When PJ posted the February theme for his photo blogging challenge, “Winter”, I had no idea what a harsh winter February would bring to Massachusetts!
This has been the snowiest month of February on record for MA, with over 102 inches of snow recorded!
So, my problem this month was not with photo inspiration. It was actually figuring out how to choose only 5 photos to spotlight in this post.
Let’s start with a happy one!
How do you spend your snow days? My husband wears his Wookie robe and looks at snow from our condo window
This is me, in front of a snow pile where the front lawn of my parent’s house should be. I’m 5’3″ & the pile is taller than me. Notice also the scary icicles hanging from the gutter. They are ice damns that have grown so long they hit the snow pile!
Speaking of icicles – they got scary this winter and scenes like this one from a building across from my office in Natick were pretty common
As the snow kept falling, we dealt in more ridiculous ways than anyone could have imagined.
This is a photo of 2 snow-blowers clearing a roof in Quincy, MA!
And finally, here’s a view of Quincy from my condo window during on of the many snow storms
Winter in MA this year has been scary & inconvenient.
The National Guard was called in to help with snow removal once the governor declared a state of emergency.
Our public transportation system (the MBTA) pretty much broke down. It closed completely on multiple days and had shuttle busing instead of subway route for weeks. My husband’s normal 1 hour commute from Quincy to Malden became a 3+ hour commute – one way – due to shuttle busing.
I drive to commute to my office and the roads were way more jammed with traffic than usual, increasing my commuting time as well.
Many days, we worked from home because it wasn’t safe to even try to get to work.
My awesome friend Crystal was highlighted by the news for shoveling snow from her wheelchair and mobilizing groups of Braintree residents to help her clear sidewalks! She also had a great op ed published in the Patriot Ledger, Save your pity; instead provide accessibility. (I highly recommend you watch the news clip & read her op ed.)
MA residents are a resilient lot. At this point, we’re about 6 inches of snow away from an all time record of snow in winter in MA, so most of us want to have a few more inches fall and break the record.
We may very well get that wish, with a small snow storm heading out way March 1st.
This monthly photo blogging challenge is facilitated by PJ of the Northeast Bloggers Network.
Thanks for inspiring me to take more photos!
Getting Fit in Massachusetts 
