The epic winter my wish came true

Ice covered shed with coke sign and vintage licence plates | funkyjunkinteriors.net
I do love my snow.

But after our last snowfall (right when I was attempting to take off for Maui over Christmas), I really thought that was it for us.

But I was soooooo wrong.

Rustic shed caught in a snow storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net

After my return, over the course of 3 days, 80 cm (pretty much 3 feet) hit us.

And for BC’s west coast, that is huge!

My little town became headline news. We got dumped on the most in our region. And boy it was pretty!

I remember about 10 years ago, a massive storm blew in, shutting everyone and everything down. The highways were lined up at a dead halt, due to massive bumper to bumper accidents.

So many were stranded on the highway, local farmers took in complete strangers, covering up their living room floors with people and make shift sleeping quarters. Food was getting scarce, but everyone shared.

At the time, I was safely snug in my own home a ways away.

But I do remember feeling so fortunate to be safe at home.

Creek caught in a snow storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net
This round, the weather reports were pretty blatant. It was like, do NOT get caught without food.

While working on my first coffee, I glanced out back, then looked up, and gulped. The pending storm had just officially white washed away the mountain behind us. Quickly gulping down the last of the coffee, I grabbed the keys, and dashed out, heading to a few local stores.

Why do we wait for warning to rummage up food? No idea.

By the time I got out of the last store, it was blizzard central.

Creek caught in a snow storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net
The news reports did not lie. Those three days we got hit hard. The shovelling was non stop… and to the point where everyone went from, “It’s so pretty!” to “I can’t shovel any more!”

I may have said that last part the loudest… goodness. Who’d think that fluffy powdery stuff could become so heavy?

Shed caught in a drifting snow storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net
On the fourth day,the wind kicked in.

Our little suburb is located in the middle of the country, so you can imagine how much snow there was to drift. Roads closed all around us.

But no worries. Once again, we just happily stayed put.

I mean, I still had coffee cream.

But complaints galore hit locals, with most not being able to get down their side streets. It was just too deep.

So as we all started to ALL slowly dig our way out, thinking that must be it… we were to get hit one more time…

Ice covered Dodge Dakota truck caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net
Overnight, the temps warmed up, covering every square inch with freezing rain.

If you couldn’t get out due to snow, you certainly weren’t going anywhere now!

Ice covered Dodge Dakota truck caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net

Ice covered Dodge Dakota truck caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net

Huge weeping willow tree caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net
Crashing branches were that day’s soundtrack. In fact, I even slept with the window open so I could hear it all night. Pretty rare and cool for us.

snow road with tall evergreen tree | funkyjunkinteriors.net
I’m sad to say, the  Dr. Suess looking Christmas tree to the right is no longer. The ice brought it down. I always loved that quirky thing. This shot was taken during our December snowfall.

ice covered patio stair rails | funkyjunkinteriors.net
rustic shed caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net

rustic shed caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net

rustic shed with coke sign and license plates caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net

rustic shed with coke sign and license plates caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net
rustic shed with coke sign and license plates caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net

And then it started to rain. With all our snow, we really expected flooding.

But as luck would have it, it got SUPER windy, dissolving most of the snow. So fortunate!

rustic shed with coke sign and license plates caught in an ice storm | funkyjunkinteriors.net
In all, our region was pretty much shut down for an entire week.

As of just today, the last of our snow is GONE. It’s so nice to have the big, wide driveway back again vs. that long skinny funnel we attempted to keep scooped out.

So… next time you (ahem) mumble, “I wish I didn’t have so many appointments to run to! I just want to stay home…”

… be careful what your epic wish just may bring.

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Categories: Junk Drawer, Seasonal, Winter
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27 thoughts on “The epic winter my wish came true

  1. WOW! Great photos, especially interesting were the ones of the ice on your car. Glad you and your son survived this storm.

    Be well, be safe, be happy & be thankful ~ FlowerLady

  2. Moving from New York to North Carolina 9 years ago to escape the long cold winters, I too was done with shoveling. The snow and ice looks pretty in photos but NIMBY not in my backyard) lol.
    I have a friend ( Yoga) who has her own YouTube channel and membership . Dr.Melissa West. She moved from Ontario to Victoria BC and stated what you had, the coldest and snowiest winter yet. Crazy weather . Anyhoo, love your blogs, the photos and hopefully you will VLOG someday.
    Hint…hint….

    Stay warm, spring is almost here!
    Christine Barone

  3. Looks like you endured a Chicago winter while we are enjoying your balmier one. It’s nice for a change! 60’s today and forecasted for the next five days. Whoo hoo! Do I miss the snow? Not at all. I am wise enough to know that it will boomerang back to us shortly, though. And we will be the ones stocking up in preparation for a blizzard.

  4. I feel for you.. We just had 2 tornados here in Georgia. So many of the trees are gone. Houses crushed. We were without electric for 3 wks. It really makes you appreciate life a lot more..and your neighbors. Hope all turns to normal soon for ya.

  5. Gorgeous photos, Donna!

    Ice storms are the worse because the break otherwise healthy trees and plants. Bet you wish you could have ridden that storm out in Hawaii!!

