Snow Scenes - The World Flocced

The morning after

Our area of the northern Piedmont received eight inches (20 cm) of snow on Thursday, March 5.  This came on the heels of a rainy day; in fact, overnight the rain changed to sleet, then to snow, and the snow fell heavily all day long on Thursday.  The birds were desperate; I couldn't keep an area clear long enough for them to take advantage of the birdseed I scattered on the ground, but many found the trove that I secreted under a picnic table - relatively snow free.

After the snow stopped, the temperature overnight Thursday plunged.  It was 2 degrees F when I awoke on Friday morning.  But Friday dawned clear, sunny and blue, the temperature recovered to the mid-20s, and the melting began where the sun could reach dark surfaces.

Dogwood Meadow at the height of the snowfall

Snowy filigree on the magnolia tree next to the house

The deer fencing surrounding my garden

Temperatures this coming week are forecast to approach normal, which means 50 degrees F during the day and 31 degrees F at night.  If that happens, it will be a welcome relief from a winter that just doesn't want to let go.

Will It Never End?

St. Valentine's Day dawn

My Western readers are probably tired of hearing about the snowy travails of us Easterners.  Well, we're tired of it, too.  The latest Mid-Atlantic Nor'easter dumped 11 inches of snow on my preserve from Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, then the precipitation changed to light rain and drizzle for the rest of the day, which made the snow heavy as lead.  Fortunately, the temperature stayed just above freezing, so the paved surfaces we cleared of snow stayed free of snow and ice all day.

Then, after dark (i.e., Thursday night into Friday morning) we got two more inches of snow, and the clearing started all over again on Friday morning.  The temperature in the wake of the storm got to around 40 degrees and skies were mostly sunny, so some paved surfaces even dried out.

This storm officially made this the 5th snowiest winter on record in the area.  And, guess what?  The forecasters are promising two-to-four more inches of snow for Saturday morning.  Our precipitation total for 2014 already is 40% above average.  

My back yard just after I shoveled the walk.  The snow mounds in the background are six feet high.

View to the (frozen) pond and beyond from my back door

Beckoning for a hike - on snowshoes!

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) "balls" (fused seed capsules) against the morning sky

Kali and I are off to a concert by singer Martha Redbone in central Philadelphia tonight.  Thought we didn't plan it purposefully, the concert will be a nice way to celebrate St. Valentine's Day - and to take our minds off this seemingly endless winter.

Three...and Counting

Sea oats in snow

The snowstorm that dumped on the East Coast yesterday left us with eight inches of light, fluffy snow.  This storm set a new record: the first winter since records have been kept (beginning in 1874) that the area has suffered through three storms delivering six inches of snow or more before February.   In addition, we're just two inches below the total average annual snowfall for the region.

And, except for a brief period on Saturday afternoon, the temperature is forecast to remain below freezing for the next five days.  It just gets better and better.

I know I've had enough.

It's Much Worse in New England!

Our back yard Friday morning, January 3

6-1/2", measured on the picnic table in the back yard

Kali and I live on Edge Hill Road - aptly named, since the road follows the crest of a ridge for seven miles or so.  The entrance to our drive from Edge Hill Road is directly opposite a 40-acre field used  for an annual fund-raising carnival and horse show.  The wind blowing from the northwest roars across the open field, then rises up to Edge Hill Road.  On cold, snowy, windy days like today, the wind chill (and the snow drifting across Edge Hill Road) is unbelievable.  Our municipality usually erects snow fencing along Edge Hill Road to minimize the drifting, but they didn't do it this year, with predictable results.

The house in which we live is set back from the crest of Edge Hill Road a distance of 0.1-mile.  Because we're back from the crest, and because a previous owner of the property installed a large evergreen plantation between Edge Hill Road and the house, we are somewhat protected from the worst of the wind.  The birds that crowd our feeder certainly appreciate the windbreak.

Snowy trail leading into the native grasslands

Snow at First Light

View of my back yard at first light on Tuesday

The northern Piedmont got about two inches of snow on Sunday afternoon, much of which melted when the precipitation turned to rain on Sunday night.  Monday was cold, overcast, and dreary, but precipitation-free.  At rush hour on Tuesday morning, snow began again in earnest, finishing up around 3 p.m. after leaving three more inches. 

We intentionally left this dead pine standing in our front yard to attract woodpeckers; visitors call it the "totem tree."

Catching the first rays

Pink and blue

The second-oldest part of the house in which we live; the oldest part was built in 1791.

