In the three winters that we’ve spent in Chattanooga, it has snowed enough to have accumulation only twice. Both of those times were on Saturdays. It snowed in February, 2020, and now in March 2022.
On Saturday morning we woke up to a blanket of white. We bundled up, because it was COLD, and we took some photos.
First we started at our apartment complex, and I took some close up shots.
Then we headed to a tiny park near our apartment. There were a ton of birds there. I really like this picture I ended up taking, with all the robins both in the foreground and background.
Our last stop was to check out the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge, and we lucked out. Not only was it covered in snow, but hardly anyone was out, so we had the bridge mostly to ourselves.
Last year Derek and I found a stretch of trees that really pop with color during the fall. The trees are on the edge of a elementary school parking lot, so it works out well to take photos there during the weekend.
We drove past that area early last week and noticed the reds and oranges. I was looking forward all week to taking more photos!
I love having our own, established spot. And I also love that it’s nearby, too.
I’m thankful that Derek is patient and takes many photos (literally over 150) so he knows for sure that I will like some of them. It’s quite funny that I snap about five photos of Derek, and he’s satisfied.
I love taking photos, mainly of outdoor related landscapes. I would say that my absolute favorite is fall leaves though. I’m truly happy when I’m photographing a colorful tree!
There is not much to do around here these days. If things were normal, I might have been exploring Cravens House on Lookout Mountain, or attending a Chattanooga Lookouts game this weekend. But, for the fourth weekend in a row, and almost a full month total, we’re staying home to stay safe.
One of the best things about exploring new places is getting to take new photographs.
Since I can’t take photos of new places, I have decided to look for photo subjects closer to home. I am using this time to get more usage out of my macro lens.
I am taking photos of things both indoors and out, and it has become a social distancing photo diary of sorts.
We have a lot of carpenter bees buzzing around our balcony. This one stayed put long enough for me to get a great shot. They look like they have been busy pollinating!
I started a new job three weeks ago. I have been highlighting a lot of notes!
Tea is my go-to for comfort. I am drinking about 2-3 cups a day now.
Sparkling cider bubbles, in celebration of my new job.
Walking outside to get the mail has become one of the highlights of my day now.
As usual, I am reading a lot. The book pictured has been finished, and since then I finished another book as well.
I burned off the last bit of a hazelnut creme scented candle.
I found this twisted vine while out on a neighborhood walk.
Broken glass on the sidewalk, also found while on a walk.
We are safely supporting local businesses. To-go drinks from Rembrandt’s Coffee House.
I haven’t written anything for the month of March yet, and there’s a good reason for that. Much of the United States, and the world, is in the middle of practicing “social distancing” in order to further prevent the spread of Coronavirus, a respiratory illness.
I have been at home for a week and a half, and that has not been on purpose. Last Monday was my last day of work for the newspaper I worked for. The paper had to shut down due to lack of financial stability. However, I do have a new job lined up and I will start next Monday (more about that in a later post.)
Derek has also been home for a week and a half as well. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was on spring break last week, and then the university decided to cancel this week’s classes. Derek and his colleagues have been using this time to figure out how to best structure their classes in an online format. Classes will resume online next week, and will continue that way until the end of the spring semester.
I am glad that our circumstances lined up this way, and that we are doing our part to try to keep ourselves and others healthy. In the past two weeks we have only gone out for the essentials.
My Aunt Susie was supposed to come for a long visit this weekend, but we have decided to cancel that trip. We are both disappointed, but we know it is for the best. My parents are supposed to visit next month, and we do not know if that will have to be postponed as well.
All of the major attractions in Chattanooga are closed down for about a week to a two week period, and a lot of restaurants and bars are either closed down, or are only offering delivery and to-go services.
As of this post, there are 79 Coronavirus cases in Tennessee, and three in Hamilton County.
The first confirmed case was a priest of a prominent downtown Chattanooga church. Before he knew he was affected, he attended conferences, officiated a wedding and a funeral, and shook hands with everyone at his church services. It really makes you think about how many people you come in contact with on a daily basis, and how great that number can differ based on your profession.
There have been a lot of jokes on the internet that this self quarantine period is the kind of thing that introverts live for, and I am an introvert, but I have been going stir crazy. Last week was worse, not knowing if I had a job or not. I enjoy getting out of the house and doing activities. I would have been checking out a different hiking trail every day, but the weather has not been ideal; raining just about every day. I am sure a lot of us in the Tennessee Valley area would perk up if we saw the sun.
I have been walking around our apartment complex to get my step count up, but after doing that so many days in a row that becomes boring too. Today I took out my macro lens and photographed little bits of nature. It helped break up the day a bit. I am posting the photos below.
Tomorrow calls for warm weather and cloudy skies, but no rain. We will go outside, and probably head to Coolidge Park and walk the pedestrian bridge. It will be good to get some fresh air and exercise, and a change of scenery.
I don’t know how long the outside world will be shuttered in. No one does. Derek and I can easily do our part, but what about all of Chattanooga’s small businesses? I fear they may have to reopen soon, whether the amount of Coronavirus cases have slowed or not.
We woke up on Saturday morning to a surprise winter wonderland.
We got about three inches of snow, when only about half an inch was predicted.
It was the perfect kind of snow (for me at least). It was on a weekend, so we didn’t have to drive anywhere in it, and by the time it stopped snowing, it immediately started to melt! Most of it was gone by the end of the day.
As much as I don’t like lingering snows, I do like to photograph it when it is freshly falling. We have a lot of trees near our apartment, which made for some nice wooded scene photos. My favorite is when the snow clings to all of the tree branches.
While it has flurried quite a bit here this winter, I think this is the one and only true snowfall we might get. Weeks ago, a local meteorologist said that Chattanooga’s average date that starts the downhill of winter is Jan. 21! After that, it gets warmer and we get closer to spring.
When we first moved here, we were told that this is usually how snow goes. It happens, but it doesn’t last long. Last year, Chattanooga did not get any snow.
We haven’t been getting out much for the past few weeks, and when that happens I’m always itching to go out and photograph something new, so I was happy for the opportunity.
