Winter in Buffalo

We moved to Buffalo on November 20-21, 2009. The move went fairly smoothly as we had a really great guy driving the truck and leading the teams that moved us in and out. We used Atlas Vanlines and would highly recommend them to anyone moving. All of our belongings arrived when promised and nothing was broken or missing! Granted, we put our most valuable things in our own cars, but they had the heavy furniture and I was sure something would arrive scratched.

According to all the locals that we chatted with as we were getting to know our new home, we got to Buffalo just in time as they hadn't had a big snow yet. I think the flakes started falling around the beginning of December and they didn't really stop until March. Granted, there were never more than about a foot and a half of snow on the ground at any given time, but there was quite a stretch there when we saw a blanket of white.

The real benefit of living in this area during the winter is that snow doesn't freak anyone out. There are snow plows out on the streets before the sun comes up. All major roads get plowed throughout the day even. By living in an apartment complex, we didn't have to worry about our sidewalks or parking lots either. The guys were out salting and scraping every morning. Additionally, folks around here know how to drive in the snow. Mostly everyone was slowing down and being polite on the roads. Quite a refreshing change from the hotheads in Virginia who thought snow and rain were the same.

Bennett also adjusted to the new climate well. We tried to get outside for fresh air as often as possible, but there were some days when it was just too cold to even walk to the mailbox and back. He had an audible change in his breathing if the air was too cold. He started taking these really quick, shallow breaths almost as if he were trying to avoid breathing, but just couldn't hold his breath any longer. I'm anxious to see how that changes this winter.

The one thing that troubled me regarding the winter up here is that it seemed as if everyone was hibernating! We live in a very large complex (21 buildings with at least eight units in each building, some have twelve) and I can honestly say that I didn't see a single neighbor beyond the lady who lives underneath us until about late March, early April. I felt like we were living in a ghost town! Sometimes, I would go to the leasing office, just to talk to another grown human being. Needless to say, both Bennett and I were very excited about spending time outside when Spring finally arrived.

We had two big visits during the winter months. Thanksgiving found all of the Erlandsons in Buffalo. We got our meal from Wegmans so that mom and I didn't have to cook. We ordered way too much food. Bennett really enjoyed meeting and snuggling with Uncle Ben. And Daddy-o had a good time teaching Bennett about how to build a fire.

In December, the Allmans came down for a Christmas visit. We were sad that Cindy and Trevor couldn't join Oma and Grandpa, but had a good time with the grandparents. Cindy was able to come down during one of her Spring trips to London and Trevor will be in Ontario in October, so we'll get to see him then. We are so fortunate that Bennett gets to spend so much time with extended family, despite living far away.

Today was a very brisk day - a hint of the Autumn to come. I was explaining to Bennett on our nightly walk that Autumn is my favorite season because the temperature is just right and you can sense that change is on its way. Now that Bennett is a little older, I'm hopeful that we won't feel quite so cooped up this Winter - we'll keep you posted.