Winter and More Winter

Winter In New Harmony

After the second winter here in New Harmony, I made the mistake of bragging to my friends up north that I had only had to shovel snow twice in two years. Big Mistake! The next winter (2008-2009) we had over 70 inches of snow in December, and this winter it seems has been even worse. The only good thing is that I finally got disgusted enough that I went out and bought a snow thrower. In defense of my physical ability, we added another parking pad and some additional concrete to the existing driveway, so there was about twice as much area to shovel and I just couldn't face it.

Birds freeloading at the public trough

We have been living under the threat of flooding since the fire last August. We had some minor stuff late in September, it brought down a lot of ash and debris, but no damage at our place. Some of the area nearer the canyons got a layer of thick black mud. Seems to me that it would make pretty good fertilizer. We had a winter storm watch a couple of weeks ago. Seems they thought it would rain to about 7,000 feet and melt the snow. Instead we got more snow. I hope it melts slowly when spring comes. Sawmill Creek runs about a hundred feet behind our house. It is dry most of the year except for during the spring run-off. If the snow melts fast this year it could easily jump its banks and come through our yard. I am particularly worried that the ash and mud might fill the channel, turning the water loose to find its own path. I sandbagged the window wells on the back side of the house just in case.

Snow melting on Cedars

It seems that we have two types of weather this winter. Either it is storming and blowing, or it is calm, clear and cold. It was clear and cold and 10 degrees this morning. Although I'm getting a little tired of the cold, snow and mud, I love the beauty of winter and am glad we live in an area where we can experience the changing seasons. Once January is over, things should start to warm a little and we know that spring is just weeks away. I haven't spent nearly as much time as I wanted to on winter projects, but then there is always next winter.

A Snowy Day In The Kolobs

This is the view of Kolob we see every time we look east, though not quite as close. I shot this photo at 200 mm from the front porch. I never get enough. It seems that every time you look the scene changes and you want to grab the camera.

A Halo of Fog on Pine Valley Mountain

Though this photo was taken from about a mile away, Pine Valley Mountain is essentially our back yard. It makes a good neighbor, except when the 'controlled burn' gets out of control. It will be really interesting to watch the new growth come back over the coming years.

Foggy Day on the Farm

Watching the horses through the fog makes me glad I have a warm home to live in, even if propane is $3.69 a gallon! The windmill sleeps, waiting for a breeze to blow away the fog and energize its blades. The ducks have had to abandon the pond, and hopefully life goes on under the ice.

Pine Valley Mountain from the back yard

All the area you see in this photo, and more, will drain through the creek hidden just behind the trees when the snow melts. It is somewhat worrisome, so I took out flood insurance. It won't stop mother nature, but it will help with the clean-up.