What can I say...not much happening...

Today we are iced in. Everything is closed or opening late... even the universities. I detest when businesses state "non-essential personnel" are to report at a certain time. That is such a degrading term for employees. I worked for a company that used that designation, and I had them change it almost immediately to "support staff".

So the only thing moving is the birds. Nothing seems to slow them down, unless the feeders are empty! The Good Husband and I have come to the conclusion that feeding a big dog would be less expensive than our "Pig Birds". When we came home from Virginia on Friday, the feeders were empty and one had the bottom knocked off. I am surprised we didn't see the birds out there with little "Feed Me" picket signs!!

I am unable to get out to the newspaper since the driveway is a sheet of ice. What you see in the photo is not snow, but a yard covered in sleet and freezing rain. I guess it is going to be one of those winters when we get more of this stuff than snow. The snows will probably come in the early spring!

Truly incredible

Went off the mountain today. Yesterday another day of snow, freezing rain, and wind. The Summit was beautiful, the snow was stuck on the ice covered trees. On the way back (this taken about a third of the way going up)

we stopped at The Allegheny Portage National Park. It was here that I was able to get a look at the trees. I have never seen ice on a tree like this before. Freezing rain with high winds.... I call these Ice Leaves.

They are very fragile but are the coolest ice formation that I have ever seen.





The westerly side of the tree was bare, and all of the "ice leaves" are on the easterly side
(Monday 2/25 The local news used this photo on their evening news....)


The field as all white with a blue grey sky, it looked like something from Dr. Zhivago



I know this is suppose to be a picture a day...well for me that is sometimes impossible..it's like making me talk with my hands tied down......

Groundhog Day

I live about 50 or so miles from Punxatawney...home of Phil, the Groundhog. One of my favorite movies is "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray. Yesterday I woke up with us encrusted in ice, today I woke up with us encrusted in ice. I feel like I'm in the movie....
Lost our power three times last night. Our trusty LLBean rechargable lantern was the best. When the wind blows, everything creeks. The ice hasn't fallen off yet. It's below freezing out, so it will hang on until we warm up a bit. Then everything drips and the stuff just come crashing off...along with tree limbs.

Phil saw his shadow today...so six more weeks of winter.
And for those who wonder what is all the fuss about a rodent forecasting the weather...well, by this time we are starting to get squirrely and anything that celebrates something is a diversion.
So the snowmen will stay up and there is beauty in the ice. Who would have thought there were so many air bubbles in a little icicle?