It’s difficult to capture the feel of the Blizzards of 2026 in a few photos.
There are now hundreds of trucks here, many brought in from other states. There are trucks to plow snow, to restore cable (=internet) service, to repair electric lines. All of the local motels are fully booked with workers, coming from Western Mass, Indiana, and other far-flung places. Local oil and propane companies are stretched thin as customers call to get their heat, well water, and cooking restored.
The Blizzards of 2026 started for us around January 25.
We’ve experienced several feet of snow and near-hurricane force winds. That’s led to power outage, loss of internet and cell connectivity, downed trees and fences, impassable driveway and roads, and other problems.
We have a wood stove and plenty of firewood, plus a propane-powered generator that keeps some essential services going, such as the well pump. But others are not so fortunate. An acquaintance is home bound with a terminal illness. His visiting nurse can’t get to him because the roads are blocked.
In our case, a small problem has been that we couldn’t call for help because our cell service went from feeble to non-existent and the internet connection was out.
The local superette is one of the few places open with food. They have no power, so shopping means to walk around with a flashlight to find something edible. We bag the item and write down its price in a notebook, On checkout, we report what we find. There’s no working cash register or scanner. Transactions are cash only.
One bright spot in all of this are the warming centers. We enjoyed one at the Eastham library. It’s yet another reminder of the wonderful things that a library can do. It meets community needs and is open to everyone,
In the Eastham center, there’s plenty of water, hot coffee, and half & half. Library staff brought in food–green salad, turkey salad, and pizza. There are newspapers and power chargers. A couple are working on jigsaw puzzles. A parent is playing cards with a seven year-old. People see old friends and acquaintances. They learn about weather, road conditions, and specialty health services.
Other warming centers are at churches, the fire department, the high school, and other public places (with generators). Some have cots and blankets.
The 12 foot high snow pile at the top of our driveway plans to stay there for the foreseeable future. S/he seems quite happy with this arrangement.
A series of snow falls (the Blizzards of 2026) and steady low temps has kept life more interesting than we might like this winter. Early on, a large snow plow truck got stuck close to where the gleeful snow pile sits now. It had to be towed out. A neighbor with a snow blower couldn’t help because the snow blower broke down. Another helper had his plow blade break. Shovels were useless with this volume of snow.
Various people had trucks and plows––a guy who delivers firewood, someone at an excavation company, a landscaper––but they were all already overcommitted. Our usual strategy, to rely on our Forester with all-wheel drive, doesn’t work when the snow gets above 6 inches. That’s especially true for going up a steep driveway.
There were other effects. Three of the five therapists at my PT clinic fell on the ice and hurt themselves. Those are the professionals dedicated to improving our strength and balance! Susan’s eye surgery took longer than scheduled because an accident on the canal bridge made the doctors wait over an hour to get to the Cape.
But, as I said, the snow pile seems quite pleased.
And I’ve enjoyed the sledding, using either a kids’ sled or a beach boogie board.
Chip's journey 