Finally Snowy

So as you may know, this winter has started out unusually dry. We've had a few inches of snow several times, since late September. And overall cold temps, down to -10F. Actually setting the record for the coldest October in the area. But even when it's cold, when the sun comes out and you have dry air, the snow just evaporates. It's called sublimation - the process of a solid turning

directly into a gas with no liquid stage in between. So a lot of those cold days were mostly brown and dead looking. Not  my first choice for this time of year.

 Somehow every major storm to come through the mountain west so far has dumped a lot of snow both north and south of my place, but not much here. A couple days ago when I last checked the report, the mountains here were only at 67% of normal snowpack. 

But over the past few days, we've had a nice system that settled in and finally turned the area deeply white enough that it should stay that way till spring. It's still snowing as I type which is wonderful! 

The outline of the garden beds can still be seen, happy to finally be insulated under a nice soft blanket. Which reminds me to mention why a good deep snow pack is so important here. Some well intentioned folks have mentioned over the past few weeks that I must be enjoying not having to shovel, and isn't it nice the snow's not deep? Well... no. :) 

First, I happen to really enjoy shoveling snow like many other tasks that are physically repetitive, relaxing, and create easy to see visible progress. Which is a good thing as I shovel not only here at my house, but for several other homes as well as roofs if it's a year that get's deep enough.

But more important, are all the things the snow is needed for. It insulates the ground, including all the bushes, small plants, tree bases, and roots protecting them from the extreme cold and allowing them to survive the winter. With the many weeks of bitter cold and no insulating snow till now this year, I would guess in the spring I will find I've had multiple plants die that have survived most winters. Then there is the fact that the snowpack here in the mountains spends most of the summer melting, feeding many creeks and streams, that in turn provide the irrigation for many crops grown across multiple neighboring states. As well as water for a multitude of other uses for many people across a huge area.  A low snowpack means problems the next summer for all those folks. And then there's wildfires. Raging through huge portions of the forests many years, and as much of California is now aware, at times destroying homes, whole towns, and lives. A good deep snow pack helps prevent wildfires starting until very late in the year at which point they are normally extinguished, before becoming destructive menaces, by new snow falling for that year. It's also almost all the moisture this area gets in an average year as there's only 3-4 inches of precipitation a year that falls as rain. And more, but you get the idea. Low snow is not a good thing. So I'm very excited it's falling now and piling up. 

I love all the details in nature, especially with snow. Above is the end of a pine beetle killed and long dead and dry lodgepole pine trunk. (These make up the majority of my firewood!) I find the blueish and occasionally almost purple hues in the wood fascinating as this only happens in the lodgepoles killed by beetles. While this is rather beautiful, they also fuel much of the massive fuel buildups that create unnaturally hot wildfires scorching tens of thousands of acres so hot that the soil is sterilized so deeply that it's decades before anything regrows, much less a new forest. 

And the funny little snow hats donned by all the dead flowers that are still showing above the snow before they disappear for the year underneath it's rising blanket. 

And with almost no whisper of a breeze, the tiny dry flakes piled deep onto all the tree branches. Occasionally getting to the point where one flake too many tips the whole pile off, usually unloading neighboring branches as well. In a shower of cold white crystals that is a bit startling if you happening to be standing right underneath. 

Burley adores the snow! I think his energy level goes up for every degree the temperatures go down. Now only does he love playing in it, he curls up and sleeps in it. Most of the time he doesn't even want to come inside, though he always can. But instead curls up in a ball in the snow, letting the falling flakes pile up on top of him like a wild wolf or fox and snoozes. 

And then every now and then he wants to come in and sprawl inches from the wood stove. :) Which he also seems to enjoy for a bit before getting too warm and moving over to the mat beside the door or asking to go back outside. 

I love how cozy our place looks under the snow, and am looking forward to lots more of it coming down from now through April or May at least. I hope you're all enjoying the weather, whatever it is, as much as Burley and I are!