A Light Dusting of Snow

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the snow! Give me a little, or give me a lot…I don’t care how much! We have had a tiny, tiny bit of it this season, but nothing that stuck to the ground. The weather forecast for today:

Today’s forecast

See the snowflakes in the forecast? Wahoo!

With snow in the forecast, and me getting excited about this possibility, I thought that today I would feature a light dusting of snow!

Snow dusts the backside of the house

Isn’t it pretty? I love the way the snow crunches under my feet!

An area of our backyard

Snow on the swing

A dusting on oak

We are not expecting much, and I am thinking that it will look something similar to the above photos. Although, one year they told us we would have 6″ and we ended up with 18″!

Have a great Wednesday! Thanks for the visit!

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Twelve Cubed

12/12/12! Or, twelve cubed. It will be another hundred years for this day to be on the calendar again! It is the last of a cycle. 01/01/01; 02/02/02… So, here are 12 photos from Decembers past!

A bluebird in winter

Going for a swim

My house in December

Needle me

Quaint

Resting

Snow in December

Snow up close

The leaves are hanging on

The road as the snow slowly melts

Up close to an icicle

We are still here!

Thank you for stopping by and have a great Wednesday!

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It’s Snowing!

My wish came true! Here are photos of our first snow of this season!

It starts!

It’s coming down a bit heavier

More!

Stop action shot

Not enough to make a snowman, but it sure is pretty to watch the big flakes gently fall! Enjoy the day!

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Snow on the Dogwoods

One of the tales that we heard when we first moved to the Sierra Foothills was that you should not plant your garden until “it snows on the dogwoods.” We were told that the local tribe of Indians, the Maidu, believed that this was a sign that spring had finally arrived.

The native dogwood trees here are an April blooming tree with a huge white flower.

Dogwood bloom - Photo from Wikipedia.com

Beautiful isn’t it?

Well, today it is snowing on the dogwoods! I was wondering about this old legend, and so I looked it up. What was not surprising is that this is just a tale, and the tale is not specific to our area. What I did find from various sources is that this time of year is known as “Dogwood Winter.” Just like we have an “Indian Summer” in the fall, we experience the Dogwood Winter in the spring.

Indian Summer is a warm spell that occurs just into the fall season when the weather has cooled down. The Dogwood Winter similarly occurs when a cold spell occurs as the spring days are just warming up. These early spring snows though are needed by some of the native plants in our area. In early spring, a cold snap like the one we are experiencing, as an example, stimulates the blackberries canes to start growing.

Back in the olden days, farmers would watch nature to determine when they should plant their crops. And, interestingly enough, history records that there are three of these cold snaps before we can plant our gardens. And, this is not limited to our area here in the Sierra Foothills.

So today I mark the calendar as the second snap as one occurred during our time in Hawaii. One more to go? We shall see if three is the magic number!

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Snow in the Sierra Foothills

Well, you received a preview yesterday of the snow here in the Foothills, but here are some that do justice to the beauty!

After it snows

Birds leave their mark

Almond blossoms

Nectarines in the snow

Plum blossoms

Rhody's in bloom

The sun breaks through

As the sun starts its retreat

This morning we were greeted by this beautiful sunrise!

Sunrise

I hope that you enjoyed the scenery!

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The Beauty of Snow

As promised in my last blog, I want to share with you snow in the Sierra Foothills. Snow today went down to 1800 feet, and we are close to 2600 here at our house. But the snow started yesterday…

From the front door

From the kitchen while cooking Cordon Bleu

Notice the Pooh Bear on the deck

We woke up this morning around 6ish…Here is what we woke up to…

Snow in the front

Pooh Bear in the morning

From the kitchen in the morning

Check in tomorrow for more snow photos of the beauty of where we live!

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My Drive in the Snow

We had a bit of the white stuff yesterday, but not enough for me to put on my old snow suit.  There was not even enough to make a  snow angel!  😦  But I did want to share with you what it looks like when we do get snow!

Leaving from home, I made my way down the road.

A beautiful old oak

You can barely see the flakes coming down, but they are there.

On my drive to work close to home

As I get closer to the winery, I take this shot.

Apple trees in the snow

As I approach the winery, here is my last stop before I get to work.

Final stop before getting to work

Here is the view as I pull into the driveway.

I pull my car into the driveway at work

Here is the view from my office window. If you click on the photo you will see a larger image and you can see the flakes coming down.

The view from my office window this morning

On my break I take this photo.

On my break I take this photo

And I went out to the Caltrans cameras so that you could also see what the freeways look like. The first image is of Dutch Flat, and the second is in South Lake Tahoe on Highway 50 at Ski Run below Heavenly Valley Ski Area.

Dutch Flat in the Foothills

Highway 50 - South Lake Tahoe, CA

Hope you enjoyed the snow with me!

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Snow Showers

The snowflakes are big and fat, then small and skinny! There is little or no accumulation, it just depends where you are!

I made it in to work today, but was able to get some photos that I will post later! Stay tuned as the weather could either change and really come down, or just stay as it is!

I must say, looking out the window of my office and seeing the blanket of white: It is just beautiful!

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Snow is on the Way!

I have been waiting for snow all winter. I revert to my childhood self when it snows! I was wondering if I still have the snow suit Mom used to stuff me in when I was a kid, not that it would fit. Yes, I used to look just like the kid from the movie “The Christmas Story.” Hmmm…I wonder if it is in that box in the attic that she gave me? I can just see myself back then…

Quick! Hurry up! Get the thermal underwear on! Next a shirt, then a sweater. Add pants. Next comes the muffler, and then the snow pants, the jacket, the hat and the gloves. Oh, I can barely move my arms! Here comes Mom! I get a soup ladle to play with! Wahoo!

What do I want to do first? A snow angel! No! Make a snow man! No! Throw a snow ball! No! Play with the dog in the snow!

All day I have been looking out the window to see if any flakes have fallen. Oh, am I bad about this! I will let you know if we get said anticipated snow, and if so, photos will be sure to be included!

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First Snow This Winter!

I woke up this morning and there was a present waiting for me! Snow! We finally had our first snow of the winter season. While it is not much, it did snow! The sun is taking its time coming up, but I am patiently waiting to take photos to share with you. Braving the cold I step outside…

Snow by the rain gauge

Snow on our back deck

A dusting in our back yard

The last snow photo before I go back in

I hope that you enjoyed the walk outside with me! Brrrr…want a cup of coffee or cocoa?

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