I’ve seen it called “blizzicane” and “blizzardageddon” and heard it referred to as “great” but I’m not sure that this storm will go down in our local history as any really great shakes. Nothing yet (knock wood) has surpassed the surprise of the legendary Blizzard of ’78 and although this certainly packed a wallop for anyone trying to go somewhere, for the rest of us tucked into a cozy Boxing Day at home, it was just a dramatic bluster. I have to admit that when the sky lit up in a bright blue flash and the power went out (briefly in the end) all over town, I simply lit candles, put on another sweater and didn’t worry – about the greenhouse, that is. What a useful tool a back-up generator is! (See previous post for a description of our worst case scenario and its timely resolution.)

And as the wind continues to howl, the gardens at least are insulated finally if not warm. The only downside to this snow cover is the weight of it – it’s a heavy sandwich of crusty layers of ice and snow and I’m sure I wasn’t the only gardener to go out in the storm (at home) to beat the bushes. — If you haven’t yet you might give your shrubs and trees a gentle whack too if they look as if they might break or become hopelessly misshapen under the load.

Another upside to snow cover is all that it teaches us about light, and the chance it gives us to see our gardens as a blank slate again. It’s a perfect way to wend our way towards a new year, appreciating the shadows (of the past) and thinking clearly about the future.

How did you and your garden fare during the Great Blizzicanemageddon of 2010?