How things change from one week to another. Last week, it still looked and felt like winter—the air was cold, and the snow sparkled. But Spring has her eyes on us, and yesterday, the temperature shot up to 60°F. Holy cats, it was so warm that I went outside without a jacket.
Now that we have entered this time purgatory in Maine, the snow is no longer lovely and sparkling. Instead, it’s packed down hard, and the snow banks…well, the snowbanks look like this:
But nearly every place has its challenging months—maybe Hawaii doesn’t?—and in Maine, we must suffer through March to get to April, when Spring truly begins.
Still, even in this soggy, dirty time, there are hopeful signs that Spring is just around the corner. The other day, I heard the male cardinal singing his spring song. Such a lovely sound. And the ice on the pathways has started to melt, making walking on them so much easier.
Now to Snow-Gauge Clif.
We have decided that while Clif’s snow gauge might be charming, it is not, ahem, the most accurate way to measure snow. There’s a solid wedge of snow between the top cover and the ground, and the snow gauge can’t break through that wedge. Therefore, the snow gauge will be used as a visual cue rather than as an accurate measurement tool.
In the front yard, the snow hasn’t melted much, but the driveway is much clearer. Progress!
Here he is in the sunnier backyard, where we are seeing some more progress, at least on the pathways.
Rain is in the forecast for this week, and perhaps it will wear some of the snow away in our shady yard. However, March often has a sneaky way of bringing us wet, heavy snowstorms that can knock out power.
So only time will tell! Stay tuned for next week with Snow-Gauge Clif.
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Watching
Movie: It Was Just an Accident, an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film
The 2026 Academy Awards ceremony will be televised next Sunday, March 15. As movie buffs, we are always interested in seeing nominated films, and although we never manage to see them all, we do a pretty good job of seeing most. This week, It Was Just an Accident was on our roster. To borrow from an old saying, better late than never. As it turned out, this Iranian film was my absolute favorite of the year.
Now, I am certainly aware of the significance of my choice. After all, the U.S. is pounding the crap out of Iran, which in turn is pounding the crap out of its neighbors. A horrible, brutal mess with implications that might be with us for a long while.
But I did not choose It Was Just an Accident because of its political significance. Instead, I loved this movie because of the skill of its director, Jafar Panahi—his humanism, his humor, and his wisdom in telling what is essentially a grim story.
A brief synopsis: A man, Eghbal, and his family are driving on a dark road at night. First, he runs over and kills a dog, then his car breaks down. He brings it to a local garage to be fixed. Eghbal has a prosthetic leg, and when one of the mechanics, Vahid, hears it squeak as Eghbal walks, this sets off a chain of events. Vahid is certain he remembers that awful squeak from when he was in an Iranian prison, and that this is the man who tortured him.
Determined to kill Eghbal, Vahid kidnaps him and plans to bury him alive. But when Eghbal insists he is innocent, Vahid begins to have doubts. Knocking Eghbal out, Vahid stuffs him into a large box in his van and sets out to find others who might be able to confirm that this is indeed the right man.
What follows is a darkly comic series of events as Vahid acquires a group of folks who have been tortured by a man with a squeaky prosthetic leg. But is it this man? They were all blindfolded when they were tortured, and no one saw his face.
One of the funniest scenes is when Vahid is approached by security guards who demand a bribe to let him and his cohorts go on their way. The guards are unaware that Eghbal is hidden in the van. When Vahid tells the guards he has no cash, one of them whips out a credit card reader, and all is well.
At the same time, this movie is no spoof, and it addresses serious issues—mercy, guilt, brutality, vengeance, and memory. Each character feels fully rounded rather than a type. Really, I cannot recommend this film enough. It Was Just an Accident is available on Hulu and can also be rented on Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube.
Do see it if you have a chance.
Notes From the Hinterland 
Whether Hawaii has seasonal difficulties: it has had some really bad hurricanes. Other reasons I wouldn’t want to live there: too far from everything else; very expensive; and worst, no change of seasons. The days are all exactly the same length and (mostly) weather. When we were there (in June or July, it’s been a while) it got dark really early. I really like having four seasons and different length of days, even with this dratted change to DST.
Well, I guess Hawaii can be scratched off the list. This just confirms my hunch that no place has a perfect climate.
The month of dirty snowbanks, mud season and yo-yo weather… bring it on! ;D
I know. A bit closer to spring. Still…
Coming from a place where we get very little snow (I mean locally, not nationally), Clif’s snow gauge was only ever an indication and never viewed as accurate. For me its scale is “heaps, some, hardly any, none”.
Perfect! I just might borrow your way of measuring.
Thanks so much for the film recommendation. I haven’t seen many of the Oscar nominees this year. I’m going to look for that one!
Well worth seeking out!
Good to see the ice is melting Laurie and making walking safer and how lovely to hear a cardinal sing! ❤️🎶 xxx
A sweet, sweet sound!
