Signs of Spring?

Today I noticed what might be a real sign of spring. Even though we just got 10-12" of heavy snow the other day, the sun's been shining and the temps have been somewhat warmer. What makes me think spring is near? The sump pump started cycling on and off today, and the dehumidifier in the basement started running today too. I hope I didn't just jinx myself, I don't need anymore snow.

Here are the last pictures of this winter's snow... I promise.

All of them were taken within a block or two of my house on Saturday, 4-5-14.

The tennis courts, note the posts for the nets.

This is what happens when you only visit your house in the summer.

The roads in my neighborhood.

Taken from the side windows of my truck.

Winter Storm Warning....

It seemed like last winter was the winter that would never end. The local lakes were still frozen over when Fishing Season opened on the first Saturday in May last year. I think we're on track to have that happen again this year. Nancy and I were speaking to the Vet yesterday, he had been ice fishing earlier in the week and had to auger through more than 4' (1.22 meters) of ice!

And, just when I thought this winter was giving way to spring and huge patches of gravel were showing through the ice on the driveway.... The National Weather Service issues a Winter Storm Warning! It started snowing again last night and it still continues today. The wind is blowing and the drifts are rising... again.

We're coping the best way possible...

While outside the storm continues!

Yeah!!!!

It's All in How You Look at it.

It snowed again yesterday. I'll try and find this winter's snowfall totals figures for Cable, WI, until I do, I'll just guess and say, we've had plenty!

But in the mean time, here's a few pictures to put this glorious winter into perspective!

A quick check of wunderground.com brought up some interesting info on just how cold it's been up here.

Since November 1, 2013 to yesterday, March 20, 2014.... 141 days.

We've had 69 days with a low temp of below 0°F (-17.7°C)...

The end of my driveway.

And 13 days where the high was still below 0°...

My brother in-law's boat.

Of the last 141 days, only 31 of them had highs above 32°F (0°C) and 110 had highs of 32°F or less...

The path to the wood racks...

In the months of December, January and February, we had a total of 4 days with temps of above 32°F....

My truck from the front window.

We had 2 long stretches of day time highs below 32°F... one was 42 day in a row, the other was 36...

This was 3-1-2012 and I thought that was a lot of snow 2 years ago!

But even with all the cold and snow, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else! Give up these brilliant blue, crystal clear, winter skies?

Or give up the flame orange sunsets over the old Telemark ski hills?

Because Martha threw out a challenge....
Here's a shot of the apres snow blowing treat Nancy made. Crispy corn tortillas topped with avocado, cherry tomatoes, cheese and lettuce, toasted in a 425° oven for 3 minutes. Add a little bit of salsa to the top of them and mmmmm!

Some More Snow....

Yesterday we got a little more snow. When I went out to clean off the driveway there was about 8+" of the new stuff. The drifts are getting large and my snowblower needs more horsepower to stack it any higher!

Even the wind chimes are feeling the effects of the snow...

I have to upgrade my arsenal to fight off next winter's assaults! My 10 year old, 5.5 HP, 24" blower is ready to throw in the towel. It's the right size for a city driveway, but it's seriously under sized for use out here in the woods!

Maybe something like this....

The Ariens Platinum 30

Or even.....

John Deere 1026 with loader, mower and 54" blower....

Time to get your spring on! Blog Challenge...

Over on Dar's blog, she posted a signs of spring challenge. Read about it here..Princess Scooterpie: BLOG CHALLENGE!!!! Time to get your spring on!

Well it seemed like it would take me forever to find even the remotest sign of spring, but today I saw something that caught my eye, something that gave me hope... an icicle!!!

Why does that excite me? Well, they don't form unless there's some melting going on. Even with today's sub freezing temp, 15F, there's enough solar energy on the roof to cause some melting! I noticed there's some roof edge showing too!! We just had 3 more inches of snow the other day, and the low last Monday was -29F.

Just so you don't think it's all melting and that I'll be riding in a week or 2... I have some more pictures from today. I went out to change the batteries in the temperature sensor for the indoor weather station. It's normally 10' off the ground on the north side of the garage and I need a step ladder to reach it. Well I just threw on the snow shoes and walked right up to it.

I'm feeling pretty good, I just checked the 5 day and we could get to 40F...!!!!!!

Come on Spring!!!!!!

Burrrrrr...

I'm hoping this is the last of this...

With this winter being as cold as it's been, I haven't even thought about doing any winter maintenance. I wish I had something at least remotely motorcycle related to share.

A Little Bit of Winter's Beauty....

...in the aftermath of the latest blizzard.

I finished snow blowing today. The sky was clear and the sun was bright, but the wind was still blowing quite strongly. It made using the snow blower difficult.

The blowing snow has made some interesting patterns in the yard. I tried to photograph them, but between my lack of skill, and the limits of my camera, trying to capture the sand dune look of the snow was a challenge. Click on the pictures for a better view.....

I know that my snow blower just isn't big enough to handle the large snowfalls of the north woods. I happened to find this video posted on a forum I follow... Now this is a snow blower!!!!

Snowed In!!

Well, the last 24 hours have been fun! We had a good old fashioned winter blizzard! It started snowing around 4:00 p.m. yesterday and it has just stopped now. The wind was blowing hard all last night, and it continues to blow! It has made for some huge drifts! We lost power for a couple of hours but it was on before this morning.

I've started to blow the snow out of the driveway, but the wind is still too strong and it makes it tough. The plow has gone by and left a bit of a pile at the end of the driveway. This amount of snow is pushing the limits of my little 5.5HP 24" blower. I have to get something heavier for next winter!

I measured 14" in the middle of the driveway, and 32 at the street. But the best part is the blowing and drifting! The snow is almost up to the dining room window.

This is the back door of the garage. A few feet out it's waist deep...

Looking along the back of the house...

From the bay window in the dining room...

The view out the patio door...

We have no plans to go anywhere today and I'm taking my time at clearing the driveway. Nancy's making some chicken wild rice soup. The whole house smells great!

Not everyone has hunkered down for the day...

Before this latest round of snow, there was over 4' of snow on the edge of the driveway... Once I get it cleared out and it quits blowing, I'll have to measure it again...

Down the road...