First Snow!

We got the first real snow of the season last night. It arrived with thunder and lightning and a 20 degree drop in temperature. We had rain, sleet, snow, graupel, slush, and other early-season cold and yucky varieties of precipitation. And wind, too, of course. The Palmer Divide gets a lot of wind.

We had about 3" of snow over a layer of slush and ice this morning. Temps were down in the 20's, a contrast to the mid-50's we had yesterday afternoon before the front came through.



These photos are from this afternoon. Things looked much the same earlier except that it was dark and everything was covered with snow, not just the ground.

The paved roads were in dreadful shape this morning. Everything was incredibly icy and slippery.


I guess it's not summer any longer. I say that every year.


The Local Inspector



This guy was peering in our window last week. He came through the yard with 3 or 4 of his buddies. They nibbled on late-season weeds and aspen leaves before heading across the road and down the hill.

Our cat was quite intent on the visitors. He didn't get as excited as he does when he sees birds or rodents, but he was definitely paying attention. We call anything that entertains the cats "Cat TV". This was the Deer Channel. The cats like the Deer Channel, though it's not quite as thrilling as the Grouse Channel or the Chipmunk Channel.

A Late Season Rose



This is a rose that was blooming in front of Lewis Palmer Middle School last week. It was pretty and I had the camera with me, thus the photo. I have no idea what the variety is, but it must be something pretty darn sturdy to survive in front of the local middle school. I wonder if there will be any more roses this year, or if the buds all died with the snow?