Winter weather is upon us

Winter weather can be scary. I'm hoping that isn't the case today and tomorrow with Winter Storm Cleon...

As I write at my desk next to a window, an icy rain is falling. It is noisier than the usual precipitation as frozen pellets bounce along the ground and bombard the remaining red oak leaves still attached to branches and twigs. There is a kerplunk every time ice chunks hit the metal surface of the heat pump just below my window. The poor thing is working hard to crank out enough heat to warm the house even as it gets pelted from the frozen rain falling from a near colorless sky. Work harder I say, since it is never quite warm enough in the winter for my liking.

This atmospheric onslaught is the first of what promises to be a long couple of days, according to the experts who meticulously study their computer models. I fear they may be right, as the coating of ice is covering most of the ground now and drops of liquid has frozen in place, defying gravity as it hangs from every surface. Parts of the trees are now frozen in place, stiffly moving as a unit when a breeze blows, rather than as individual leaves, branches, and twigs. The wind seems to be picking up a little too. That isn't good.

This is the kind of weather we in the Ozarks have been dreading.

Arkansas' 2009 ice storm was pretty devastating to trees and shrubs

No one wants a repeat of the dreaded ice storm a few years ago that left so many of us without power for days. My husband and I didn't have electricity for five days. The ice storm was one of the worst things I'd ever seen. The damage was widespread. We still have some damaged trees on our property. I hope it doesn't get this bad!

The latest word from the weather watchers is that the temperature is continuing its downward spiral. The result will be that the icing turns to snow. We could get a significant amount of it too.

Snow is OK with me, just as long as it doesn't become excessive. All things in moderation...

 I hope I can provide a weather update tomorrow or the next day. That would require electricity, which I hope we still have. For all the people in the way of Winter Storm Cleon, stay safe and warm.

Spring snow, great for the landscape, easy on the eyes

This Spring snow storm in the Ozarks was well worth the wait. It had been anticipated for days. Predictors promised an early morning start yesterday, but it wasn't until 5 p.m. that the first flakes began to appear. Once they did, the dance was intoxicating. It was hard not to look out the window to watch.

We don't get lots of snow in the Ozarks; in fact, this is the first measurable snow of the season, despite it being just a day or two past its season.

As a former Midwesterner, I am not accustomed to a winter without snow, so it was good to finally satisfy my snow fix.    

And a beautiful sight it is. Just walking past any window in the house is like passing a beautiful piece of artwork. You just can't help but stop to admire it.

The best part about this wet, heavy snow is that it is all about moisture, something we have not had measurable amounts of in these parts for a very long time, in any form. We really need to make up for a huge deficit from the 2012 drought. Thankfully, this will go a long way toward  making that happen. This is just what the doctor ordered for our parched landscape. And did I mention it is very beautiful too?

I could be wrong, but I believe the Bradford Pear, (top right) which has just started to bloom and the Magnolia (next photo) with its swollen buds seem happy with the new-fallen, slow-release moisture.

The next photo indicates that just the right amount of snow fell. It is fairly deep. Walking in it would certainly require boots.

I haven't always been fond of the snow. Having been stranded in it not once, but twice in my lifetime, I always appreciate when the snow flies and I can observe from the warm comfort of home. The only responsibility when the flakes fly, is to see to keep our feathered friends well-fed. This Goldfinch, who is just starting to take on the vibrant yellow feathers he will wear during the summer months, seems content enough as he makes his way back and forth from the bird feeder to a nearby perch in a red oak along with his many pals.

For me, winter storm "Q" stands for quiescent

The most recent winter storm was well warned--or was that hyped? For many parts of the country from the southwest to the southern plains to the east coast, there was a real need for preparedness. For my neck of the woods though--the land of little precipitation--hype more aptly describes the dire warnings that emptied store shelves of bread, milk, and water.

I'm not complaining, mind you. I recall the ice storm a few years ago that caused our power to be out for five days and made my husband John and I return to a kind of pioneer lifestyle. There was fear that this storm could pack a similar punch. Thankfully, it didn't.

What did happen during this storm could be described as some minor inconveniences. We just bought a new stove, since ours was on its last legs after 30 years. It was supposed to be delivered Thursday. Fat chance! We now have to wait an entire week to get it. I hope the factory warranty begins the day we receive it and not the day we bought it. Who know--those few days could make a difference? We will just have to make due with the old one and hope it doesn't set the house on fire.

