Puddle Down

Snowing in the parking lot

We got a half an inch of rain today. I noticed the rain had washed out part of the bridge as I drove over it on the way home this afternoon. After I got home, I changed my clothes, put on boots, gathered up a shovel and a wheelbarrow, walked the quarter mile back up to the bridge, and filled the hole before it grew larger. After I filled the hole in the bridge, I filled many of the larger holes in the road where it runs parallel to the ditch before it got dark.

The photo on the left shows a long puddle in the road reflecting the sunset. The photo on the right shows a long puddle filled with dirt, and the water splashed to the side, reflecting the dusk.

Spunk grooving on a beanbag.

Spunk meditating on magic dirt clods while grooving on a beanbag.

Snowing Slightly —> Snowing lighting —> Snowing Lightning

Snowing lightning

With my numb, arthritic fingers, I can’t type worth beans these days. I thought I commented to Lavinia, “It’s snowing lightly now,” but auto-mistake changed whatever typo I made on “lightly” to lighting. Lavinia read it as “lightning” and replied that she had only seen “snow lightning” a few times in her life. I replied that I had never seen it. Then Deborah chimed in on snow lightning, as well. As you can see in the above photo, I made snow lightning.

All the confusion about snow lightning occurred because it snowed last night and this morning.

Kitties in the snow

Clear sky in the west at sunset

Vulture watching the Beaver Moon rise. Jupiter looks on.

The moon is 98.3% full tonight. It will be 99.9% full tomorrow night. The official full moon is on Monday when it doesn’t pass the meridian. It will still be 99% full on Tuesday.

Beaver Moon swimming in a sea of clouds. Jupiter looks on.

Beaver Moon in colorful whipped cream clouds. Jupiter looks on.

WordPress reminded me that I’ve been blogging for thirteen years. I think it’s time to retire.

No Comet Seen Tonight

The comet was supposed to be close to Mars tonight. Using three different cameras, various exposures, and binoculars, I did not see a comet near Mars.

The above image was from the live sky on SkySafariWeb. The image below is from Celestron’s website. I’m in MST, which was 7:00 PM when the above photos were taken.

The night sky with whispy clouds from a couple of nights ago.

We got a dusting of snow on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

Clouds over the Sandias before sunset on Wednesday afternoon.

Sunset on Wednesday evening.

Free

Icy wind picks up
Pulls leaf free from snowbound hold
Underfoot no more

Today’s wind was favorable for the leaf that was snowbound last night. The leaf was blown free of its icy hold, left lying peacefully off to the side of the trail no longer underfoot. Below is The Who’s “I’m Free” live in 1977 to celebrate the leaf’s luck of the draw.

Daddy owl eyeing me through a tangle of twigs.

This American Coot was foraging on the sandbar. Then it started to take flight and decided against it.

pTerodactyl trying to hide behind a tumbleweed.

Venus at dawn under clear skies.

After having cloud cover for most of the day, these were the last few clouds hanging around at sunset.

Snowbound

Blown by icy winds
Tumbled to the ground
On edge stuck like a knife
Snow rough, trodden
Out of reach
Sun’s warming grip
Snowbound waits its fate…
Snow melts sets it free
Or…
Stepped on, crushed underfoot