February's Winter Storm

Well, it's been fun. Okay, so the first few snowless days of 20 degrees were not so fun. But snow makes everything feel warmer and definitely prettier. I could haul hay and water to the horses in our EZ Go electric cart on the first snow day, but I got stuck and had to dig myself out the second day. After that we used the tractor. With animals fed and watered, I struck off on x-country skis. Johnny soon followed. We made a circuit of the farm.

The next day was snowshoe day. Johnny was napping when I left so I took photos myself of my shoes and tracks. The snow was a foot deep now.

My poor Mystery Pine that turned out to be a Scot's Pine was heavy laden. I knocked the snow off before the predicted ice storm hit.

 The sequoias are better adapted to snow.

Goat Barn in snow

Bench nearly buried in snow. Not a good resting spot this day.

That night, the expected ice storm arrived. In our porch light, the icy snow glittered.
 

This morning, everything was coated with ice and icicles.

Even the horses' tails... Here's Nightingale.

For some branches, the weight of ice was too much. Here's the carnage in our front yard.

The pond in front of the goat barn was frozen over.

Our back porch was a sheet of ice, so Johnny sprinkled wood ashes that he cleans out of our woodstove periodically. That works very well.

It was easier to feed the birds with an icy layer on top of the snow. The grain did not fall through.

Johnny took this photo of ice-covered buds up our driveway...

And this one looking across the pond toward the horse barn.

This afternoon, the thermometer climbed above freezing for the first time in a week. The snow and ice began to melt, with great crashing as it broke loose from tree limbs, sometimes taking the limbs with it. Before it disappeared, I wanted to build a snow something. But the icy snow would not roll, so I made snow children in place... two snow children playing in a wading pool. ...You have to use your imagination...

All good things must come to an end and our snow is melting rapidly now and slushing. Johnny bladed the driveway so we'll rejoin the world tomorrow.

Between chores and playing in the snow, we got a lot of inside things done we never make time for. Johnny worked on financial stuff while I worked on my Dad's memoirs. Tomorrow we'll be cleaning up the limbs and trees that came down with the ice. Our February snowstorm will soon be just a memory... in photos.