Red Dirt Ramblings®
Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil
Yesterday, an inch and a half of freezing rain fell on most of Oklahoma creating a crystalline and cold paradise.
Today, in a repeat performance of Christmas Eve, snow started to cover the ice, and it continued snowing all day. These photos were taken at the beginning of snowfall. Beautiful, isn’t it?
But, it’s a 007 kind of beauty, dangerous with a license to kill.
Goldfinches wait for their turn at the feeders
The birds come from everywhere to eat. We probably saw 50 birds around the feeders and in the nearby trees. If you’ve been feeding birds, you must now keep the feeders filled. They also need sources of water so, if you don’t have a lake or other body of water nearby, heaters must be placed in bird baths. The birds now depend on us.
Although the ice and snow are beautiful, being outdoors can also be dangerous. The southern part of the state saw the most ice, and tree limbs have snapped right and left. So far, we’ve only lost a couple of trees because the wind wasn’t extreme, and we didn’t get as much ice. Sometimes, it is better to live further north.
I still heard cracking and splintering noises as I walked under the tree canopy, and I felt better on open ground. I told Bear to stay out from under the trees while playing. Challenging since we live in such a wooded area.
It may be beautiful, but it’s dangerous to folks who lost power last night. Heat often runs on electric power. So do the lights and water pumps in the country. Again, we are blessed that there was little wind. However, even if we did lose our electricity, we have a fireplace to keep us warm.
Now, we have three or four inches of snow covering the ice. This is good news for those who must drive. We’ll remain by the fire and play board games with Bear. She loves a good board game, and HH is playing Battleship with her now. Heartfelt prayers go out to my friends who have it worse. May you get your electricity back soon, and may your lives return to normal.
[…] I’ll take snow any day over ice. […]
Looks like the ice storm we had in Arkansas in 2009.
.-= pecan trees for sale´s last blog ..Pecan Trees For Sale =-.
Dee – those images are stunning!
Tim, thank you. That means a lot coming from you, a professional photographer.~~Dee
Dee,
Great writing and photos. I flew over that storm last week and it was a bumpy ride.
Scott
Thanks Scott. I bet that was a bumpy ride.~~Dee
I’m always late to the party here Dee! Deadly and beautiful is right. One of my favorite times outside is right after an ice storm when the sun comes out and everything is as if I’m in the Snow Queen’s kingdom…then I hear the creaking and cracking of hardwood and in a flash I’m back to reality.
I feel the same way Susan. It certainly did feel like the Snow Queen was going to come around the arbor at any moment and try to get me to eat Turkish Delight.~~Dee
Makes for beautiful photos though…please stay tucked in and away from crackling branches…..your rain gauge is pretty with the ice..
Hi Darla, the snow is now nearly melted because the ground was so warm. Spring and Easter are on their way.~~Dee
Stay warm Ms. Dee. I can take these snowy northeastern winters pretty well, as long as the ice doesn’t accumulate. I drive a school bus and must be extremely careful on snowy roads anyway. Be careful out on that ice!
Stay safe, Dee;-) Lovely photos…despite the danger lurking from above, and on the ground. I love the one w/the goldfinches!
Dangerous beauty is the perfect description Dee. Your icy photos tell the story beautifully. We had snow, followed by ice pellets and it’s made for dangerous conditions on the roads. Keep safe…gail
Your photos bring back memories. I would not have missed those experiences for the world, but I’m glad not to have them anymore, either. Jim keeps in contact with the family who bought our house, was able to help them hook up their generator to the house. The photo of your path made me remember our path down to the woods, how I loved walking along it. Today I will make a point of walking out beneath the pecan trees. It is still too cold here to suit me.
xxxooo
CA
Dangerous beauty indeed! I am glad you didn’t lose power and that you could stay off the roads. I am always terrified to drive when it’s icy. The pictures are lovely, though. The frozen rain chain was great!
Those photos are stunning! I absolutely love the photo of your rain chain all iced in! It’s so hard for me to believe all that ice is only a few hours north of me! Stay warm!
Gosh, it’s been so awful in your state (and others). You are indeed lucky. Your photos are very pretty; such a shame that it’s so harsh. I noticed with this last (or just latest?) blast of winter weather that the goldfinches finally found my feeders. I’ve been going out every day, sometimes twice a day, to keep them fueled up!
I’m glad you’re faring well, Dee. Looks like you took full advantage of nature’s paintbrush … your photos are stunning! In awe, I fear ice storms … winter has been kind to us so far but I’m well aware, it’s not over!
Here’s hoping you and your loved ones stay warm and safe, and thank you for taking such good care of the birds. You’ve reminded me to double-check all the feeders tonight, just in case. We saw a few snow flurries earlier, but nothing like what y’all got. That is impressive, and so beautiful, you’re right.
Gorgeous photos. We just got a sprinkling of snow and some sleet. It is actually lightly snowing this morning.
beautiful and scary. glad we are only cold and not icy as well. Stay warm
Thanks for venturing out to show us your winter wonderland. The photos I saw on the news last night were scary trees down and reports of mass power outage. So glad you aren’t suffering through that. I’ve got 2 extra kids this weekend and we’re on the playing games, hot chocolate program, too. But it’s just cold here – 29 last night – brrr for us!
That was a wicked storm. I hate ice, even if it is beautiful. I’m glad you still have power & don’t have to go anywhere. Your photos are wonderful, especially the shot of the birds.
Glad to see that you still have power. Beautiful wintry images and I love your rain chain. I’m sure the birds are so appreciative of the feeders — they need it with that kind of weather.
Your photos are beautiful, Dee! But I agree, as lovely as the landscape is with a glistening coat of ice, I always shudder when I see it. I’ve lived through too many ice storms to enjoy them. Driving is treacherous, the threat of losing power is always on my mind, and then there is the damage. A few years ago a town south of us was hit especially hard, and they lost so many of their mature trees. Next to tornadoes and hurricanes, it has to be one of the most destructive forces of nature.
I chuckled at your last post about buying seeds. I placed one early order and intended to order from two other companies. Then I realized I would soon be getting more in a seed exchange, and now I’ve got an offer for quite a few free seeds from a favorite company. Just where will all these plants go??
I am glad the worst of the storm missed you. We are on the northern edge of the storm and all of the precip missed us. It is just cold here.
Oh Dee, you have really captured the beauty nature brings. Stay safe, my friend. H.
I put on my coat before I looked at your pictures. From afar, it is a beautiful, icy landscape. You’ll have to go back and look at this mid-summer when it gets hot. It will cool you right down!
Have you had a chance to survey the garden yet? I know how severe ice storms can be to trees and shrubs.
I love your pictures. We are getting quite a lot of snow in SE Missouri too. It is beautiful when you don’t have to get out. But what I wanted to tell you is that you are the best at writing Titles and headlines.
Beautiful pics of the ice, Dee. I remember our ice storm from a few years ago. It came right on the heels of a very warm day. Didn’t yours also?
Dee, I’m so glad y’all still have power and can retreat to the safety of your warm and cozy cabin after venturing out to photograph the snow and ice covered Rosehaven. Thanks for sharing it with us!