Ice, Rain and Snow Oh My!

Ironically my last blog post was about how beautiful winter is in Iowa.  Now, for the last few days we've been having the exact weather that people dread during winter...

It all started with an ice storm on Sunday and Monday, along with heavy fog all day Monday.

Look how weighed down one of our lilac bushes is due to the ice
and how low the neighboring trees branches are hanging to the ground

Ice was coating everything - trees, bushes, grass, vehicles, the house, etc.
See how foggy it is, at the bottom of the photo you can kind of see the ground through the fog

Thunderstorms and rain Monday night and Tuesday.

The thunderstorm and rain left everything very wet

We usually have puddles like this in April, not January...

And now this morning we wake up to snow, with wind to pick up later today.

Our dog Bailey taking a mid-morning nap in the snow
I don't know why,
but she'd rather sleep in the flower box next the the house, rather  than her doghouse

Bailey back on duty protecting the farm, she'd never want us to see her sleeping on the job!

I guess the only type of weather we're missing now is sunshine!  I just have to laugh and smile and say, this is winter in Iowa!  I'm just happy that we've been getting precipitation!  After the 2012 drought, I'm concerned with what sub-soil moisture we have left and what conditions our 2013 crops will have to try to grow in.  So bring on the moisture, in whatever form it comes!

Hope you all are taking care in whatever weather conditions come your way!

The Beauty of Winter in Iowa

I know I've said it before, I love winter!  Technically, my favorite season is fall, but winter comes in a close second.  So many times I hear people at the grocery store, gas station, church, etc., complaining about winter.  They complain that it is cold, that it is boring, and that it is just kind of a blah time of year.  To all those that don't think there is a special beauty to winter, here are a few photos I've taken this winter that I hope will make people smile and cherish this special season we call winter.

My inspiration for this blog post - a bald eagle in one of our fields
My Farmer and I were commenting today
how there are so many more bald eagles in Iowa  now
than we have ever seen before

There is just something about winter sunsets (and sunrises)
The extra cold moisture in the air brings out beautiful colors in the sky

Ice and Snow - the two things people complain about the most during winter
But don't they look beautiful on this tree!