Snow and Sundogs

We got some snow that came in sideways.  About two inches of the beautiful “stuff” is at the snowstick.  Then it turned cold.  You know it has to warm up to snow?  It does.

Looking on the bright side it isn’t brown or grey it is white.

Did I say cold?

Here in Minnesnowfreezeyourbuttofota sundogs means it is a tad chilly… these are sundogs I captured at sunset on January 9 2015.   We went out for a very late lunch early supper because we couldn’t stand each others cooking anymore.  Our favorite place to eat in the boonies is up for sale…hope it doesn’t sell for a long time.

Just one of the sundogs showing off.  Sundogs are cause by ice crystals in the air that are refracted horizontally.  They are also known as mock or phantom suns.

Sundogs are fun to see.  I just had my little point and shoot camera. I don’t lug my big girl camera around in the winter if I have to leave it in the vehicle. (Moisture and condensation..yuk.)

December 15 Precipitation

Rain, sleet and snow.  Most everything is icy now.

The roads into town were slick.

Traffic was moving slowly and snow plows and sand/salt trucks even slower.

 

We went from NO snow to 2 inches at the snow stick just like that.  Someone flipped the winter switch again.

The fog that has been hanging around for days lifted enough to snow.  We have to turn lights on in the house in the daytime.  Sunset if you could see it happens around 4:30.  We have eight hours and 34 minutes of daylight IF you can call it that.  I am certain if and when the sun returns I will be blinded.

Far Guy says “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”

I still have many loose ends to finish up before company arrives.  No doubt they want a bed without ornaments and possibly they will be hungry.

I still have time…nine days and counting.

Winter is here

Winter is here early…a whole six weeks early.  I wonder if we get extra credit for that come spring?

The snow stick remains at 1 1/2 inches…maybe some blew away.  The wind has been wicked. Not much compared to the lake effect snow in New York State recently.

The Mill Pond on Straight Lake has 6 to 8 inches of ice.

The ice is clear and you can see the bottom of the lake.  Yes, that is a crack the ice cracks as it freezes.

There are a few fishermen out there.

That is ice…the snow just blew off of that portion of ice.  Yes someone lost their bobber in the tree!

We went for a ride since the sun was out.  We didn’t see much…a Crow…or maybe a Raven and possibly a Magpie.  No turkeys…no deer.

I sorted beads…it drove my husband and other baby brother nuts watching me whilst they had coffee…they had all kinds of suggestions for me. ( A straw, then a straw with a bit of nylon stretched over it so I wouldn’t choke to death on the beads.) I ordered a mixed bag of 11,000 beads and I am sorting them. ( My other baby brother asked me if I was counting them…ha…not this time.)  I sort them first to size and then to color.  Just the kind of organizational thing I enjoy.  I cannot help that it drives the menfolk nuts.