Ice Storm Blows Through

When we last saw our intrepid adventurers, they were drying out from an unexpected walk in the rain at the state park. After drying out and warming up, they fell asleep in their warm abode, only to awaken to rain and ice.

A winter storm blew threw early Wednesday morning. We had no plans for the day, so we were able to stay home, warm and dry. Rain fell throughout the day. Late in the afternoon, I emptied the rain gauge, which had almost an inch of rain. That is the most rain we have received in a few months. It was good to get enough moisture to seep into the ground. I'm sure the farmers enjoyed the rainfall, as it will help their winter wheat and get the ground ready for spring planting.

Of course, an inch of rain does not break a drought; it doesn't even put a dent in in. For us, we need enough rainfall for runoff to fill our lakes, and the ground soaks up a slow rain like this as soon as it touches down. I doubt we will see any noticeable improvement in the lakes as a result of this rain.

We hope we will get some more rain in coming days, as the forecast does call for scattered showers into the weekend.

This is the tree in our backyard. If you look closely, you can see ice in it. You can also see a frosty coating in the general landscape. Notice there are no leaves in the tree.

I took this picture of the same tree as above just a few minutes ago before the sun came up. There is a street light as a backdrop. Remember, this tree has no leaves, but the ice makes it look as if it does.

Ice was building up at the base of the water spout near our back door.

What a beautiful sight! Our gauge has not had that much rain in a long time. Notice ice along top of wall.