Or should I say adding ice to snow? Yesterday morning we woke up to about 3 inches of snow or maybe a little bit more. While Rick was out snowblowing it turned to ice pellets. Those sting! Before long, just as predicted, we had freezing rain.

I had waited a few hours before shoveling the front steps and a pathway on the deck for the dogs and I’m sure glad I didn’t wait any longer. Trying to move that snow with a good crusting of ice on it was no fun. Plus, the snow had turned pretty slushy by then.

Everything was encased in a coating of ice. Even our clothesline. This poor goldfinch in his winter plumage looks miserable, don’t you think?

It was not a day for being outside. It kept it up all day long. The snow melted some but it only got above freezing for a short while. I could not really get out to take photos without getting me or the camera wet, so I shot a few photos from the safety of the overhang of the roof.

In this one I think it looks like a tiny ice sculpture of a bird (on the left). See it?

Can anyone tell me why snow accumulates whereas ice accretes? At least that’s how they call on the weather report. Interesting ...

This morning I went outside to take a few ice shots before it all went away. It’s above freezing out there now (only just) and as I went outside I could hear the ice melting and dripping like rain everywhere.

Now on top of this fine mess we are supposed to get more snow Thursday night into Friday. Not a lot as I understand it, probably only about four inches or so. Still, it just keeps coming in one form or another. Frankly, I’ll take the snow over the ice any day!

Look what else I saw this morning when I looked out the sun room door.

Bella, of course. I’m not quite sure how she got up on the table! I think she was after a tiny chunk of suet that I had tossed on the table for the birds before our last snow. Silly dog!

Once upon a winter week in rural New Jersey, two icicles formed. They came about as a direct result of snow melting off a roof and, most probably, clogged rain gutters. They started out on the modest side of icicle size.

But the melting snow fed the hungry icicles well and the weather was perfectly set at below freezing every day. Every morning the snow melted a little bit and ran down their sides only to refreeze again by mid-afternoon, adding layer upon layer of fresh ice.

Day by day their girth widened and they got longer and longer. They acquired sharp pointed ends.  And, pretty soon they looked like this:

Each day the dogs of the house thundered underneath them on their way out the door and down to the yard. The icicles were afraid that the repercussion from the crazed barking of the dogs would loosen their grip on the rain gutter, but they managed to keep holding on as tight as stalactites. The woman of the house carefully skirted around them instead of going under them (which she would have had to duck to do anyway) and admired them greatly. They preened and winked in the sunlight. Especially the larger one who was very vain.

Like anything that is overfed and indulged, the icicles became quite nasty and menacing. They needed to be taken care of before things got out of hand.

One morning, without warning, they found themselves snapped off in their entirety by the man of the house. SNAP! Just like that they came free of their icy home. When the woman of the house saw that they were missing she was sad. But wait! The man had saved the broken-off icicles for her and laid them carefully in the snow.

She picked them up and raised them high so that the whole world could see how glorious the icicles had become.

But one of the dogs of the house was also interested in the icicles as you can see.

So the woman of house, whose hands were growing quite cold by then, handed off the largest icicle to the dog.

And so our story ends as the dog carried the icicle down into the yard to become the coldest “bone” the dog had ever chewed upon.

THE END.

More...

Last weekend we took the dogs down to Green Turtle pond. Our path took us through the woods. The dogs love being off lead.

They’ve been trained to not stray too far from us by handing out treats when they return to us every once in a while. Here are Hailey and Alex doing just that.

This leaf has obviously been stuck on this tree’s trunk for quite some time as the fungus has grown over it and imprisoned it.

A few more fungi along the forest path.

Of course the walk is fun, but the real reason to walk all the way down to the pond of course, is the water. It’s a race!

And one dog is out in front! Can you guess which one?

Aaahhhh ... water, Bella says!

The other dogs are content to just have a good long drink of the cool water at the pond’s edge but not Bella. She has to go wading at least three or four times, sticking her head under the water to take big gulps.

And just one more splash in a mud puddle before leaving the pond. Gosh this is fun!

And what fun is a walk if you can’t collect leaves in your tail and skirts?

Come on mom and dad,  hurry up ... I’m waiting!

Every time I take this walk I never fail to be captivated by the captive branches.

This braided one I am going to use as inspiration for a pottery piece.

All in all it’s about a mile and a half down to the pond and we all love the ability to walk right out our front door, down our street and into the woods. Lucky dogs; lucky us!

dad… i know you’re still in China tonight and all and you’ll be home tomorrow night this time, but I just wanted to let you know what’s going on at home ...

Notations from mom: outside temp today: 82 F; pool temp upon opening 59 F

hey mom ... look

it’s finally snowing

and pretty good too!

Husband home. A fire in the wood stove. Snow falling heavily outside. Life is good even if we didn’t get to carry out our plans to see the filming of CHOPPED. Hopefully we can reschedule for another day.

Thank you, weather gods!