Into the Hibernus!

Well, it happens every year. It snows, then the temperature tanks. Eight inches (20cm) of the white stuff last night. Now there's a blizzard warning: winds gusting to 40mph (64kph), temperatures on either side of 0°F (-18°C), and wind chills in the -30° (-34°C) range. I look out the window and don't see Spring in sight. . . .

Here's a shot I took of our backyard on Christmas morning, 2009. We'd had more than a foot (30cm) of really wet snow.

"Every mile is two in winter."

   -- George Herbert (1593-1653)

     English poet and clergyman

"I have a recurring dream about being cremated -- not a nightmare, a relief."

-- Eddie Ryshavy, resident of Plymouth, Minn.,

commenting on the cold, in the Minneapolis

Star Tribune, 12-30-09.

Here's roughly the same shot, taken February 10, 2010.   You'll notice the snow is a bit higher.  Despite his protests, I put Guinness on top of the pile, thinking it might help show scale.

It's hard to see here, but on the horizon is a nice example of "hoar frost."  Basically, it's frozen dew. Quite pretty, actually. (This is our alley, facing west.)