Snow

Snow flurries throughout today (as well as some snow yesterday) means a light blanket of snow over the ground.

UPDATE (2012-01-29, 11:32PM): Aaaand the weather forecast says rain by Tuesday afternoon. Sheesh! When is the winter going to actually come this year?

More... rain?

It appears that this year, winter isn't really moving in. It's more like... dropping in on occasional weekends. And now it's raining. Again.

Snow melting into fog

The snow is already melting off the trees and sublimating into fog...

New Powder

At some point over the night, we got some snow! I awoke to the sound of the plow clearing away the snow from the road. If I had only woken up an hour earlier, I could have photographed a pristine blanket in front of the cabin. I don't know where the skiers are, but they are likely to come...

Also, with the really cold temperatures from Friday, Third Sister Lake has finally iced over. Whether, though, the ice is thick enough for a person to cross the lake is a different question, though. Still, it is getting (finally) to that time to start keeping an eye out for illegal ice fishing.

Ground frozen solid

After the drenching rains of the past two days, the ground today is frozen solid. I like this sort of weather: sodden ground freezes solid with ice crystals forming in the sediment, causing it to crunch underfoot in some places and remain obstinately solid in others, all depending on how much water was surrounding what sort of sediment. To me, it's a different (and much smaller) kind of winter wonderland - one that reminds me in some way of winters in Tokyo that would hover around freezing. Stepping on the dirt in the small patch of grass in front of my house or walking through a small field would leave footprints frozen in the ground that looked so much like footprints walking through freshly-poured cement.

I hope, though, that we get more snow that will stay for much longer than a few days... Will winter finally come to stay or might this be a year with a here-and-gone-again winter?

Back and things look...

First, I want thank my friends (Y-J.S., C.J.F., and J.G.) who helped with the maintenance and looking after of the property in my short absence from the property. I wouldn't have been comfortable leaving the place alone without the knowledge that someone(s) would be looking after the place in my absence.

Second, when is winter going to come? I mean, it's mid-January; it shouldn't be raining and in the mid-40s... Ah well. It should cool down tomorrow.

Bubo virgianus sighting

I thought that it was a great horned owl, but apparently the Stringid that has been haunting the stand of trees just east of the cabin is actually Bubo scandiacus and not Bubo virginianus. Thanks to D.S-J. for the tip!