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| Wild rose bush coated in ice. |
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| Iced fir tree branch. |
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| More than 1/4" solid ice on the solar panels on Friday. |
Friday 12/29. Sleet had been falling most of the night and still was this morning. Not really "normal" sleet, but more like tiny ice balls. Everything is covered in ice outside, as if we had a mini ice storm. Looks quite thick on the trees and bushes, but on the ground I easily break through its crust while walking, as do the dogs. I had to pound on the iced clasps to the door of the girls' pen in order to open it, and also the latch on the hen house door. Pretty sure the weight of all that ice is going to break branches and small, leaning trees.
The sleet began turning to snow after 11:00 am, thank goodness. It fell in a constant cycle of heavy and light, big flakes, little flakes, tiny flakes. Each time I looked out the window, I saw something different. It stopped completely a little after 2:00 pm, so JB and the dogs trudged up to the panels to clean them off. Unfortunately they were covered in more than 1/4" of solid ice that just wasn't going to be scraped off.
I went out in a futile effort to scrape the ice off of Miss Kitty's windshield. Even with a de-icer, it would not come off.
More snow began to fall around 3:30 pm and we ended up with an inch of snow on top of 1/4"-1/2" of ice. Our high for the day was 24.
Saturday 12/30. The forecast high-pressure system began moving in around midnight on a noisy wind gusting to 20 mph. At 7:00 am it was gusting to 21 and the temperature was 30. One of the tarps covering the wood on the porch was pulled halfway off. The snow on the ground was sculpted and littered with small branches and fir needles, and most of our pathways had disappeared. But the sky was clear and we were finally pulling in some power. By noon the wind had calmed to barely a breeze.
I finished the third row of wood in the wood shed today, two days early, and started on the fourth of seven rows. We average about one row per month, especially when it is as cold as it has been.
I always like to have our home as clean as possible for the beginning of the New Year, so today I did a thorough vacuuming. Also, because it was so warm (a high of 36), we didn't need the wood stove going all the time, so I let it cool down and we cleaned it inside and out.
I love when the moon's phase brings it back to us at night. Moving towards a full moon, it is rising in the east and shining through the trees as we eat dinner. Living Down There, I really never noticed the moon much unless it was full, but Up Here it is so very obvious, it is hard to miss. No other night lights other than the stars.
Sunday 12/31. It was 20 and overcast this morning. After feeding the dogs and girls, I went back to bed til a little after 10:00 am. I love my naps, and the freedom to take them just about whenever I want.
We all went on the morning walk. The dogs and I trudged - and I do mean trudged - up to the peak through more than a foot of snow that the wind had formed on the path. Still a light crust of ice on it, with powdered snow beneath.
It was overcast all day, and mid afternoon a wall of snow began moving in from the west. It came right up to the west walls of the canyon, but never arrived at Rose Camp. The forecast was for cold, dry days til Thursday night.
JB got the snowblower out in order to re-clear our paths, and spent about an hour at it this afternoon.
At 4:00 pm, I watched a live broadcast on BBC Facebook of the New Year's Eve fireworks over London. It is my very favorite city, and it is where my Mother grew up.
The Gridders are going to try to make it up for a visit tomorrow. We haven't been on our road since that wind storm, so I hope there are no trees down on it.
I do have a New Year's resolution for a change, something I have wanted to do ever since we moved Up Here. I want to take a picture from the same place on the south and north ridges each Sunday for the year. Since January 1 is a Monday, I started today.
Monday 1/1. It is 18 this New Year's morning and we are fogbound in a rimed landscape.
Thought for the day: From Rose Camp to all the world - we wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year!
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