We also were without television for a short time while the dark clouds that contained thunder sleet parked overhead for a time. That was slightly bothersome, but to be expected.

The one thing about our version of winter storm Q, was that it transformed our normally mundane winter landscape into something spectacular, peaceful, beautiful. While not exactly good for the trees, it provided moisture which they so desperately needed. And, it was beautiful. Waking up this morning, the backyard was especially lovely.

The sun is shining and the ice is visibly and vigorously melting. I can see and hear it as I write this. Soon the trees will stand up straight again. So many of their ice-encrusted buds will grow. Many of the branches on the bushes lining the backyard are redbuds. They will soon fill the above view with pink. Soon the hand on that thermometer will register a more reasonable setting. Spring, which is just 26 days away, is my very favorite time of year. From now until the heat of summer begins, every day seems magical as the landscape reawakens. Its progress is measurable. Life is good!

Riding the weather roller coaster

This was the scene on Jan. 29th at Lake Norfork in north central Arkansas.

Everywhere you looked, people were outside, enjoying the first warm days that followed a cold and snowy winter.


The sky was as blue as the crystal clear water of the lake that beckoned boaters anxious to take advantage of the 70º weather. We even saw a girl wearing a bathing suit, as she sat on the sand near the water's edge. It was one of those late winter days that was certainly a sign of things to come. 

We just didn't know what exactly was coming.

After such a beautiful weekend, who could have predicted this would be the scene, just six days later, on the Friday night of Feb. 4. It was a beautiful sight as the snow gently fell.

In reality, it was predicted by local meteorologists. So, my husband and I were prepared. 


The beauty snow was breathtaking. There was wood to burn in the stove, the refrigerator was stocked up and   set out to simply enjoy the view.

Much to our surprise, we woke up on the morning of Feb. 9 to our third snowfall of the season. This one was more beautiful than the previous one. 

Interestingly, it crippled the states of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma with record-breaking snow totals. And then came the record-breaking cold snap. Some temperatures reached well below the zero mark, making for transportation headaches and all the  ills.

At our house, we received just shy of a foot of snow. 

It was so beautiful. It began in the early morning hours and snowed all day. It was so lovely to look out the window. 

Again, this was predicted, so we were ready for it. Being retired, there was no place we had to be, except in our warm, cozy home, enjoying the beautiful wintry scene.

The temperatures are predicted to reach 60º again by Monday. 

I love the weather in the Ozarks. It certainly has been a roller coaster ride. There are 38 more days until the official start of Spring--a day worth waiting for. I can't help but wonder what Mother Nature has in store for us in those last gasps of winter.

Hope springs eternal

Wow; this weekend was one of those rare occurrences when you just can't help but be happy to be alive.

The weather was 70º Saturday in the Ozarks, which provided my husband and me, the opportunity to do a little yard maintenance.  

As shown at left, we burned the some  flower beds, making very short work of the fallen leaves and grass that had invaded it. 

What otherwise would have taken days of back-breaking work to pull the offending weeds was taken care of in about an hour. 

Burning offers a good, organic approach. It was not a practice we've ever employed before. It wasn't allowed where we used to live. Fire is so much better than using chemicals on botanical nuisances. Besides, I like the smell of it. 

If I stare at this darkened patch in the front yard long enough, I can imagine it to be black dirt, rather than the charred remains of spent oak leaves. 

Moving to the Ozarks from the Chicago area several years ago, it was difficult for me to reconcile the difference in techniques necessary to guarantee gardening success. Where the ground here contains rocks and clay, which presents a real challenge. Yet there I was used to digging in the rich, black loam left by the same glaciers that formed the Great Lakes thousands of years ago. There was also an abundance of rain farther north which is certainly not the case here during the summer months.

So while I still consider myself a novice, I'm learning to garden again, however, as evidenced by my second picture--the coming of the daffodils. 

This tells me that despite the prediction of the largest winter storm of the season that bears down on us, hope springs eternal. 

Spring will come, in about 50 days, to be exact. Our beautiful weekend was just a tease, but when it happens for real, it will be easy to settle into a warm-weather routine. 

I so love the Spring. I love the Spring flowers. These venerable little daffodils always surprise and delight me. They seem to hide beneath the leaves until we humans clear away their leafy blanket. Once we do, and the sun shines brightly on them, they seem to grow taller ever day until the magic moment when they become flowers. I will never tire of this Springtime ritual. 

Now if only we can make it through the next winter storm unscathed.