Today it’s raining. Over one inch has fallen so far. I just realized that one year ago today was the day of our “snowicane” and here we are one year later having another large-ish storm, only this time it’s rain instead of snow.

Even stranger is the fact that in that blog entry I talk about just having made pork chile verde which I made this morning too without realizing I had made the same dish one year ago today. Very weird! You can’t plan things like that!

Looking out the window at the rain something looked off to me in the back yard. The trees were tinged with color! Wait. It can’t be. I ran for the binoculars and sure enough, one species of tree has popped! Lots of them! Little droopy catkins all over the place! I think they are beeches but I’m not sure.

What can they be thinking? We still have snow on the ground. Silly trees.

Hurrah for spring!

This is getting old! I don’t mind snow but this “icy mix” stuff is for the birds!

Well ... then again, maybe not.

We only got about two inches of snow or so, but then we got sleet on top of that and then ice. About a half inch of ice I’d say. We cleared the driveway and steps of the snowfall before the sleet and ice came which was a good thing. The sleety ice came overnight. Rick was able to clear most of it from the driveway but the area in front of our garage was a skating rink. Take a look. Pure ice!

When the freezing rain finally stopped a little after noon I ventured out to try and clear the front steps. I took the shovel and tried breaking the ice up. What I really needed was an ice pick!

I made pretty good headway except for the top two steps which I’ll have to tackle today. I put salt down and just left it. Not fun.

But it had beauty too. Ordinary bare branches became quite extraordinary.

Please Mother Nature, can you just send snow next time? Enough with the ice!

So, pull up a chair (if you can find it) and we’ll have a chat.

The verdict? We got 8-9. Not as much as they received in the city, but still a substantial snow. We were not in the sweet spot for this particular storm. I guess we can be thankful for that. Johnny is getting a true workout so far this year. And Rick is very thankful for his Christmas gift (that was tagged as being from Mother Nature) of waterproof storm pants that keep him warm and dry on his snowblowing chores.

While it did snow during the daylight hours yesterday (and it was beautiful with huge flakes) we seem to be in a trend to get most of our snow overnight and by morning it’s all over with. Such was the case with this storm as well. So, I took advantage of a few peeks of sunlight and headed out with the camera.

This is the second set of stairs that go down to the pool. Neither the dogs or I use them in the winter for obvious reasons.

Remember the lights at the end of our driveway? Maybe I won’t bother turning them on tonight.

I just love shadows on snow.

Bella says: when life gives you snow and ice—eat it!

(Yet another giant icicle that had to be removed from the gutter.)

My Sorel® boots have a permanent place by the sun room door. The small snow shovel leans against the wall just inside the front door. These are things I need on an ongoing basis! Another snowfall last night dumped about 4 inches or so on us. More shoveling. More plowing up of the white stuff. Our piles keep getting bigger and bigger. Sheez. We are beginning to hear rumblings about yet another storm on Tuesday of next week. Click here for the forecast as it stands now.

The snow did not melt with our freezing rain the other day. Well, maybe just a little. What it did do was add a layer of thick ice on top. That stuff ain’t goin’ nowhere! It’s like trying to move concrete. Plus, it’s not supposed to get out of the teens in temperature this weekend with our first below zero nighttime temperatures. Brrrrr!!

I’m not complaining; this is what winter should be like. This is the kind of winter that I had always thought New Jersey had but since we’ve lived here the winters have been pretty mild without a lot of snow. This is more like what I remember winters being like when I was a child growing up in New York.

Written on the back: Lynne, Blizzard 1961, Hyde Park, New York.

I am starting to feel closed in. I can’t really go for walks easily. Yes, the street is plowed but there are still some icy spots. The dogs have caused me more injuries over the years than I care to count, so having them pull me while walking over a piece of ice is not something I care to have happen. I can go for walks on my own but then I feel guilty that I am not taking them. All I see is their big noses pressed up against the window,  their sad eyes following me as I walk away from the house.

Last weekend we did manage to take them for a nice romp down the path in the woods. We didn’t go all the way down to Green Turtle, but it was enough.

This tree fungus still had a snow hat on!

Spring will be all that much sweeter this year when it arrives!

Or should I say adding ice to snow? Yesterday morning we woke up to about 3 inches of snow or maybe a little bit more. While Rick was out snowblowing it turned to ice pellets. Those sting! Before long, just as predicted, we had freezing rain.

I had waited a few hours before shoveling the front steps and a pathway on the deck for the dogs and I’m sure glad I didn’t wait any longer. Trying to move that snow with a good crusting of ice on it was no fun. Plus, the snow had turned pretty slushy by then.

Everything was encased in a coating of ice. Even our clothesline. This poor goldfinch in his winter plumage looks miserable, don’t you think?

It was not a day for being outside. It kept it up all day long. The snow melted some but it only got above freezing for a short while. I could not really get out to take photos without getting me or the camera wet, so I shot a few photos from the safety of the overhang of the roof.

In this one I think it looks like a tiny ice sculpture of a bird (on the left). See it?

Can anyone tell me why snow accumulates whereas ice accretes? At least that’s how they call on the weather report. Interesting ...

This morning I went outside to take a few ice shots before it all went away. It’s above freezing out there now (only just) and as I went outside I could hear the ice melting and dripping like rain everywhere.

Now on top of this fine mess we are supposed to get more snow Thursday night into Friday. Not a lot as I understand it, probably only about four inches or so. Still, it just keeps coming in one form or another. Frankly, I’ll take the snow over the ice any day!

Look what else I saw this morning when I looked out the sun room door.

Bella, of course. I’m not quite sure how she got up on the table! I think she was after a tiny chunk of suet that I had tossed on the table for the birds before our last snow. Silly dog!