I have never lived anywhere that you didn’t have to drive to touch snow.  Oh sure, you could see it on the mountains, but you couldn’t experience it.  Thankfully, It is a rare event here in North Alabama, and usually consists of a light dusting rather than the 7 to 8 inches we got early in the week.  As well, it doesn’t usually involve sustained below freezing temperatures that keep it around for a week, nor hard freeze conditions such as we had last night.  It was 6 degrees when I got up this morning.  Bone numbing cold that makes your kitties who always want out cry at the window to get in, and your doggies hold it because they don’t want to spend a half hour licking the ice clods out of their paws when they come back in.  COLD. (Seriously, I had to literally push them out the door to make them go!)

So this week I ventured out only when necessary and the rest came to me through the window glass…

When it warmed up enough on Tuesday for Bob to venture out and go to work he had to shovel the snow off the driveway first.  He said, “Now there’s something I can check off my ‘Bucket List.”

Eastern Blue Jays, who came to clear the acorns out of my rain gutters, called my attention to the need of a pressure washer for the coming spring!

Cardinals came to call,

as did Blue Birds who fluffed up their feathers against this morning’s  6 degree cold!

While the view from my window was lovely, I never-the-less did not want to venture out into the cold if I didn’t have to…  So when I did go out  I made sure to take along my camera.

I found infant icicles that made lace of the snow as it slid off the edge of the barn.

These would later grow into fully formed daggers that hung down a foot or more.

I thought they were beautiful.

Ok, this was not in my yard.  But I wish it were so I could fix its roof and keep it a worthy residence for all the birds who come to call!