The Beauty of Winter

Good Evening Humble Readers...

I hope that your 2009 is winding down in a manner that you enjoy, be that mellow and quiet, or filled with people and parties.

Today was the first of three days off for me... IN A ROW! Woohoo!

Without meaning to sound like an elderly relative, I have to tell you... I have been sleeping really really well the last few nights. Normally, I sleep for 3 or 4 hours, and then I'm awake. Wide awake. I end up taking a lot of naps to get through the week. But, since Christmas night, I have slept at least 6 hours a night, and last night I went to bed at 11:30 and I didn't wake up (not even to pee!) until my Beloved turned on the overhead light at 8am! Talk about a mood improver!

Still no AF, but there are a few indicators that she's on her way.

Now, on to the main purpose of this post... We have had an interesting weather phenomenon over the last couple of days. Now, I'm no meteorologist, so I can only comment on what I observe, but this is pretty darn cool (no pun intended).

It doesn't happen all that often, but sometimes, when it's clear and cold we get what seems like a frozen fog. It's like the little bit of heat that the sun gives us at this time of year helps to release just enough moisture from the snow on the ground to create this opaque haze. You see it mostly in the morning or in the late afternoon.

As the temperature drops, the moisture in the air starts to freeze and I'm not kidding, the air actually sparkles. And then you get this... (you may want to look at them in full screen mode to see more of the detail)



That's not snow. It's called hoarfrost. It doesn't fall from the sky. It forms on trees, fences, lampposts, anything that stands still long enough. It can build on itself too, growing for days if the conditions are right. It is absolutely beautiful! Incredibly delicate, you can blow it away like dandelion fluff. It outlines the trees, and makes every single branch, needle, and ripple of the bark stand out. If there was something that I can honestly say I like about the winter on the flatland, it's this. So lovely! (I just wish my photography skills did it justice.)

I hope that you are all warm and cozy in your homes tonight.