With the recent snow and frost on the trees this morning under cloudy skies, everything outside looks rather white with very little color showing like what there would be on an autumn day. And I prefer this type of fall scene than when I had a ‘fall scene’ when I discovered unexpectedly a patch of ice under the snow the other morning.
A Stroll Down an Autumn Path
The ice crystal monster dropped a lot of snow on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and it was a hassle to clear the roads, driveways and sidewalks. And the snow monster dropping snow flakes again!
Ice Crystal Monster
These seagulls braved the waves and high winds while on the shore of Lake Superior during a nor’easter but at least they weren’t out in the blizzard yesterday with blowing snow.
Seagulls Braving Nor’easter
Well since it was cloudy this morning because of the snow storm coming, Jimmy the Groundhog from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, did not see his shadow so supposedly spring will come early. Although by tomorrow morning he would have to climb up through a lot more snow.
The more famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, also sees early spring, but Jimmy received more notice last Groundhog Day when Jimmy bite the mayor’s ear when the mayor leaned in to hear the weather prediction. Afterward, authorities told Jimmy’s owners they needed a license to own a groundhog and the decision was made to release the groundhog back into his native habitat.
But a new Jimmy, Jimmy XII, made the prediction this year, as someone with a license for a groundhog, brought a groundhog for the celebration, but Jimmy stayed in the cage this year so no chance to bite the mayor’s ear for waking him up early in the morning.
Groundhog Predicts Early Spring
Yesterday, the end of January was greeted with an above freezing temperature, so there was some snow melting off the roofs and compacting the blanket of snow. My pond had a new layer of water on top of the old ice from the melting but there wasn’t enough melting to cause it to overflow and no rushing water like the Eau Claire River flowing over Big Falls in the late summer, especially since it dropped to below freezing over night. But this morning, the fog from the melting snow covered the trees in a pretty frost again.
Flowing Over Big Falls
The stars normally seem brighter during the cold winter nights, but this January it has been hard to see the stars with all the cloudy days and nights. And even though I have taken photographs of the stars in the winter time, it is more fun to do it in the warmer weather when you don’t need extra batteries warming in your pockets and don’t have to try turning camera knobs with heavy gloves on. But I do know the winter star constellations more than the summer ones due to all the trips to the lambing barn in February, but I took this nighttime church picture before the snow came.
Star Constellations and a Church
In the past, on a Saturday morning in the snow belt, you would probably spot a hillside full of kids on toboggans and sleds as they raced down the slippery trail. And since today is a warmer day, there may be some kids outside enjoying the winter activities but a majority will be inside playing with their electronic gadgets.
Old Time Sleds
The forecast calls for freezing rain tonight which is never good during January in Wisconsin as I was slipping and sliding on my path today and it felt almost as steep as this waterfall. The Native Americans, who originally settled in the area around this falls, believed they heard the voice of the Great Spirit within the roaring of the falls and gave it the name “Gitchee Manitou” which means Great Spirit, but it is now known as Big Manitou Falls.
Big Manitou Falls
I heard on the news last night that they didn’t expect the ice caves near Cornucopia would open this year since the ice isn’t forming very solid due to the warmer temperatures caused by the strong El Niño. So it was a good thing we braved the cold two years ago to see the caves.
Enjoying the Ice Caves
The wind was blowing the snow around today, so it probably could have turned this old windmill which was built by a Finnish immigrant and homesteader, Jacob Davidson. It is one of a very few grist mills in the Midwest, and the only one in Wisconsin known to be of Finnish origin. The mill built in 1900, sitting on a bluff overlooking the Amnicon River, was used for milling local grains from 1904 to 1926. The windmill located near Lakeside, Wisconsin, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Davidson Windmill
