The Next Snow

  All day yesterday (12-13-25) the forecast was for heavy snow;  4 to 6", maybe more. A Winter Weather Advisory the evening before was replaced with a Winter Storm Warning before lunch.

 Radar showed it coming:

12:13 pm 12-13-25 Credit: My Radar

 The snow looked pretty well lined up with us (the blue dot). By this time there were a few flurries in the air. My security cams watched it begin to cover the ground: 

2:54 pm

4:37 pm

 Tom drove to Springfield for an event and the shot above was taken when he got home. He was stopped on I-70 near Springfield when cars and two semis collided.

7:14 pm

 By nightfall we'd had 3.5". Not as deep as I expected. But plenty anyway.

7:15 pm

 I dug a quick path to the rain gauge so I could more easily read it in the morning.

7:15 pm

 The next morning there was an even 4" on the ground. The above shot are shadows from the fence behind our summer flower bed at the south end of the porch.

 The sun rose on a very cold world. We bottomed out at -2°. 

 Another shot of the flower bed by our porch.

 And a view of our north lawn.

 I took Parker out per usual at 7:30 am but she refused to pee under these conditions. She kept stopping, lifting her feet and looking up at me for mercy. I took her in, warmed her up and took her back out an hour later after I shoveled a small area in the lawn free of snow so that she could walk on grass. That worked.

We have one more bitterly cold night tonight. How far will we dip below zero? Then a quick warmup. Thursday is expected to rise into the 50's and I expect  this winter landscape to be gone.

Cinnamon Bread

  The bread supply was getting  low so yesterday - when I woke from an hour and a half nap - I thought I should remedy the situation and also do something constructive. I knew I wanted to try a recipe I saw on Facebook some time ago (credit goes to All Grandma's Recipes, posted on 10/30/24). For some reason I cannot get a link to the recipe but full credit is given. I'll turn the recipe into two loaves of cinnamon bread.

White Bread

2 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5-1/2 cups flour

 First, proof the yeast in the warm water and sugar mixture. Once it has foamed (about five minutes) - and right before you add it to the dry ingredients - add the oil.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Then add the liquid mixture.

 Knead for eight minutes, Return to the washed and oiled bowl and let rise for an hour. I use the oven, slightly warmed, because my kitchen is cold. 

Punch down the dough, knead again a minute or two, and divide into two equal amounts.

 Want cinnamon? Roll each to a rectangle and butter the top surface. Add  a mixture of 3/4 cup brown sugar that's had a teaspoon of cinnamon added. Half on each of two. Roll it up from the wide side and pinch the ends under to prevent the mixture from leaking out.

 Place in two loaf pans and rise for another hour.

 Then bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

 This is the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Skip this step if you just want white bread.

 After an hour the dough has really risen! I don't think I've ever had a better rise. I think it's because the amount of yeast the recipe calls for is more than usual (I used bread flour as well). Anyway, it sure works well.

 The rectangle (it looks almost round but it isn't) that has been buttered and then half the sugar/cinnamon mixture sprinkled on. I actually used soft margarine because it is so easy to work with. If you want to use real butter, let it warm up to room temperature first. I spread the margarine with the back of a tablespoon.

After the second rise, the bread has zoomed out of the pans. It's really impressive to see.

 The end result are two beautifully-browned loaves.

 When I cut the first slice, I found the cinnamon not very well distributed. That all come from how thin you roll the dough and how you apply the sugar mixture. The second (and third and fourth slices) were better swirled but it all tastes wonderful!

 The loaf (as made) would be hard to toast slices because they want to separate where the sugar mixture is. I just microwaved each slice for 15  seconds before buttering for my breakfast.

 Next time I'll probably just make white bread. It's easier and it'll be a cinch to toast.

What are the Lights?

 

 On November 23, 2025 I went out into the back yard (7:27 pm) and immediately saw that there were three bright objects in the sky to my west. I've hesitated posting them but have now decided to show the picture and briefly describe what I saw.

 Technically they were UFO's (now UAP's). I watched them for some minutes and never saw the slightest movement.  I also did not see any aircraft lights nor hear any sound.  I do not think they were particularly close. That tree just left of center is about a third of a mile away and each of the lights was farther away. In fact I walked north at the western edge of my property to get the tree out of the  way of this shot.

 I posted the picture on Dayton Weather Spot and others mentioned seeing the same thing. A few suggested drones. One said he watched as planes passed overhead. Dan suggested Chinese lanterns.

 I watched them for some minutes (I was shooting the Andromeda Galaxy to my east). The lights were there the whole time I set up the tripod, aimed the cell phone and made a few settings. They were not there when I returned after the eleven minute time exposure.

 The picture at the lead of this blog is a crop from the whole frame.  Here is the uncropped shot:

 The cell phone tower (right bottom) is located in Farmersville. My neighbor's house is on the bottom left, about four-tenths of a mile away. A few stars show in this image as well as one streak (a satellite?). I've  watched plenty of planes and satellites as I photographed  the stars and planets (which I am fairly familiar with) and these three lights seem quite different.

  Here's a Stellarium view of what should have been in the sky at about that time:

 So, I have no idea what I saw but it was certainly not what I expected.

First Substantial Snow of the Season

  They've been predicting "2 to 4 inches" for several days and yet yesterday looked to be a miss. I didn't even see the first snowflake till well after dark and radar to the west looked fairly clear. But still the predictions continued: two to four inches with isolated amounts near five inches.

 Give them all credit for a "hit".

 I woke this morning to a muted atmosphere. Few cars passed. When I got up at 6:45 am I could see that the road had been little-traveled and everything was white. I measured 3.6" but some stations got the 5" upper limit. I first had to shovel a path to the rain gauge and clear a path across the porch. And, of course, make Parker a small patch for her bathroom (she used it quickly and was glad to get back inside).

 Here's what Pinehaven looks like this morning:

 That's the path I shoveled to the rain gauge. It's the mostly important project I do whenever there is precipitation. I like to get my readings posted as soon after 7 am as is possible. But this morning I hate to wait for the snow to melt before reading it. I was closer to 8 am.

 The wisteria (left) didn't lose its leaves until late and there's still enough stubble on the plant to hold snow. The clouds seem lighter to the west.

 The back porch was deep with snow. The picnic table provides a good measuring platform, like a "snow board". It cools with the ambient temperature and holds the snow until I can get it measured. That's where I check first but I also take  ground measurements to make sure my number is correct.

 Across the north side of the porch, the kitchen maple's branches are all covered with the wet snow. It's 28° and the snow is heavy and dense. A single shovelful is hefty.

 A look northwest across the garden  area. It's truly a wonderland come overnight.

 Pinehaven is snug in the snow. It's not cold enough for the heat pump  to run continuously and thankfully there isn't a breath of wind at all. Maybe we can save a nickel? But there's cold weather ahead now. Thursday morning may dip into the signal digits.

 It's winter in the country. This is what we must expect.

 A few  extra pictures ...

South Security Cam View

North Security Cam View

Security Cam Driveway Apron View

 That's me taking the rain gauge back to its holder after the daily read.