Winter Wonderland

Yesterday afternoon (about 2:00) the rain started.  And it rained.  Fat rain.  Heavy rain.  Rain that went SPLAT and left everything very wet.

Within an hour it had turned to sleet and ice pellets.

An hour later, it was big, fat, heavy snowflakes - they, too, would've gone SPLAT if they could've.

When I got home about 5:00, it was a winter wonderland.  I let the dog out to find icicles everywhere.

The birds were feeding like mad...right up until about 6:00 PM.  If it was still light enough to see, they were going to eat.  They knew they were in for a rough night.

This morning I was hesitant to get up.  The radio said all the area schools closed.  Winter weather warnings were still being broadcast.  But when I looked out across the yard, I could still see the tops of the grass clumps, so we couldn't have gotten too much snow.

Feeders were now white instead of strictly icy - and the air was mild.

But everything was covered with heavy, wet snow.  Lovely, but rough on branches.

Bless my neighbor for plowing me out.  Look at those clumps of snow - Very heavy, Very wet.  I was Very glad I didn't have to shovel it.  I see some gratitude baking in my near future.

Plowing here is much different than it was in Newcomb.  I take my hat off to the guys in Newcomb who really did keep the roads and streets snow- and ice-free.  Admittedly, they didn't have but the smallest fraction of roads to plow that we have here, but they did a bang up job...even removing piles from the ends of driveways! 

As you can see, the main drag (paved road) was plowed, but the side road (dirt) to the left was not.

I'm glad I live on the corner and my driveway connects to the paved road.  As you can see, it was rough going along this road.  And there is a limb down from the one pine tree on my property.

While I took the time to do my civic duty and drag the limb off the road, Toby decided to continue his walk all by himself!  Thank goodness there was no traffic (or deer).

The young pines down the road just looked exhausted after a night of rough weather.

The heavy rains of the day before left significant (now frozen) puddles in the fields.  We are lucky roads weren't flooded.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a snowman this morning...even if all I had time for was a very small one.  Perfect snowman snow doesn't come around every day.

I was on the road to work about 15 minutes later, and the snow was already warming up and dropping from trees and utility lines.  What a crazy winter this has been.