Snow, Ice and Thunder-Sleet -- And a "Guess What This Is?"

The Snow Storm That I Missed

While I was enjoying mild weather in Virginia it was snowing back home. Most would think I'd be relieved, but I had been looking forward to the first snow since moving from Arizona. We had a slight dusting in December, but the snow on January 31 was measurable and significant, about 3-4 inches in southwest Missouri. Jerry is equipped with a camera, too, and took some very nice shots for me to see when I got home. So, Jerry gets the credit for the pictures in this blog. He took many that will be published for our shop.

These first three pictures are of our little Shih Tzu Emma. She loves to run in wide open spaces, and even though this was only her second time in snow, she seemed to love running in it all the more.

Our neighbor and his kids enjoyed sledding down the hill behind their house. This picture of him with his daughter is a real keeper!

The Ozarks area is the oldest mountain range in the continental U.S. and have been worn down for a gazillion years, or so. When the top soil is peeled away you find solid rock. Water seeps through the cracks and exits where the rock face is exposed. To build the highways, or practically anything here, there is a lot of blasting done. The highway is virtually walled in by this exposed rock. In the winter we have found incredibly beautiful frozen waterfalls along the roads. These pictures are magical examples.

Jerry drove off the main roads and found untouched snow and crystal streams:

The snow all melted just a couple of days after it fell. A few days later I arrived home to temperatures near 70 and tornado warnings. The weather here has been really weird.

The Ice Storm That I Didn't Miss

I missed the snow, got home just in time for tornado warnings, and five days later watched the freezing rain start to fall. This is the second ice storm and, though we fared better than the cities to the north of us, we have ice up to an inch thick on the cars, sidewalks, roads, and trees. Most schools and many businesses have been closed the past two days. One of the strangest things during this storm was the lightning and thunder while sleet was falling. I've never experienced that before and named the phenomenon "Thunder-Sleet".

Everything was encased in ice. Even a single blade of grass was standing tall and straight in a crystal jacket. The trees crackled as the wind blew through them, like teeth chattering. Walking for us was hazardous enough, but watching our four-legged kids skidding along the sidewalk was so comical. Just goes to show ya' that four-wheel drive isn't much good on ice! Here are some pics of the ice:

Just before dusk today the sun finally found its way through the clouds:

Now, Guess What This Is?

Here are three pictures of very intricate designs. The only hint is that this is something coated in ice. Can you guess what that something is?

I'm still very glad that we moved here. I miss everyone in Arizona, no doubt about it. This area offers so much beauty and so many surprises, every day is different. It feels more and more like home, and we feel very blessed.