When Snow Becomes Ice

We originally got this snow on Dec 15. Because of the steadily sub 25 degree weather for three weeks straight, the snow has become hard, and ice has formed on the bottom of these huge sheets on our roof. The gutters were filled with huge ice blocks that would take forever to melt. Since the sheets were connected to the ice blocks, I thought it would be best to break the connection between them, bust up the ice blocks in the gutters, and clean out the gutters. Since it got up to 33 degrees today, I thought I needed to make sure the water would be able to make it into my yard the correct way.

And three hours later:

Our 2012 Christmas



The first snow is trying to gather force, but never did-we got just a dusting for this mid December flurry.  The real snow came about 5 days later.

This pair of Goldfinches found our birdfeeder after a few days of foraging the snowy landscape.

We got snow a few days before Christmas, so Pam thought it would be nice to bake some bread as we braced for some cabin time. This no-knead loaf was excellent.

I bottled my latest batch of home brew the other day. This oatmeal stout will be ready to sample on New Year's Eve.

Piper had to examine my work as I took these shots.



Grab a plate!

Pam's Christmas 2012 menu was honey-baked ham, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and green bean casserole. I'm blessed to have such a great cook for a wife.

Our Christmas 2012 morning started with freshly-squeezed orange juice.

Piper is a little ham.

So I thought it could be fun to try to tie a Santa hat onto Piper for some Yuletide humiliation. Pam's trying to casually approach her...

No fooling our Ragdoll Piper. She see's what's about to happen here and doesn't like it.

We were so close to getting this Santa hat on her. Maybe next year when's she's had time to mellow a bit. She's still young, after all. She'll eventually realize that this is the exchange she must suffer for having all other concerns in life taken care of.

Until she mellows out a little, no cutesy holiday hats for this cat, lol.

This was Daphne's first discovery of snow.

Daphne would be just fine to stay out in the frozen stuff except for the toes issue. She's usually ready to come back in after 5 minutes or so. It hasn't been over 23 degrees for a few days, now.

Daphne chose to be put in "time out" when she chewed through her harness (again). Her attempt to look pitiful falls on deaf ears.

My neighbor's yard right after the snow stopped.

Our Christmas tree 2012, complete with the obligatory cat beneath the tree.

Crab Spider In My Garden 082612

My friend Shawn and I do home brew recipes fairly regularly, and sometimes he likes to add flavorings to his batches.  He wanted to try some peppermint, so I told him I would pick some fresh sprigs from my garden for him to use.  These are the piles I picked from this past weekend:

Before starting to clip all of the flower buds from the mint sprigs, I noticed that there was a fly on one of the leaves that wasn't moving:

Upon closer examination, I noticed that the dead fly was in the grasp of a crab spider:

So of course I had to grab my macro lens:

The spider's natural camouflage works well.  Here's a sweat-bee that just landed for some nourishment, unaware that the predator was waiting:



Opening up his front pinchers in anticipation:

 The eyes are fascinating:


Waiting patiently for the sweat-bee to inch closer:

This fly was in the wrong spot at the wrong time:

The crab's pinchers sink in to drain fluid from the fly:

Through with his latest meal, the crab spider returns to await his next victim:

Daphne 081912

At 5 months, she has grown considerably already. Typical of Labs, she's asserting her digging, chewing, and tearing up skills.

Daphne is half Labrador and half Standard Poodle. She's already outgrown her first collar, and her food intake has doubled as well.

Typical outside look: mouth full of dirt and grass. I have to constantly keep her from digging up my garden. We haven't worked in the flowers/shrubbery in our new yard yet, but I'm sure she'll have to investigate them, when we get them started.
                                    

Trying to reclaim an earler hole she dug in the yard. I put the rake over it for the time being. She's just been caught trying to pick up where she left off.

She's a great dog.

Surveying the back 40.

Keeping watch for critters in her yard.

Day Of The Dead Statues

Piper 081412

Garden Haul 080412

This morning's haul for the most part (zucchini squash was picked about a week ago) from my garden. Three different tomato types, Chocolate Beauty sweet peppers, hot banana peppers, mild & hot jalapenos, some tender yellow squash, and last night's home brew pint glasses.