Dec 19, 2012 Drifting Snow



Aftermath of the wind storm




Snow inside the outhouse
















The winds Sunday night and into Monday were 30 mph sustained, with gusts up to 60 mph.  By mid day their force had tapered off a bit, but they blew until well after dark, leaving a sculpted landscape.  Snow was into every possible crack, even the small space between the outhouse door and frame.  Everything on the porch was white.  The sun shone most of the day while the occasional cloud, ripped fromt the mountains, went racing overhead.

When JB had walked up to the south ridge to check the solar panels Sunday morning, the wind was creating small snow devils.  Dinga thought they were perfect to chase and was doing so with abandon.  

It was definitely an indoor day.  None of us like to be out in the wind, well, except maybe Dinga - as long as there is snow.  So we did our chores, read our books, and got on the computers.

Tuesday morning was bright and clear, but there is a week of snow in the forecast, with the possibility of up to 16".  It was another sunny day that did not get above 20, but it was obviously the day to go check out the drifting on the road.  So after lunch we bundled up, and I remembered to put on my long underwear and toe and hand warmers.  We climbed into MAX and off we went with the dogs leading the way.  The road was strewn with small branches and pieces of small branches, but the drifting was negligible.  We have deeper drifts at our house and on the road around the south ridge.  But it was an exhilerating drive with clear views and no valley fog, but plenty of valley snow.

After we returned home, Jesse and I went inside while JB and Dinga made two more trips down the driveway to smooth it out, and several trips around the house and south ridge.  Before lunch JB had dug a path through the drifting in front of the wood shed so I could access the fire wood more easily.  We only received about 4" of snow, but some of the drifts were 2' high.

The downey woodpecker is back, but whenever Dinga sees it on a fence post, she chases it away.  It is very persistant though, often perching on our porch posts.

It is obvious that the cookies I baked last week are not going to last through this week.  So I will probably bake some more today.  It is snowing this morning but so fine I can barely see it.  Probably because it is only 12 degrees outside.

I must talk about window sills.  I love wide window sills.  In this house, they are 8" wide because of our thick walls, and the bathroom window sill is 12" wide.  Fantastic!  They call out, pleading to have knick knacks put on them.  And they are especially wonderful during any holiday season.  For Christmas they hold candles and all sorts of other decorations.  Not crowded, but artfully placed.  And inbetween holidays they display jars of shells and colorful stones, candles, pinecones and a vase with dried flowers.

Thought for the day: Style - knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn. Gore Vidal