WESTBROOKVILLE — Firefighters rescued six people from a flooded home after a massive ice jam in the Pine Kill creek sent water, ice, rocks and wood spilling across properties and Route 209 early Friday afternoon.

Here at the farm we are lucky to be above the fray. Though the creek runs down along the side of the road, it is steep and narrow enough that the water is running too fast to freeze. As long as no one’s culvert gets blocked we are OK. That is until you get to the foot of the hill where this narrow stream meets the larger creek and passes under the road bridge filling the surrounding swamp. As of yesterday afternoon there was still a good foot of side board, so I think here we are OK.

Last night it was difficult to keep the fire going, and yet keep the house from being uncomfortably warm. this morning I needed to stoke it up to counter the falling temperature and the prevailing westerly wind blowing through the dog door leaving a trail of snow on the back porch.

I went out just before dawn to feed the fowl, bring in wood, and check on the driveway. Fine sleet like snow was coming down fast pushed by a slow but steady wind. The dogs decided the sofa was a better place to be. Only about 4 inches had accumulated over a flexing sheet of ice where the lawn had been exposed to the rain yesterday. I managed to get the car cleared off, and the windshields thawed. I got it turned around so it was facing out but it did not want to back up into it’s normal parking spot. Ice crystal snow on top of soft ground does not make for good traction. Eventually I chose to rejoin the dogs, when I realized I could no longer feel a couple of fingers on each hand.

The snow has changed to slowly falling, medium flakes of soft snow. The plow has gone by now, so soon I will go back out to clear the end of the drive. For now I am content to sit with the cats watching our bird feeder Jumbo-tron (ie: picture window).