We Have It All!

Monday was a beautiful winter day here.  I love to see a rosy colored sunrise.  You don't have to get up early to see this here.  It takes some time before the sun comes up above the distant ridge.  Looking over the garden makes it easy to appreciate the clean cool stillness of new snow.

Tuesday morning the world outside was covered with a coating of ice.  The sun reflected off of every surface. Single blades of grass sticking up in the surface of the lawn glinted with sunlight.  It was pretty, but made stepping out the door an adventure.  The potential for interesting ice pictures was everywhere, but for me venturing out on that kind of slippery surface with the camera at this point is just stupid.  As it was we needed to go out, so Ed sanded the ramp and we both made it  to the car without incident. Roads that were quite awful in the morning were much better for the trip home. Through the day the ice disappeared from many places.  Too bad our driveway was not one of those.

Today warmer temperatures have brought rain.  The ice and snow are disappearing fast.  Green grass and uncovered plants make a walk in the garden seem tempting, but the rain is quite heavy at times and cold!  It is a fine day to start in on the foot deep stack of garden catalogs that have arrived so far.  We will see what tomorrow brings!

Neither Snow, Nor Sleet, Nor Rain, Nor Dark Of Night...

We all know how the  saying goes and today had it all!  When I awoke this morning it was dark, but as I sat and stared out the window, I could see that there was snow out there.  When there was light enough for a picture I opened the window just enough to take one.  Well yes, I took two just in case, but then I closed the window. We like to keep that heat inside!  I love watching the first snow fall on the garden, but we were scheduled to go out today.  I was not quite prepared for the change.  By the time we got together our coats, hats, gloves, located the snow brush to clean off the car and started out we were just a bit behind schedule.  Winter driving is one of Ed's special skills.  He's a actual native of upstate New York and he drives like one!  He has many years of experience, but the first snow that sticks on the road is always a little adjustment. There was enough slush on the road to make things interesting.   We arrived at our destination in fine shape and I didn't even white knuckle it once.

By the time we headed for home, the sleet was over and the rains had begun.   The slush that had been on the roads in the morning was gone.  We drove home in the rain. This afternoon's picture was taken through the window.  It was raining too hard to open the window.  You can see the water running down the glass.  Now it is 6:30 PM and it is dark again. Today gave us an October sneak preview of things to come.  Ready or not... here it comes!

Spring For Almost A Day

Today was a day to remember.  It all started last night with frigid cold and the kind of very fine snow that falls when the temperature is below zero.  Through the night the snow changed to sleet which froze immediately since the ground was so cold.   Everything was covered with ice and then came the rain.  For a time there was an ice coating on everything, but it was thickest  where the snow had been compressed before  things warmed up.  The heavy rain melted the top surface of the ice.  The driveway was shiny with black ice for much of the day.  We decided that driving or walking on it would be stupid.  Although we have our moments, we did the smart thing and stayed inside.
In the late afternoon the rain stopped.  There were still some puddles here and there around the garden.  Under normal conditions the water would drain away quickly, but  the ice underneath slows that down.   I decided to chance a walk down to get the mail.  Most of the ice was gone. The ice remaining was extremely slick , but easy to avoid.  This large puddle remained in front of the perennial bed down by the road.  I might have lingered taking more pictures, but the rain started up again.  I had to double time it back up the hill to keep the camera and myself from getting drenched.

It was  spring  for a very short time.  By five the temperature began to drop and once again there was snow in the air. On this day the changes were too fast for me.  I hope when Spring returns again it stays longer!