The deer left tracks all over my driveway so I’m not sure if they wanted in the garage to stay warm over night or they wanted a handout but they would have had better luck getting something to eat from the corn shocks in the field.
Snow Covered Corn Shocks
With wind chills near -60ºF this morning and near -50ºF tonight, these horses might want to hide in the barn because I am definitely hiding indoors as much as I can today.
Out in the Frigid Winter
Winter activities like cross country skiing, snowshoeing or just walking in the snow is enjoyed by some and one can hear the birds singing in the winter sunshine except when I was outside this afternoon, the squeaky snow was scaring any birds away. You know it is cold when the snow squeaks when you step on it.
There are three physical factors which lead to one mechanism cause snow to “squeak” when it reaches a certain cold temperature; lubrication of snow. No lubrication, then squeaky snow and with lubrication, quiet snow. Temperature, pressure of stepping on the snow and the shape of the snow crystals play into whether the snow has lubrication.
If the snow was squeaking today, I wonder what it will do tomorrow when it is really, really cold. It probably will be screaming instead of squeaking; screaming it is too cold!
Squeaky Snow
With predicted wind chills of -40 to -60 later this weekend and early next week, I don’t think I will be staying in this building as it might be just a wee bit too drafty.
I wonder the history of the building as it looks like there was a stove pipe opening on the front which is now covered over with a piece of tin. Was it the original homestead of the settlers or a bunkhouse for the hired hands? Did it later become a chicken coop or storage shed? Has the old building seen the late 1800s and now the early 2000s? The answers are probably locked up in the timbers never to be revealed.
A Wee Bit Drafty
The new year is just around the corner and the “old” year has just about completed its journey. For some, the past year was a difficult one with the forces of nature destroying homes and lives. This barn weathered nature for years but in the end, it lost the battle and will no longer be able to stand tall in the coming year and soon all its former existence will fade from the landscape.
The End
“Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; Red sky at night, sailors’ delight.” This rhyme is an ancient rule of thumb for for weather forecasting, dating back over 2,000 years, based on the reddish glow of the morning or evening sky, caused by haze or clouds related to storms in the region. My grandmother would substitute the word fisherman instead of sailors and shepherds was one of the earliest phases used.
Well the red sunrise may not have brought a storm but it sure brought some frigid temperatures so the shepherd had better found shelter for his flock!
Red Sky Warning
Red barns against the white snow can look pretty, even if I prefer green grass instead. But someone was brave enough to go out in the cold and add some holiday cheer to the barn. The green, red and white makes a pretty sight.
Green, Red and White
Merry Christmas Everyone!
It definitely is a very white Christmas this year and I wish everyone a very wonderful Christmas.
(And all those of you singing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” or “Let it Snow”, will you please be more specific where you want it to snow as I have to head out now again to shovel show and I haven’t sang either of those songs as there is enough snow at my place already!)
White Christmas
Christmas Star
On a winter Christmas night,
the trees were covered in white.
In the sky a star so bright,
that it gave off such great light.
Stunning and beautiful sight,
with its long tail like a kite.
SAE 12-24-13
Christmas Star
The winter days at the pond have a different look and sounds than the summertime. No frogs croaking or ducks quacking but instead the rattle of ice is heard. And the wood duck has headed south and the house remains empty except for mice or squirrels trying to stay warm.
Different Pond Look
