Ice and Snow in the Sandhills

Here in the Sandhills of North Carolina, winter weather (the fun kind) is somewhat rare. Predictions tend to get us excited, but sometimes they don't yield results. Our local forecasters have been preparing us all week for the same system that dumped several inches over the midwest and brought things to a standstill.

About 7 Friday night we saw our first flakes. A sure harbinger of more to come. By bedtime at 11 we were still waiting hopefully. Up at 2:30 a.m. just to check on the status of our backyard. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. We knew that Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro had already begun accumulating the white stuff even before we went to bed. Was this going to be the same old story we've heard oftentimes before? The storm tracked just north of the Sandhills, where just a trace of snow fell.

But, not to worry. I had just been back in bed a minute or two when there was the audible sound--ting ting ting-- on our tin roof. I sprang back to the back door and was gratified to see some crystalline formations descending on the premises. YES. It was easy to drop off to sleep after that. A couple of hours later Judy informed me that the ground was now white. By the time we got up just after 7, we had a decent covering. The best part was, even though the ground was fully covered (except the wild onions I chose NOT to cut in October), ice was not clinging to the trees and power lines. Even though I love the effect of ice-covered trees, losing one's electricity is not a good trade-off.

Postponing breakfast, Judy and I bundled up and trekked off to survey the nearby community. Here are some representative pictures from our outing.

Out the front gate. The back steps looked a little icy.
Judy gets the honor of making the first footprints. I get the honor of taking her picture.

The birdbath may be frozen over, but it still remained a busy area all day. Judy put out a pan of water so the birds could drink (instead of just skating).

A nice even covering. And we have no plans to move any of the vehicles until the roads are clear.

For the small amount we got, the roads are surprisingly covered. And with temps around 13 and 10 degrees for the next two nights, conditions won't improve too rapidly.

We've got food, electricity, and plenty of firewood. Not a bad place to be snowed in.

Somebody's obviously been driving, but cars are few and far between.

We walked the half mile to Highway 211 and find it has already been scraped.

The road up to Pinehurst and Rassie Wicker Park

Now that we've walked to 211 and seen what we could see, we have a good walk home with just a little sleet in our faces.

I step over to the power line right-of-way where we frequently walk.

Home Sweet Home. Let's get those boots off, get warm by the fire, and-- oh, yeah-- breakfast!

This is me and Judy, but with 95% of our skin covered with our best winter-wear, it could just as easily be two perfect strangers.

We'll venture out again when the spirit moves us, or when the sleet stops blowing. It's almost 3:00 now, and a light frozen mist continues to fall. But the ground cover has already become crunchy and nothing is melting on the road. Real fun ahead for the next couple of days.

Next blog post might be a snow update-- OR it might just be BABIES!