The Sky is Falling!

Not really.  It's just snow ...that fluffy white stuff that happens when the temperatures drop enough to transform the moisture laden rain clouds into snow clouds.  The rain started about 7:30 this morning.  I had been at work for 30 minutes already, so the roads were dry and clear for my forty minute commute.  By 10:30, the rain had turned to sleet and by the time my workday was over, there was definitely snow mixed with the rain and sleet.  It was gusty too, so the big fluffy snowflakes were twisting and turning every which way on their way down.  It made for an interesting drive home. 

The roads really weren't bad.  I have to work late this Friday, so I got to leave at 1:00pm today.  That put me on the highway before most of the rest of the homeward bound commuters.  It's not that I mind sharing the highway and I don't even mind driving home in snow and ice as much as some people.  I spent a good many years in Virginia and Colorado so I am not unacquainted with driving on slick icy roads.  But this is central Texas and there are a lot of natives here that have seen snow maybe four times in their lives ...driven in snow maybe half that many times.  They are flatlanders, bless their hearts, and I prefer NOT to share the highway with them while they figure things out.  But all was well and I made it home in the normal 45 minutes. 

The snow was still falling and there was about an inch accumulation in our yard when I pulled in the driveway.  I changed into some warmer duds, donned Yeoldfurt's coat (way warmer than mine ...ha!) and borrowed his 'extra' straw hat to go out and play in the snow.  I told Yeoldfurt, "I'm taking the camera and going walk-about in the snow!"  He laughed. 

I walked around and took pictures for about an hour.   Some of the pictures came out kind of fuzzy, but seeing any accumulation of snow in these parts is too rare not to share the photographs!

I was standing up by the road looking down our driveway for this picture.  

I walked about halfway down the driveway to take this picture.  The snow was falling pretty heavy.  Those are live oaks around the house.  The white line you see running along the fenceline is electric fence tape that we had to put around all the fences to keep the horses from scratching their butts on the wire!  Silly horses.  

And this one was taken at the corner of the front yard.  Those big green spots in the yard are because the live oaks are dense enough to keep the snow out from under them. 

The ground slopes downhill away from the house toward a catch pond in the middle of the pasture.  I was halfway to the pond when I took this picture.  You can see how big the live oaks are about the house.  We have aerial photographs of this place taken when the house was built in 1985 and those oak trees were mere saplings.  Twenty-five years is not long for a tree, but I'm amazed at how big they've grown in that length of time.  

Walking back up the driveway from the pasture toward the house, I took this picture of the raised bed garden we built last year.  It's 16 x 16, with 8 sections separated by 2x12 'walk' boards.  As eager as I am to see green stuff growing in those beds, I'm glad I didn't jump the gun two weeks ago.  Old Man Winter is obviously still with us!

These last two photos were taken in the front yard.  The yellow flowers are daffodils and I'm not sure what the white ones are ...other than pretty!  They look like daffodils, only smaller.  I had daffodils and crocus and all manner of bulb flowers in Colorado so I know these are snow and cold hardy.

 
The snow stopped falling about 6:00pm and it won't be cold enough tomorrow to keep the snow from melting, so I'm glad I was home early enough to today to take these pictures.