The sunshine this morning is rather deceiving. The sky looked blue and the sun was shining but the wind chill was rather cold and so there were no white apple blossoms or green grass to be found yet.
White from Blossoms
Picture of the Day for February 7, 2017
The ice on the roads and sidewalks were not fun to deal with today. If I have to see ice, viewing ice formations in caves would be a more preferable option.
Ice Hanging On
Picture of the Day for February 6, 2017
The day was almost to the freezing mark but it was cloudy so didn’t seem as nice out. The layer of snow and the cold temperatures won’t let the spring wildflowers to pop up and add some color to the landscape for a while yet.
Waiting for Spring Beauties
Picture of the Day for February 5, 2017
The eastern sky may have been pink this evening as the sun set, but it was more orange in the western sky.
Orange Faded Sunset
Picture of the Day for February 4, 2017
The water on my pond might be smooth, even with the wind blowing, but that is because the water has been frozen stiff for a couple of months now. And it looks cold covered in snow and not at all warm and inviting as during the summertime.
Warmer Time at the Pond
Picture of the Day for February 3, 2017
It was bright out today with the sun shining on the snow but it was misleading sunshine as it was a cold day. The winds were a little lighter so my cats did venture outside today were they would not yesterday with the sharp wind chill.
Sunny Chilly Winter Day
Picture of the Day for February 2, 2017
No groundhog in its right mind would venture out this morning when the temperature was barely above zero, but several of them were thrust out early in the morning to look for its shadow. Jimmy, the Sun Prairie groundhog in Wisconsin, saw his shadow so winter will be a long one.
The Groundhog Day tradition in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin dates back to 1948, when Wisconsin celebrated its centennial year and an artist sought to bring the state together for the occasion. A commercial artist, Ira Bennett, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin and his young son decided to create a series of commemorative post cards relating various locations in Wisconsin to the holidays throughout the year. Some of the cities chosen were: Port Washington, Wisconsin for Washington’s Birthday, Independence, Wisconsin for July 4th, Loyal, Wisconsin for Boy Scout Sunday (a scout is loyal). Groundhog Day required a stretch of the imagination. The groundhog sees his shadow when the sun comes up on the prairie, thus, Sun Prairie was picked for the honor.
And the Sun Prairie Jimmy the Groundhog made the 2015 winter prediction slightly more exciting when he bit the ear of Mayor Jon Freund during the celebration.
Predicting a Long Winter
Picture of the Day for February 1, 2017
The new coating of snow was bright when the sun finally came out today, but then that meant the temperatures dropped. The sun would be shining something different in six months, like these sunflowers.
Sunflowers in August