A Snowy Start

Overlooking the pond behind the house

We went to bed with rain and awoke with a bit snow.  Kali teaches at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so we had to get up extra early because of anticipated traffic problems.  Arising before dawn gave me an opportunity to capture some of the snow just as the sun was coming up.  The forecasters are calling for temperatures in the mid-40s (about 7 Celsius) with bright sunshine all day, so this enchanted scene will be evanescent.

Daybreak

A "Plague" of Robins

Late last week, I commented on a post by Grizz at his Riverdaze... blog that American Robins (Turdus migratorius) had, so far, failed to strip the tiny fruits from my crabapple tree as they usually do much earlier in the winter.  Well, the major winter storm that buried New England and New York only left three inches of snow here in the northern Piedmont, but it was enough to send the overwintering robins into a feeding frenzy.  As I shoveled the walks and drive on Saturday morning, hordes of robins descended on the crabapple tree and feasted.

Just a few of the dozens of American Robins gorging themselves on crabapples

Winter has been pretty mild so far this year, so the birds have found alternate sources of food in the thickets where they hide.  I suspect that crabapples don't have much fat content, so the overwintering berry eaters prefer other fattier fruits.  But winter's winding down now, and the birds have harvested much of the other available fruit; they must be becoming desperate.

My dependents eat even before I do (but I have admit I brewed coffee first)

A Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta candensis).  These northern visitors were more numerous at the beginning of winter, but a few have hung around all season.

A few more snowy images.  This was our first substantial snowfall of the season.

View down to the pond behind my residence

The old-field just beyond my front lawn

My Prius is all flocked up

The east end of my residence, added in 1833 to an existing 1791 house

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British contemporary dance/movement company Motionhouse performed Scattered in Philadelphia on Saturday night. For 70 uninterrupted minutes Kali and I were mesmerized by seven young dancers interacting very, very vigorously with a "half-pipe" curved wall onto which was projected a video exploring water in all its forms. The piece worked so magically well that I honestly expected the performers to be soaking wet after an extended set in which they played on a virtual waterfall. Bravo, Motionhouse!

Snow on Terwood Run

A professional photographer friend of mine, Mark Schmerling, shared these images of Terwood Run, a small tributary to "my" creek, taken just after the latest snow fell on January 27, 2011.  Mark specializes in taking pictures of rocky streams from a water-level perspective.

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I developed Reynaud's syndrome in my right index finger this morning.  The last time this happened, Kali (and I) freaked out and got me to the doctor's office as quickly as we could.  It is disconcerting - my finger turned purple and got cold and stiff -  I was sure gangrene was imminent!  The doctor calmly diagnosed the problem and told me to keep my finger warm by immersing it in warm water.  Sure enough, the symptoms disappeared.  I'm repeating the treatment today by wrapping my fingers around generous mugs of hot cocoa.

Enough Already!

January 26-27 brought our fifth winter storm so far this season, and this one delivered the most snow (15 inches in two bouts, one with four inches during the day on January 26, and then a "snow burst" that dropped 11 inches between 8 p.m. on Wednesday and 1 a.m. on Thursday that included snowthunder and lightning).  Snow from the previous storms hadn't even melted!

There's a Junco just below the seed tray

It was beautiful, but I've had enough.  We're well over our annual average snowfall already, and we're still in January.  My back and arms ache today from all the shoveling I did yesterday - good thing it was aerobic exercise, since I certainly can't go for a walk.

Sunrise

Boxing Day Snowstorm

The back yard at first light

It started soon after Kali and I returned from bargain-hunting on the morning after Christmas and didn't let up until the wee hours of Monday morning.  When it was all over, we had a foot of snow--our portion of the Boxing Day East Coast 2010 snowstorm.  It was enough to keep me from going to work yesterday for business as usual, but I still had to spend several hours shoveling to make the place ready for opening today.

Sunrise through broken clouds

Sunrise across the frozen, snow-covered pond

 

The sycamore behind the house after the storm cleared

woodSnow

I've featured several images from my artist friend who manipulates digital images. "woodSnow" (above) is her latest. My friend sees purple in many places I don't. Her paintings are full of unexpected purples, violets, and deep blues. I think that artists see the world in a different way from us mere mortals.

The image of the tree laden with snow that appears on my blog banner is another of her images.

Snowfire

Today, Wednesday, February 17, 2010, one full week after the third--and most horrendous--of the Mid-Atlantic winter storms of winter 2009-10, we still have some snow clinging to branches, though it's looking increasingly ragged with each passing day. This morning, on my way to work, the dawn sky's color was reflected vividly in snow perched high on a sweetgum tree. It almost looked like the snow had been set aglow by embers.

Opposite the sweetgum tree, a Canadian hemlock with branches similarly cloaked in snow, seemed lit from within as well.