From the Land of Ice and Snow

It has warmed up a fair bit today, and the rest of the week is supposed to bring above-freezing temperatures. I figure this might be a good time to show you just how cold and snowy it has been for the past few weeks.

Bedroom windows are always a pretty reliable measure of the frigid temperatures outside, and of just how creative Nature can be.

I can see patterns in these waves of frozen snow. Here, I see a flock of flying dragons taking off from the icy ripples for other wintry lands unknown.

But the icy fingers of February will soon yield to warmer weather.

Queen Anne's Lace will emerge from beneath their blankets of snow.

And burrs will shed their fluffy hats and bask in the sunshine.

I'm going to enjoy the coming warmth because I know that winter will be back for a repeat performance.

Blog post title blatantly stolen from Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song.

Winter Miscellany

For the first time since early December, we're getting hit with a significant snowfall. All things considered, there's not too much to complain about. Besides, it's melting quickly.

Below are a few snowy, icy photos taken over the last few days - with a couple of colourful breaks for good measure. Please remember to click on them to enlarge.




Temperatures rise and fall creating melts and refreezes. This tiny branch is delicately coated with a fine layer of ice.





A curious chickadee watches as I play with my camera settings.





What's left behind when the ducks and geese leave the mostly-frozen pond for a swim in the open waters? Well lots of webbed prints, and a few other unmentionables.





Something about these snow-covered burrs reminds me of a little monkey clinging to a branch. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who sees this.





A very thin sheet of ice barely clings to the rusted iron railing. Seconds after I took the photo of this droplet, I inadvertently knocked the ice to the frozen pond below.





This is the textured edge of a tunnel wall. The passage allow us to continue walking along the paths, under a busy road without worry of traffic.





One very cold morning, this pair of squirrels stayed close to one another for warmth. One of them eventually noticed me toss some peanuts out for them, and they soon scampered down the tree, and ran across the yard to collect them.





A bowl of strawberries waiting to dress up a yummy dessert.





A colourful bouquet of flowers. I bought them for myself when I felt the need for a bit of cheer.

I'll be out of town for a few days - some of which will be without computer access. Wednesday's POTW may suffer since I'll come up short-handed but I'll be back around to visit your blogs later in the week and I'll try to make up for it on the next POTW. Thanks for your understanding. Catch you in a few days - hopefully with new photos. Until then, there's another scheduled colour coming up Thursday.