In case anyone had forgotten, this was the scene on January 30 this year, when ice covered the snow (and mountain folks around here were without power for about 52 hours). Predictions for this coming winter, based on woolly worm observations, old almanacs and the musings or old neighbors is that we're in for "seven snows" this winter. Of course, the National Weather Service notes that we're in for an upcoming prolonged drought, with very little precipitation in coming months. We shall see.
Footnotes: What's with the woolly worms? Here's how the predictions work. If the worm is black at both ends, and brown in the middle, as they have been in recent weeks, we are in for a severe winter both at the beginning and end. How does one know we're in for "seven snows?" Well, because there were seven foggy/misty days in August, of course!
Lovely post, my friend, with a glorious photo of a proper snow, and this from your Montana friend looking out into early morning at a socked-in sky that's brought a dusting on cars but nothing more. Be assured that this does not count as The First Snow, which I will walk out into in jammies and with bare feet to celebrate. Predictions from the mere humans is for a warmer winer with less moisture. Still waiting, though...
ReplyDeleteYour descriptions of the mysterious, late bloomings of several flowers, below your snow-predictions post, are also just lovely. Do we attribute this to the warming everywhere? Hard to know, as the bloomings seem more magical than dire, as your describe them...
Glad Hope Blog is a wonderful way to have started my day. Thanks so much for bringing close your experience of your world.
Carroll Jones