Is this New England or Antarctica?

This has been a rough few weeks. I’ve been pretty quiet online, mostly because my days have been spent either doing snow removal or plugging away HARD at work that is neglected while performing said snow removal. We’ve had more than 70 inches of snow over the last few weeks, and I can tell you that I didn’t sign up for THIS when I moved to New England.

Being from DC, where snow is feared and reviled, I always wished we could somehow legislate away the snow…but no such luck.

Like so many of our friends, co-workers, and neighbors, our lives have been turned upside down by this frozen mess. On the days when we’re not fighting an in-progress snowstorm, DH can’t get to work because the trains he takes keep getting canceled–or the entire rail system shuts down for the day. (The MBTA is an old system that’s been chronically underfunded, systematically mis-managed, and generally neglected, so do the math on whether or not big diesels that are 20+ years old can pull 6+ cars in sub-freezing temperatures and FEET of snow.)

I used to rely on the train to get me to work on the days when I felt driving wasn’t the safest option, and even that’s taken away, so I’ve had quite a few WFH (“work from home”) days. It also doesn’t help that the kids have had school closed enough days that if they have more than 1 additional “snow day” called this winter, they’ll end up having to eat into their April school vacation week or start to go on Saturdays.

In other words: this is just nuts.

Pile on top of that the fact that the weather cleared just long enough for me to go to my mammogram this morning (which I hope won’t result in a diagnostic ultrasound, as has happened the last couple of times), and I’m a ball of stress.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that we now have water coming into the house in ds’ bedroom and our basement?

Yeah, I’m a hot mess. Actually, I’m a cold mess. It was about 8ºF when I walked the kids to school this morning.

So wah wah wah for me, but that’s where my head is at, for the moment. The glimmer of sunshine is that I have a hair appointment this afternoon, so at least my hair will look pretty. And, thanks to our wonderful insurance company (LOVE YOU, Amica!), we’re not dealing with the costs of repairs and such all on our own; they’re even paying for the nice crew of guys who are going to steam off our ice dams so that we can try to stop more water from getting in. So there’s that.

But I’m still a wreck. I’m just internalizing it a lot and letting the stress eat away at me bit by bit. And I’m hoping, praying, wishing that this winter from hell will finally come to an end. I want my life back, and this frozen caricature of domesticity is making me crazy.

Queen Elsa, go home: you’re drunk.