Brilliant Day!

 So pretty out there today. The temperature is barely out of the single digits above zero, but in the sunshine, it's really pretty nice. It will be a wonderful day to be out playing in the snow, but fair warning: the snow is feather light and isn't sticking to the icy layer that is beneath it. That makes walking, skiing, driving, a tad dangerous, so just be cautious. The photo on the left was taken this morning just after Jamie had been her to plow the driveway. It is looking towards the channel area of the pond - what I see from my front deck, looking across West Shore Road.

On the right is the area on part of my back lawn, looking west. With the thawing we had earlier in the week, the snow pack is down considerably, as you can see in this photo. The sky is such a vivid blue, the white snow really stands out - no photo shopping needed!  

I measured 2.5 inches yesterday as the storm had just begun to lay snow on us. This morning, 24 hours later, I measured a strong 6 inches. The forecast for our region was for between 6 - 12 inches, so that was close enough. The new snow is so light, if there is any wind at all, it is going to blow off high spots and drift into valleys. That was happening late yesterday as the storm was moving through our area and there were a number of accidents, apparently caused by whiteout conditions. Today is much quieter, and we are apparently expecting a quiet week, but cold.

If you are following the news out of Europe (I know, it's practically impossible to ignore it), I'm sure you are having mixed emotions - it's difficult to watch Putin bullying his way into Ukraine. I feel so sorry for those people having to leave their homes and facing such destruction and uncertainty in their future. I also shudder at the thought that our country will likely be drawn into another war.  I hope sanctions work, or that there is enough resistance from the Russian people at home so Putin has to give up his quest for Ukraine; but at this moment, neither solution seems to me to be a strong possibility, and I worry about what is ahead for Europe and for United States. 

A while ago, Cousin Ora sent me a very cute video, "Everybody Needs a Hug." With all that's going wrong in the world, I think now is a good time to share it with you. So make this a special day - give someone an unexpected hug!!