Hard Deep Cold

After bringing in a few loads of firewood last night, I stamped the snow off my slippers, stepped inside the house and slammed the door. I had to slam it, not that I wanted to. The deep cold we have been experiencing over the last several days has shrunk the door frame. It's pretty tight, but that keeps the gentle, yet persistent North wind that has been chilling the valley out of our living room. After making sure the door was secure,  I moved to my next task, loading the stove to keep the house warm while we all slept. A good bed of coals glowed warmly in the bottom of the stove as I carefully loaded some fresh tamarack and ponderosa pine. Finally, I padded off to my room, cracked the window, and crawled into bed. It was dark outside, dark and cold.

While we slept, the clear sky allowed any residual heat from the previous day to rise and escape. The polar air mass that has filled our little Alpine valley pressed down like a huge iceberg, and the night got colder and colder. Deep dark cold.

My first view

In the morning, I pulled on my robe and got up to put the coffee on and load the stove for the new day. As the morning gloom brightened, I could see that a freezing ground fog had come to sit outside our windows. It crouched there, obscuring everything beyond fifty feet or so, and I wondered if the sun would drive it away as I stirred the creamer into Lucy's morning cup of coffee.

After Kim and Lucy headed out the door for their day in Reno (Lu will choose the orthodontist over AP Econ any day) I noticed the fog starting to lift slightly. Glancing out the window at the snow covered landscape an incredible scene was revealed. The freezing fog had left the trees, fences, and all manner of objects cloaked in a fuzzy white coating of "Pogo-Nip". Not sure where that name comes from. I think I read once in the local newspapers that it originated with native Americans. At any rate, it is an incredibly beautiful phenomenon.

Emily's Garden

I stepped outside, camera in hand and crunched through the snow to document this incredible morning for you. Emily's garden was incredibly beautiful. The aspens there have grown straight and tall in the last ten years. I couldn't help but think that Em was probably enjoying this frosty winter scene.

As I turned back toward the house, the sight of our shade tree that shelters the kitchen window from the summer sun was striking. Frost blossomed from the bare winter branches and contrasted with the warm beige color of the house.

Our shade tree.

The antique hay rake beyond the fence of our front yard was glazed with a sugary frosting that looked good enough to eat. I wouldn't try it however. Don't want to get my tongue stuck! As I crouched there, focusing my camera, I couldn't help but think about the contrast between the seasons here in the Sierra Valley. I guess it is what makes each season so enjoyable. Even though this "hard cold" has been with us for over a week now, all it took was this incredibly beautiful morning to stave off the longing for spring and summer.

This rake has seen warmer days!

I walked out to the end of the driveway, ears and nose starting to succumb to the frosty air. The fences wrapped in Pogo-Nip created a mystical sculpture. The barbed wire looked as thick as cables insulated by the frozen water vapor. The sage brush seemed to be blooming with thousands of tiny white flowers as it pushed up through the blanket of snow.

Snow sculptures!

Finally, I headed back up toward the house and to the driveway. We have a basketball hoop set on the right of the drive. Lucy uses it occasionally to practice her shooting skills. Last year I installed a barrier net to keep the ball from straying into the yard or hitting my parked truck on an errant shot. On her trip out to feed the animals early this morning, Lucy could not resist the "Pogo-Nipped" net, and using her finger printed her name. I added her jersey number (24) and (for obvious reasons) a heart.

Lu is a tagger!

The sun has finally come out, and the frosty coating of frozen fog is rapidly disappearing. It is going to be another cold but outstanding day here at the Rainbow Ranch.

That's All!