‘unionhomestead’ has got it perfect! But it is nice to see Clif and his smile 🙂 ! Do enjoy the warming trend . . . !
Many thanks! Meteorologists are referring to this warm spell as “false spring,” with the promise of more nasty weather on the way.
You must be pleased to be able to use your walkways with ease. Lovely too to hear the birdsong that heralds the definite arrival of spring!
Yes, very good to have most of the ice gone from the walkways. And the male cardinal’s spring song is always a delight to hear.
Your snowbanks look a great deal cleaner than those outside. Hi, Clif
Not as much traffic in our driveway. 😉
Yes
Listening to ‘my’ cardinal singing before sunrise this morning, it occurred to me that there’s an inverse relationship here. The less snow Clif measures, the more birdsong there may be: two related signs of spring, and both delightful. Less snow, more song, sez me!
You got that right! Also, longer days play a big role. We have drastically longer nights in the winter. Longer days are a sign that spring is coming, even if there is still snow on the ground.
Wow! You still have a lot of snow there. We are expecting just about everything this week. Temps in the 70’s yesterday, hail and tornadoes this evening and snow tomorrow.
We do! We have a lot more than some folks in town because we live on the edge of the woods. Your weather certainly sounds exciting. Take care!
A Patch of Old Snow
There’s a patch of old snow in a corner
That I should have guessed
Was a blow-away paper the rain
Had brought to rest.
It is speckled with grime as if
Small print overspread it,
The news of a day I’ve forgotten —
If I ever read it.
Robert Frost
The movie sounds good!
Absolutely perfect. Robert Frost got it exactly right. The movie was terrific. As I wrote in my post, my favorite of the year.
That says a lot! You’re always at the movies!
Howdy. Have you seen One Battle After Another? It has gotten all sorts of acclaim, but I think it’s nothing special. A lot of it was kind of slapstick. And I didn’t particularly care about any of the characters. Anyway . . .
I have seen One Battle After Another and have mixed feelings about it. I thought the first part was disrespectful to women in general and black women in particular. I really hated it. The middle part was what a friend would call “a wild ride,” and it gripped me. The end was too cheesy and contrived for me. This move was certainly not my favorite of the year, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it won best picture.
I enjoyed the movie as well Laurie 🙂
Such a good film! As I noted in my post, my favorite of the year.
Big weather reversal here in Mass. Today it’s 70!
Same in Maine!
Lovely to see the snow gauge out and about! Spring tends to have the worst weather where we are, but the seasons are not as defined as they are where we lived in Europe.
I love how the seasons are so different in countries around the world. While my roots are here in Maine, I expect that every place has its pleasures as the year progresses. And, of course, the reverse. Right now we are in Maine’s worst. 😉
Venturing outside without a jacket? You won’t catch me doing that for weeks!
After a long, cold winter, 60 feels positively balmy. 😉
April is not that far off now, and I look forward to photos of your spring flowers, Laurie and Clif! We are getting the weather oscillations here, too. A milder climate here in the PNW, snowdrops have all finished blooming her on the farm. We are approaching peak daffodil now, and grape hyacinths are out too.
Just around the corner. Although we won’t have much in the way of flowers until the end of April and the beginning of May.
You certainly are ahead of us!
High winds and rain today. We had wild turkeys visit us yesterday.
I chuckle as I read that you went outside at 60deg without a jacket!!! By all accounts, that would be brrrrrrrr for us in Singapore!!!
It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? And at the end of our summer, even in Maine, 60 seems a little on the chilly side. But after a long cold winter—heatwave! 😉
It looks similar here with melting snow, but we don’t have temps in 60’s yet 🙂 I believe we had a high of 42F today which is normal for March. It would also be normal with a few days in the 20’s…
The other day the temps reached 70. Not at all normal for Maine in March.
We are having a real mix of weather too sunny and mild but windy on Thursday then hail and heavy rain yesterday. But all sorts of things are coming up in the garden, the birds are singing and the days are getting longer so it isn’t all bad.
You are right that nearly every place has its challenging months. Here we get used to hurricanes and driving in snow, but I would be very afraid in a tornado.
Thanks for the film tip. Will aim to watch it.
Even though we seldom have them, tornadoes terrify me. The movie is so good. Hope you are able to watch it.
Ah spring – it is always slow to load where I live as well. We had a decent snow fall so nothing is brown as it is all fresh white but icy underneath. Bernie
Walk carefully!
Definitely!!
Hi Laurie, I agree. The snowbanks don’t look that pretty. Now I remember what I disliked about snow. When it melts and it becomes brown and slushy in some areas.
Even though clif’s snow gauge isn’t accurate, the snow looks so deep I’d probably disappear in your front garden
At least Spring is on its way 🙂
You might indeed disappear, but we would be sure to pull you out. 😉