Yesterday I was pretty sure it was going to be wrong.
Throughout the day the temperature hovered just above freezing and what fell - a mix of sleet, rain and snow - quickly melted as it hit the ground. At bedtime, we had very little snow actually building up on the ground.
But during the night I heard the northeast wind pick up and the rain gutter, which is too near my ear, slow down its constant dripping. I know it had cooled somewhat, but had the rain turned to snow?
It had!
This tree is beside our barn and it is blasted in wet snow which is weighing the branches down. I worry about the power ... but so far, so good.
This close-up shot of a pine shows how heavy the snow was. There's an even 9" on the ground at 8 a.m. (the meltdown figure is a whopping 1.04").
These two trees mark the south end of our property. Just beyond them is Sam's lane, unseen and buried beneath the drifts.
Here's a view of the rear of Pinehaven. The straw bales that you see at the corner of the house are designed to add an extra layer of insulation for our bathroom pipes. It never hurts to be proactive. The snow will add yet another layer of insulation so I am glad for it.
I swept the satellite dish clear of as much snow as I could (the rest is thoroughly frozen onto it). We didn't have any DirecTV signal last night and it's no wonder. When I looked at the dish this morning, the front surface was flat. There would have been little reflected signal getting into the antenna.
Mom's concrete bench on the back porch has deflected snow into a drift. The snow came from the northeast which is approximately the direction this photo was taken.
I took this shot yesterday (02/05/10) to show how the snow was sticking to NE-facing surfaces. This is the corner of our garage.
Mom's concrete bench on the back porch has deflected snow into a drift. The snow came from the northeast which is approximately the direction this photo was taken.
I took this shot yesterday (02/05/10) to show how the snow was sticking to NE-facing surfaces. This is the corner of our garage.
Before I even climbed out of bed this morning, I heard machinery stop in front of the house (thus nearest my bedroom window) and I got up to see what was going on. It was a neighboring farmer, D.R. Coffman, come with his tractor and snow blower to dig us out. Dear man! Think of the beauty of friendship, the quality of neighbors, especially one who lives a mile away, with nothing more on their mind than assistance.
Will we get out today anyway? I doubt it. It's too nice to stay in and warm.
Will we get out today anyway? I doubt it. It's too nice to stay in and warm.
I did make one trip to the roadway and that was to bungee-cord on our mailbox which had been knocked off its post by a snowplow (twice, in fact; I did this late yesterday, too). The battered mailbox is back in place, through a bit bent and crumpled, but ready for a mail delivery. I doubt it, though. What happened to the motto "neither rain nor snow" ...?
And so we have had our first - and only - substantial snow for the 2009-2010 winter season.
And so we have had our first - and only - substantial snow for the 2009-2010 winter season.
Here's a shot our my "favorite" second floor window, facing the meadow to the north.
And this (above) is a shot out the south-facing living room window. Look especially at the tree in the distance and how flocked it is with snow. The branches are many times their original size.
This shot is taken out the front living room window. In the foreground is an ornamental shrub now thick with white. In the distance is a pine. It conceals the mailbox which is still holding its place on the post. Still no mail.
This shot is taken out the front living room window. In the foreground is an ornamental shrub now thick with white. In the distance is a pine. It conceals the mailbox which is still holding its place on the post. Still no mail.
