought in to move big piles, so there is room to shovel more of the snow.

: The upper terrace parterre outside my Winter House was buried under the snow too.

: Here’s Pete digging it all out – another tip is to switch shoveling right-handed and left-handed if possible – this helps work different muscles. And periodically change the grip on the hand holding the bar.

: A nice path now meanders through the length of the terrace. The pot is one of two huge cast iron sugar kettles I keep as fire pits at the farm. They add such a nice accent to the landscape and have always been fun conversation pieces during gatherings.