Snow and snow some more

 

More snow coming

Happy Snow Days,

Gina

iIt's 14 degrees this morning

Fourteen Degrees Fahrenheit is minus Ten Degrees Celsius 

This is what I came home to. 

I left for Italy knowing that I had plenty of time to  put the Summer away.

It's only November. It's supposed to look like this.

Will the Papyrus survive?

First night home this happened.  It came crashing down  at 2 o'clock in the morning.  Miraculously,  it missed the house, windows and balustrades. When trees still hold their leaves,  and when it snows branches get very heavy.  Not a good recipe for hundred year old trees. 

Happy days to you.

    Gina

Skating at your own risk

 

I'll put on the Ice Skater's Waltz

Champagne is on ice.

I'm already celebrating, 

Gina 

Ice is treacherous.

 Recently I watched heroic humans rescue dogs, horses, deer, elk and more, from ponds, lakes  and icy streams.

 Two pieces of wood, a string and two nails could save your life. 

Two pieces of wood and a string, with a long nail at the end, 

will pull you on top of the ice. 

If you live near frozen waters you must have one of these in the ready.  Wear it around your neck and if you should fall through the ice, these handles can pull you up and on top to thicker ice.  

Just in case and near our pond, we keep a boat for open water, a rake to reach with, a large inner tube with a long rope attached, and what could be a lifesaver...a simple string with two wooden handles. 

In Alaska,  travelers on snowmobiles, are never without this simple device always wearing it around their neck.

No snow yet but plenty of treacherous ice.

Have a great week my dear friends

Gina

January Thaw

Without fail,

every Winter we have the January Thaw.

We have lowered the pond by several feet. 

It's safer when having to rescue whatever or whoever falls through the ice.  

Take care. 

Gina 

They could save a life

Two pieces of wood and a string.

And a sturdy nail into each end could save a life.

I love our pond... but not in winter.

See those footprints, they are heading straight for the thin ice.
  

Part of our pond never freezes, near the deep Spring where the water temperature is 65 degrees year round. 

After thinking long and hard we decided to lower the pond for the winter months. 

Large machinery and a friend with precise maneuvering skills made quick work of the task. 

He even cleaned out the ditches which carry the water to our fields.  

The water flowed so fast that many fish became stranded.  I gathered them into a bucket of water and carried them back to the Pond. 

An old farm Disk sat in one of the corners, getting in the way when harvesting our fields.  

Because the  equipment could only lift the Disk so far,

Our Friend backed up his big truck until it was level with the disk. He backed the truck into the machine (not the other way around) until it was swallowed up. 

When I asked him if he was going to use it as a "sculpture", on his farm, our Friend surprised me by saying that "he would see if he could make it work again". 
Not much is wasted in this small farm community.  

If you live near frozen waters you must have one of these in the ready.  Wear it around your neck and if you should fall through the ice, these handles can pull you up and on top of the ice.  

Just in case and nearby our pond, a boat for the open water, a rake to reach with and what could be a lifesaver...a simple string with two wooden handles. 

By opening the spillway, we lowered the pond by more than a foot.

Much safer.

 It was minus 16 degrees Fahrenheit (-26.67 degrees Celsius) last night.

Now only a small pool open for the ducks. 

And then there will be Spring and Summer

and Fall, when I love my Pond.

Have a great week my dear 
Blogging Friends.

Gina