An Old-Fashioned Winter

It has been one of those old-fashioned winters, the closest we have had to one in several years.

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The Arctic Clipper having moved back north days ago, we have been getting snow and ice from the south and the west as well as from the Great Lakes, the never-failing Lake Effect Snow, as it is known.
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The most recent front, from the west, left folks in Kentucky and other states with enough ice to take down power lines and to wreak general havoc with their everyday lives. With the mountainous terrain in some parts of the state, it will take them a long time to recover.
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Our weather here has not been as severe although the possibility yet exists that we may experience it with the weather front still moving east.

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There is always the possibility of a severe ice storm in weather such as this.

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It does not take long to form, it only requires the juncture of several "perfect" conditions ~ moisture and temperature reaching a critical stage, producing a sudden "flash" freeze.
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There is hardly anything more beautiful or infinitely dangerous than a severe ice storm, a sheer fantasy land to gaze upon ~ however with the weight of the ice bringing down branches, whole trees and power lines in its wake.
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With the most severe ones, one can stand outside at their own peril and see the branches and trees snapping under the weight of the ice, the sounds like rifle shots echoing throughout the day and night.

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You can hear these sounds whether inside and out ~ and it can be quite un-nerving at times as you wonder whether the six-story ancient pine tree near the house will hold or come crashing through the rafters at some point.

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Putting aside the danger and chaos factor, it is a truly amazing glittering marvel masterpiece of Nature to see ~ with the ice coating anything and everything in its path.

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We have had flags furled in the wind which froze up solid in mid-furl, quite a sight to behold and a rare occurence indeed.
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Those without a secondary heat source, such as fireplace or woodstove, find themselves taking refuge in fire halls and schools and other emergency shelters until the power is restored.

We have aways had the utmost empathy for folks such as these as during such an ice storm is also one of the very worst times to travel, even if only short distances.
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We have secondary heat sources, a supply of antique oil lamps with new wicks and clean workings and fuel and food which can be cooked in a fireplace as well as on a stove.
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In the last couple of days, the main ice build-up was on the roads.
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Closings of all sorts ran on local news throughout the day.

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Very few road maintainance trucks seemed even to venture out until it warmed a bit as with nearly constant precipitation ~ ranging from snow to sleet to rain and back to snow again ~ any attempts to clear the roads during those times would have been self-defeating.
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The temperatures however have been in the low twenties and thirties, dropping into the 'teens at night ~ and so the weather overall has been bearable, although some planned traveling again had to be delayed.

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A predicted "fluffy inch" turns instead to four inches ~ or eight.

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In another day's time, the infamous groundhogs will make their predictions, said to be based on the Farmer's Almanac in reality although it would be hard to prove.
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Nonetheless, the seed and flower catalogs have begun to arrive.
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And Winter ~ glorious and at times outright treacherous ~ will give way in only several weeks' time to the wondrous Spring.

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