SNOW!

On Christmas Eve we got some snow that didn't really last very long. However, a few days later we got MORE and then the temps dropped. So, this stuff is gonna stay for a bit longer. Which makes this Alaskan gal VERY happy! I took a couple of night photos after the snow stopped falling, Jon said they were not too bad, but am only sharing one. Then, I took some more pictures in the daytime before I let Jon have the camera. 

 Ice on my red rosebush near the house~

 It was around 4 pm, so I decided to turn on the Christmas lights and see how they would look in the mostly day time. It was also about this time I sent Jonathan out with my camera~

One of the lights on the fence behind the honeysuckle bush in the corner of the yard. It appears orange lights show up best during the later afternoon.

 Looking down the yard from the wishing well to the bridge/pond near the little house.

 Jon loves old metal and these always look good no matter what time of year they are photographed. I do need to straighten them up next spring since they are starting to fall over.

 This is on the right side of the garden near the alley. I had sent Jon out with a broom because this tree that is practically bent over with snow weight needed rescued. He also brushed off the satellite dish--not something I asked him to do! The tree in front is the peach tree, then the fallen tree (which I can't remember the name of right now) and the big bushy tree is our white lilac. There is a stake, that used to hold up the fallen tree, but it was felt the tree was strong enough to hold on by itself. Am pretty sure the stake will come back into use.

 Scooter looks a bit droopy under the snow! I guess dragonflies prefer sunshine.

At the edge of my 'private' garden spot is this hemlock. I wasn't sure it looked very healthy last summer, but it appears to have pulled up and eventually this will take the place of the locust tree nearby. Jon was standing near the bridge when he took this photo looking back up the yard to the wishing well~

After the Storm

The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

We have two towering locust trees in our yard that we have never really done much maintenance on. Which is why we are often nervous about storms in this area. The first week of Dec we had hoarfrost and freezing fog, which took out part of the tree across the road. 

 The second week of December our world turned balmy with a strong warm wind. This weather took out part of one of our locust trees. You don't realise how HUGE they are til they are on the ground.

 The view from my kitchen window over the sink was a bit daunting as the giant limb swayed in the breeze about a dozen feet away. A bit like the Whomping Willow, but we didn't have Professor Sprout on hand.

 Steve, however, was able to tackle the job on Saturday. He pulled the erring branch down and cut it up for firewood. He said it is a very dense wood and is heavy.

Locust Life and Limbs

Exhalation of moss, mycelium, black mould; wafted savor of a thousand earthly growths, damp, clinging, redolent; aroma of mighty roots, of invisible spawn and seed—all the vast stirring of the earth’s desire. ~Virginia Garland

 As I looked outside at the locust in the yard, I realised how much beauty was still within it and decided to not just chronicle its demise, but capture it for later. The bark, the curling pieces of wood, and the mosses are a masterpiece of creation. I do admit, however, that some of these photos are better when seen from a different angle. However, blogspot does not always allow the blogger to tweak  photos to the right presentation. Alas, may you enjoy anyway!