22 degrees F Heavy Snow Wind 3mph NE Sunrise 7:19am CDT Sunset 7:22pm CDT
It is a picture postcard outside right now!
Snow is coming down heavily. Coating everything in sight.
The pine trees are highlighted with white against the dark green of the branches.
Other trees have a couple inches of new, fresh white snow piled up on each branch.
Every sound is muffled and there is a hush across the land. Even the spring songs of the cardinals and the chickadees is muted.
The extreme temperatures and the 20 degrees below zero are but a distant memory (of a week or two at least). The temperature is in the 20s ABOVE zero right now and headed for the 30s today, in spite of the new snow.
However, this 'winter of all winters' does not seem to be ready to loosen its grip just yet.
There are winter storm warnings out for the next couple days. Some areas could get more than a foot of snow! And with spring storms of this kind, the heaviest snow falls in a relatively narrow band. A few miles either direction can make a big difference in the amount of snow.
Here are a couple pictures of what it looks like around here. They are pictures I took last Sunday afternoon. [Let's try this. I am not sure how it will work with the new system of posting the blog. Hopefully you will be able to see them.]
The first one is looking out across the lake - somewhere out there is where the loon nest normally is floating. Even this view looks different right now during this snowstorm because you cannot see across the lake at all. All you can see is 'a wall of white'.
The second picture is part of the loon nest trying to peek through the snow. What you see is the top of the 'post' on which the camera gets mounted. Somewhere under there is a loon nest buried in snow and ice!
The picture reminds me of the periscope of a submarine looking up to see if there is any 'life' up there. Looking for open water for our loons to return!
That "periscope" is once again being buried under the new snow falling right now.
Hopefully our loons are staying far to the south where they are safe and have open water to swim and dive and fish.
But with each passing day, the urge to migrate north and to raise a new generation of loons becomes stronger and stronger.
For now, that urge must wait.
Copyright 2014 Larry R. Backlund