  6. As always your pictures are stunning! I was captivated by the images as my son and daughter -in -law are pastoring a church in Abbotsford BC and I was well aware of the wild weather they had been experiencing. Now they were both raised in Ontario, and are used to to wild winters but this was certainly up there with CRAZY!
    It also tweaked in my spirit to read your ‘about’ story.
    I knew when I signed up to receive your emails I recall reading how a church community had come along side you to help with your home.
    But I hadn’t read ALL your story.
    WOW! Thanks for sharing. The plans He has for us! And His ways aren’t our ways.
    May you be encouraged, blessed, and assured your story, is His story.

  7. We’re up to 335cm so far this winter on the east coast and I’m sure there’ll be more to come. Thankfully, we don’t have to cope with tornados though #glasshalffull.

  8. Your photos with the ice are beautiful. I especially like the Coca Cola sign and license plates. Too bad ice is so dangerous, though!

  9. Ice can be so destructive. We have had some pretty bad ice storms in the greater KC area. Not to mention you can’t drive at all. Glad it is all over for you now Donna.

  10. How pretty and how dangerous with all of the ice. When I lived in Alabama we had a huge snow and ice storm. The cedars were exploding. It sounded like gunshots. Now that I am here in Arizona and close to the Huachuca Mountains we are about to have some snow this weekend. It will be pretty. Great picture taking subjects. Drink another cup of coffee and enjoy.

  11. I love your blog!
    I live on the North Shore of Vancouver, not that far away from you!! This has been quite a winter!
    We live a few blocks from the water so we didn’t receive the amount of snow you people out in the valley did…..but it sure was more than normal! December and January it was unusual…..I think Spring is on its way now…so just our usual rain now?…I hope!
    I have been living vicariously through your blog, and your trips to Hawaaii. You reall y have a wonderful way with words, and your photos are amazing. Keep up the great work, there really are lots of your fans out here, even though we don’t comment. Your “junk” is great, and I hope to meet you one day out in the chilliwack area during an event.
    Thanks again for your amazing talent…!!!

  12. I love your shed pictures with the bucket of icy orange berry branches! I’m an eternal optimist, so even though I acknowledge the damage that kind of snow and ice can do, I surely appreciate the beauty you can find if you watch for it.

    Thank you for sharing the beauty within the chaos!

  13. It has been a crazy winter. We have been in Texas due to a family member being in an accident and came home to frozen Well pipes the day before Christmas. We managed to have our big Christmas dinner in spite of no water. Whew!
    I am so sorry for your trees with the ice. We had ice too and lost a lot of trees. I would rather have have snow than ice any day!
    Are we over winter? I know I am. We just finished hauling another trailer load of limbs to the bush pile yesterday. I am thinking garden.

    • I started thinking garden too, until I thought of all the weeding to come.

      I’ll enjoy winter for a little while longer I think! haha

      That wasn’t my tree, it was one down the road I was always rather fond of. It’s currently laying across 2 yards with all the branches cut off. Poor thing!

  14. Hi Donna,

    I remember those days of ice hanging off the vehicles and roof when living in Utah and all the snow. I am now in California and we wished for rain and have more than we can handle. Today very windy and raining again and more rain days to come. Have never seen the wind blow like today and I was born and raised in Cali. Actually saw an eucalyptus tree fall on the side of highway 1 out of Santa Cruz, Ca. Got on highway 101 north to SanJose and there were 4 or 5 pepper trees that had fallen. Really scary!

    Loved your pictures of the snow. Just glad I am out of the snow country and if I want to see snow I can travel to it or you can send pictures.

  15. WOW – now that’s the kind of stuff Ohio usually gets for months and months…but not this year. It’s been wonderfully mild and easy on the drives and heating bill for us.

    WEIRD weather across the states – the critters and plant life don’t know what to make of it. One day they’re budding, then it gets a snap of super cold, then warm again, rinse and repeat.

    It will be interesting to see if anything even blooms much this spring. We have another month at least before we see any signs of spring though – it ‘s been known to snow in March so many times, so not holding my breath at all.

  16. Oh how beautiful everything looks, especially the icicles on everything and your flower pot and SHED! I hate the cold but I love Winter photos when you can get good light!

  17. Donna I was in New York last month visiting my sons. As luck would have it there was a huge snow storm in my town in Greece. I live in a coastal town that never gets snow. We are lucky if we get a few flakes every 10 years. Well, this year they got about a foot. Which is not much, but for people who never see the white stuff it was paralyzing. They had to shut down the school for 3 days because they were not prepared. Here I had gone all the way to NY expecting to see snow and we had 50-degree weather. Talk about mother nature playing a trick on me.

    Beautiful photos as always. Love the close ups of the plants near your shed.

  18. That’s quite the ice storm you had. It can be scary to hear branches crashing down all night. The damage can be severe. It can be a lot of work to clear up. We can expect more extremes of weather from global warming/climate change. Good to have emergency supplies on hand.

  19. awesome photos! I heard it was bad…my folks found it hard to keep up with the shoveling. thankfully their neighbor helped. It’s pretty for a day!

  20. Hey Donna…great pictures. We are dealing with rain..have to be careful of potholes washed out that you can’t see! So much rain…New experience for us! Thanks for the pictures!

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