Last week Kansas was hit by a blizzard. It's been a few years since we've had one. Long enough, apparently, for people to think that this is unusual weather for here. We may not have had blizzards every year, but most years we had substantial snow cover. I remember a winter in the early 1980s that the snow drifted so deep that I could walk straight out from my back porch across the top of a snow drift. My chow dog sat out at the end of this drift with his back to the north wind, it was frosted. I called to him and he just glanced at me over his shoulder, never moving his body and then ignored me. I had him in the house the day before and he begged to be back outside. It was just too warm in the house for him. Below are pictures I took the first day after the blizzard. You can barely see the logs around my firepit...
...with all the white, it's hard to determine depth.
See the pile of snow across the street? The snow is to the top of our bales to the right. We didn't have near as much snow here as they did in a lot places. I believe Pratt had the most at 28 inches.
Maybe this will give you more of an idea of how much snow we had.
By evening the streets were pretty clear, but we had a drift across our drive plus what they plowed up at the curb.
The street is clear and open all the way down.
The next day I went out and shoveled the sidewalk. This wasn't that easy since there was a layer of ice on the bottom.
Got it nice and clear all the way to the drive.
Then I made it all the way to the end of the drive and as soon as I broke through the snow at the curb my drive filled with water.
At that point I quit. My winter banner was still out.
This is the next day. Most of the water in my drive is gone along with the snow.
All that's left are spots that are in the shade and big piles that are melting down.
Here's my firepit, the snow had nearly buried those logs around it.
For good measure, I put out my spring banner, though it's still cold here. But the snow is gone.
A week or so back I saw a few barely visible snowflakes fall but you had to have been in it to know it had happened.
This has been a nice snowfall. It's not blowing white blinding blizzard. Or drifts towering over fences causing waves across roadways.
It's been enjoyable to sit inside my nice warm house and watch the beautiful winter snowscape. I hope all of you out there are safe and warm, too.
...with all the white, it's hard to determine depth.
See the pile of snow across the street? The snow is to the top of our bales to the right. We didn't have near as much snow here as they did in a lot places. I believe Pratt had the most at 28 inches.
Maybe this will give you more of an idea of how much snow we had.
By evening the streets were pretty clear, but we had a drift across our drive plus what they plowed up at the curb.
The street is clear and open all the way down.
The next day I went out and shoveled the sidewalk. This wasn't that easy since there was a layer of ice on the bottom.
Got it nice and clear all the way to the drive.
Then I made it all the way to the end of the drive and as soon as I broke through the snow at the curb my drive filled with water.
At that point I quit. My winter banner was still out.
This is the next day. Most of the water in my drive is gone along with the snow.
All that's left are spots that are in the shade and big piles that are melting down.
Here's my firepit, the snow had nearly buried those logs around it.
For good measure, I put out my spring banner, though it's still cold here. But the snow is gone.
It was so cold that the snow froze to the north side of the limbs and branches. It was quite pretty.
The yellow grass turned into frosted grassicles. In a day it was all gone again.
The snow was really pretty and there was a nice covering over everything.
Hardly a breeze to blow the snow off branches...
...or into drifts, just piled up where ever it landed.
I was glad I didn't have to get out into it. Going out for the paper and mail was as far as I wanted to venture.
The snow cover lasted till Thursday night. I had gone into my office Thursday late afternoon and I keep the heavy curtains closed to keep the cold out. There had been complete snow cover at that time. Sometime later in the evening I had gotten up and gone to the kitchen, the security light out back had been triggered, probably by a blowing limb, and was on. I was surprised to see the snow was ALL GONE! None to be seen anywhere. I had heard the wind pick up, felt it the coldness blow through my leaky north wall/window, but didn't realize what it was doing to the beautiful white covering outside. I only have to wait there will be snow covering again. But it IS Winter!
...the news said that there were over 400 accidents in Sedgwick county due to the ice and snow yesterday. People are just really stupid on the first day of slick roads every year. But I think they outdid themselves this year.
