Winter Solstice isn't until Dec 21..... Winter shouldn't be here yet... but this is what our motorhome looked like when we awoke (yesterday) on December 6.
Icicles! Ice and snow... and more ice on top of the snow. Temperature around 25 degrees F. Hey... we could have stayed in Ohio and not had this!
Doesn't matter.... in this weather the critters still need fed...
I had to chip the ice off the bird feeders so the feed could drop down through the holes. But first, I had to get out of our motorhome... no small feat as the step had at least an inch of solid ice on it.
Birds aren't the only ones checking out the feeders....
This doe was hoping for a quick breakfast.
Bill went out later and broke the ice on the water trough... The deer feeder was still in action, and it had steady customers all day long... might be deer, might be crows... no matter... someone was hungry.
Critters came first on my list... then I had to go for a walk...
Down the driveway (nobody here went to work today). From the looks of things the sleet/rain came first.... then the snow.... then it looked/felt like another coating of freezing rain or sleet. At least a solid (and I DO mean solid) inch of snowy ice on the roads, the trees... everything!
I walked out to the main road around 8:00 a.m. or so...
Only one set of tire tracks.... and they were heading towards the "dead end" part of the road. Nope... don't think anyone on this road went to work today.
I saw no indication that the goats in the field across the road had been out and about...
Just look at the ice on this tree!
I walked back this road about a half hour later and the goats (apparently not early risers) had decided to come out and see what today's world was all about. No photos of them... sure... they are kind of neat, but I guess after raising goats for 18 years I forget about that.
Our daughter has a very nice trail around her property. It's only about a tenth of a mile, but the diversity of sights is so interesting...
There's a lovely stone bench to stop and rest.... but not today...
I checked out the previous walkers...
Looks like several deer had come along before me....
The overlook of the nearby creek was snow covered and except for a few juncos looked deserted.
There's just something about seeing cactus surrounded by a blanket of snow that seems terribly out of place to me.
Got finished with my morning walk and headed home. Inside, it's nice and cozy. Time to fix a nice pot of soup to simmer all day for supper tonight.
I looked out the window now and then at the bird feeders...
Oh Wow! A Northern Cardinal AND a Spotted Towhee! A couple of the several different species that visited our feeder today.
I looked out once and saw something pretty neat. A couple of doves... they had a lovely scaled effect of their feathers... got real excited then realized they were just juvenile mourning doves. Oh well.... they truly were beautiful.
I'll have to say, for a day that didn't really get above freezing.... and for this Buckeye who once swore that she'd never see snow again.... it's been a beautiful day!
And... thanks to all of you who wished me a Happy Birthday! It has indeed been a great day and I've loved every minute of it and all of you who helped make it so special.
That's All For Today!
Keep yourself warm there, not much fun in this cold. But it is what it is. Looks like most of the ice is gone from here. Keep warm.
ReplyDeleteThe weather everywhere is frightful!! But we do take the cake here in Montana lately!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the birds and deer appreciate the food in this weather.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful snowy/icy photos! Love your photo of the Cactus poking up through the snow...you're right: that seems rather out of place, lol. We have a lot of snow, and woke up to 40 below zero this morning.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that the critters come first in your world. They love you for that. Can't be fun for them to have to face winter so early either. I have always thought snow was so beautiful (until it gets all dirty) but I much prefer looking at it in other's blogs.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, a belated Happy Birthday! Somehow I missed a day.
ReplyDeleteI go "blog surfing" but then realise just how much time is passing, and then decide I'd better go "do something", so I don't always get to everyone.
There's not much worse than freezing rain. We've had it here, once upon a time, but we seem to be somehow protected by the lake (Lake Ontario) and quite often the stormy weather gives us a pass. I can live with it. Don't need the excitement.
I was going to say something about the "Deep South" turning into a "Deep Freeze", but there's no way of saying that without it being just mean. We'll get our share of crappy weather soon enough, and you'll be basking in the sun in Costa Rica, so I'd best mind my manners.
Bundle up!
A belated Happy Birthday from me too!
ReplyDeleteIt sure looks cold there but your pictures are nice as long as I'm inside, nice and warm.
It's everywhere, inches deep. Makes for lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon. Your doves are actually Inca Doves. They have that beautiful scaly look.
ReplyDeleteditto on the Inca Doves.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. I know the cold is NOT comfortable, but the photography is. Stay warm. Happy belated BD from Livingston, TX.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nasty bit of weather when it reaches that far south. The combination of precipatation and below freezing makes for treacherous conditions. Keep safe.
ReplyDeleteJust don't send any of that stuff down my way. It did get down in the mid 30's here and is suppose to freeze tomorrow night.
ReplyDeleteOur snow yesterday was around 6 inches. We had a couple racoons visit our deck last night, they were not scared by the light being on out there, and the curtain on the patio door being open. Last night the temp was down to 9 degrees at the Eugene airport. Today, it's supposed to warm up to 25 degrees. It's a sunny day, but not cold enough to melt the ice in the streets, so lots of events have been cancelled that were supposed to happen this weekend. We have a couple doves that come to the yard each day. Really enjoy seeing them. They are even learning that the seed on the back deck is under cover, and one of them was up there yesterday. Hope you warm up a bit today.
ReplyDeleteA cardinal in the snow! What a glorious sight. Haven't seen that in years.
ReplyDeleteHowdy Sharon & Bill,
ReplyDeleteJoyce & I, on my walker, had to break the ice off of the water troughs yesterday & today, for the little hosses, donkey & goat to drink !!!
Hope they drank before it froze back !!! Somehow they got into the feed room and broke through the 'wafer-board' floor !! Didn't see any blood, so hoping no one got damaged !!! Rosie, the POA, & the donkey are the only ones heavy enuff to have done it....
Out here I suppose it's dry enuff that we don't have a whole lot of freezing rain, just some freezing mist... I know how it 'coats' everything up in the Poisonplex area; BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, for toooo many years !!!!
In 1947, we call it'the winter of the crying-falling trees', you could 'hear' the ice-covered trees 'cry' as the wind bent the branches and then hear them crash to the ground... It had RAINED for a week before the FREEZE, the roots just pulled-up out of the ground, the WHOLE ROOT-BALL !!!! We had 3 acres of trees and it took us all summer to cut them up, into firewood; NO CHAINSAWS, then !!!
My English teacher wouldn't move her car, when the principal told them to, because the sun was melting the top of the 6" ice on the power-lines over them, so when a huge piece dropped, it went right through her car's roof !!! She got mad at the principal !!! Huh !!
Slide on out, if you can get up the hills, and we'll make a BIG POT OF CHILI !!! NOOO, DON'T we'll come DOWNHILL to y'all....
Sure do hate these loooong winter cold snaps, especially in December, not too bad in February !!! Wrap-up and stay warm !!!
What a beautiful post! The snow and birds sure make for nice pictures! And I love the deer at the feeder! I'm with you, cacti and snow just don't seem to go together!
ReplyDeleteSo glad I am in FL:))
ReplyDeleteThose are some sad pictures of your motorhome. Ice and snow covering isn't pretty! :c(
ReplyDeleteI've never fed birds before but right now, the weather in Oregon's mid valley is near zero, something unheard of here, and the birds have no way to cope, so I bought bird food and have trays out for them. And water too, although it freezes quickly. My Scion's battery couldn't handle the cold and the car hasn't started for several days. Hardly matters since the roads are still snow covered and iced over and I have everything I need for now. Your daughter's walkway is so beautiful. She has created a park of her yard!
ReplyDelete