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 trees are full of frost this morning and they look pretty but up close, the frost looks a little less pretty and not so friendly.
Sunday Morning Frost
The past few mornings, I have had a bunch of turkeys wandering through my yard. I suppose they would like me to let them inside this weekend when the wind chills drop to -30 to -40ºF so they can stay warm.
Turkey Tromp
Those venturing outside on this Sunday morning received a very sharp cold breath of air with the air temperature at -16ºF and wind chill at -30 so I think I will skip a walk in the woods as the snow will just squeak anyway and scare the critters away.
Chilly Sunday Morning
Yesterday I mentioned that “the trees look ‘pretty’ but it is not so pretty to shovel!” and someone commented that I shouldn’t shovel the trees then. But with the heavy snow overnight, I think the trees would like to be shoveled as their branches are hanging low to the ground under the weight of the snow. Everything looked black and white this morning, like all the color was washed out, as even the pine trees didn’t look green and the sky was white too.
Lots of White
With the new snow over night, the trees look ‘pretty’ but it is not so pretty to shovel!
Trees in White Decorations
After a snowfall, you notice evidence by way of tracks, just how many critters are visiting your yard. The ‘freeways’ in the snow can be found leading to the bird feeder from the trees as the squirrels attempt to steal seeds. While most of the squirrel tracks go from one tree base to another, the rabbit tracks head towards the thicker underbrush. Varying sizes of bird tracks can be found in the snow under the feeder as they look for fallen seeds. The tiny mouse tracks where running around the outside garage walls, looking for a way inside to stay warm or to get away from the fox who wanders through the yard too. This morning, fresh deer tracks led right up to the house to graze on my shrubs next to the porch. So the “pretty” snow doesn’t stay new looking very long before it turns into a maze of animals trails.
Trails in the Snow
Today marks the winter solstice, the first day of winter, and the day with the shortest sunlight of the year. Of course with the cloudy skies, the sun wasn’t visible anyway, but it also didn’t look like winter with the lack of snow at the moment.
Winter Solstice
In the summer time, a stroll to the pond is a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The lack of snow makes it easy to get to the pond but the water is a little stiff so no frog floating on the surface soaking up the sun and too cold for the dragonflies to dart around.
Stiff Water
Cloudy and foggy mornings have prevented seeing the some sunrises, but some days the weather clears by evening for some colors to paint the sky.
Winter Painted Sky
