Our Little Ice Age~

Watching the noon news today, the weatherman used the term Little Ice Age to describe our streak of bitterly cold weather, wind & snow.  It feels like an ice age!  This all started with sleet & a wet snow Saturday the 6th. The temperature was mild compared to what's followed.  Low 20's warming to 30 degrees in the afternoon.

1-6 In the Beginning

I don't think anyone expected this would lead to days & days of even more bitter cold. December had been deceptively mild & the long-range forecast was for a milder than average month of January.  The following day, the snow started again; cold, light & wind driven.

1-8 Another dusting~

By the 9th, another four inches added to what was already on the ground.  A frozen mix of sleet & snow that adhered to everything.  Especially cars, walkways etc. 

1-9 My day's work~

On the 10th, another inch of light power came in during the early morning & by early afternoon, sunshine!  It was beautiful - sticking the branches of the trees & creating a fairyland effect.   Our high was 24 degrees, but surprisingly - there was a tiny bit of melting.

1-10 Wonderland of white~

The 12th - the blizzard blew in. The winds were ferocious out of the north & west. The snow was so light, the wind blew it everywhere! Drifts started forming & the roads were impassable. Everything was covered again.  I'd had both driveways shoveled clear before this latest blast. I'd also set out reflector poles to mark where the drives started & stopped. As I watched from the office window, a city snowplow came down the street with blade full & deposited it all long our side of the street.  This totally blocked both driveways with a new berm over three feet high.  

1-12 No access to a plowed street now!

It was now impossible for me to get the Bronco out.  My go-to vehicle in this kind of weather.  Across the way is a wide city easement, with no driveways at all.  I sent an email to the city.  I appreciate the work the plows do to keep the roads open, but living on the corner can be a headache. 

1-13 No driveway in sight~

The wind driven snow continued for several hours, but the sun returned the following day.  With it, more of the bitter cold.  Zero degrees all night & when the wind came up, we dropped to -2.  It was a world of untracked white. I was back to shoveling & shoveling.  Just getting off the front porch & through the drift there was tough.  Next - clearing down just one side of the driveway!  The drifts got even deeper the closer to the road I shoveled.

1-14 Off the porch & on to the driveway!

No one would have known & I'd had all this completely clear just a few days ago. It didn't take me long to realize I would not be moving all that snow on my own!  I called a friend who gave me the number of the person she used to clear her driveway.  Lucky for me - he agreed to come that night. 

1-16 Drive open again~

 It was -17 all night, warming to -6 by midmorning.  Being outside for any length of time at all was miserable.  Even with two pair of gloves, my fingers went numb.

The woods~

The woods were beautiful!  Untracked by even a bunny going through.  The few deer I knew had browsed their way into the marsh area.  My poor little white pine was again eaten.  This time, about to the ground.  I'm going to have to give up on it.

1-16 Cardinal at the Feeder~

The birds are spending hours at my two feeders!  The first time I trucked my way along the west fence through the drifts, to fill the feeders, the snow was up to my knees.  I came back up the hill with my muck boots full of snow.  It's so worth it to have the entertainment from the Cabin's sliding door.  

Woodpecker, Cardinal & smaller birds on the ground~

Several times now I've had as many as six male Cardinals at one time, along with two or three females.  The Downey Woodpecker hangs from the bottom & scatters seed to the ground where the Black-Capped Chickadees & other small birds take advantage!  

1-16 South side of the Cabin~

The north side of the Cabin was swept clean by the winds that deposited all the snow on & around the Bronco!  The south side had three-foot drifts.  I now have most of this cleaned up & Finn can walk from the house to the Cabin without disappearing into a drift!  

Yesterday, Wednesday I ran into a couple of friends at the grocery.  We stood outside in the welcome sunshine talking.  We decided that 20 degrees, (the temperature yesterday) is now the new 60! :-)  Funny how your perception of cold changes after a few days in the negative digits!

1-18 Almost noon~

Today, we're back to gray & cloud cover with another storm on the horizon.  The sun does keep trying to burn through!  Even more bitter cold over the weekend with a Saturday high of 1 degree & low of -15.  By 8 a.m. our feels like could be -25... again!  I'm thankful we don't live further north!  Next week is the promise of warmer temperatures!  30's will feel like heaven!

A Change of Time ~

 The last day of Daylight Savings time...  I look forward to moving back to Standard time & wish every year the powers that be would leave time alone!  I'd been hoping to get an afternoon out on the trail.  Another busy two-weeks had gone by!  Today looked perfect.

A beauty of day~

I drove to Silver City, it was quieter than I expected, no cars in the parking area by Happy Trails.  The trail had changed yet again.  The leaves crunched under Smokey's tires; the light was filtered through what was left of the leaves still on the trees.

Healthy tree - cut down~

I hadn't gone far from town, when a newly cut tree drew my attention.  It had been a big, beautiful, healthy tree.  It's mistake I think, was to grow too close to the edge of a cultivated field...  With so few trees here, seeing a nice one cut is sad.

Limbs from the tree, Smokey on the trail~

The trail also has so much deadfall, if someone needed firewood, there would be plenty to gather without cutting another.  What do I know?  The afternoon was just stunning.  Sunshine filtered through the low hanging cloud layer, with only an occasional light breeze.

A trickle of water in the creek~

There is just a little water flowing in the small tributaries.  But when I arrived at the Trestle, the water level in Silver Creek was the lowest yet.  I could see the bottom all the way both up & down stream.

On the trestle~

My favorite kind of day, I took my time & enjoyed being out in the quiet & now open countryside.  I rode on to the park & sat at my usual spot to call Butch.  If not for a long delay waiting for a trailer in Kansas City - he would have had time to spend last night at home...  Instead, he had pulled into Omaha this morning, picked up a load & spent the day crossing the state of Iowa.  He was nearing the I-80 truck stop in Walcott.  

Since the days are getting shorter - I didn't stay too - long before starting back.  The Canadian Geese are gone & the sidewalks around the pond are much cleaner for it!

Green grass, blue sky~

I'd only seen four riders on my way south.  It was so nice to have the trail mostly to myself.  As the temperatures drop & days shorten - I still hope to get in more riding.  Of course, there's plenty of work to do at home yet.  Leaves to rake, blow & mow etc.  I also have branches from the summer winds to burn.

Trestle, looking north~

The light this time of year is so beautiful.  It's easy to peddle along & immerse myself in the rythm of the wheels.  Not quite the same as the sound of hoofbeats, but as close as I can come.  I think of Farah often in the fall months.  That was when we did some of our favorite riding - both in WA & here in IA.

Smokey & sunset~

The sun was setting fast to the SW & a golden glow fell over the landscape. I'd dropped my speed by just a mile-an-hour.  By the time I'd returned to Silver City, I didn't feel as tired as usual & enjoyed the ride more. 

5:18 p.m. Sunset at home~

As I was walking Smokey back to the Cabin, the sun was just dropping behind the trees of the woods.  The bird feeder is just down the hill, from the Cabin. I've caught the neighbor's cats (at least three) stalking the birds almost every day.  When they're not tearing into the trash at the rental house, they come here. I finally resorted to chasing them off with the leaf blower. 

The birds were chattering at me.  I looked at the feeder & sure enough, it was almost empty.  The minute I'd filled it & I'd walked away - it became a very busy place again.  The Downey Woodpecker arrives first, but once he's flown away, the little Black Capped Chickadee's take over!  

When I came in to download my stats, I was just over a mile shy of 600-miles for the year.  Lower than last year, but still respectable for me.  Hopefully the weather will hold for a while yet.