FEB 7th SNOW, Part 2

Well the sun came out today... but the temps were in the teens when I awoke. After feeding the cats, I wandered out with the camera. The snow wasn't deep, but it was crunchy underfoot. I say it wasn't deep, but that's because I stayed out of the drifts. Mostly it measured between 4 and 5 inches, not much when compared with our friends to the west and north who got up to 3 feet! Anyway, here is a tour of the yard... well, let's start on the carport - my van is covered with snow. I shoveled and swept off the steps about 20 times to keep them clear. It was a losing battle. The barns were coated with snow dust. Actually, I think it looks pretty. My first stop this morning, even before I took out the camera, was my official CoCoRaHS precip measuring cylinder. I am supposed to use this for measuring the water content if the snow. It was frozen solid to the post. I should have taken a picture of it before I brushed all the snow off. St Francis looks a bit chilly. I need to remember to put fresh water out. The Buddha is not in as big a blanket as last week... This camellia next to the house is so tall, it is over the roof - but not today! Today it is over the driveway! And the birch tree is leaning to meet it.This one is normally 12 feet tall, I had to bend over to get past it. There are frozen mini ponds and rivers all around the place. My neighbor behind me called yesterday and said he had a moat around his castle! I can see I need to cut back the Bayberry. The Nandina still have a few berries, but the birds are working on them. This is Ice Angel, the camellia. The Grackles and a few other birds that can squeeze in with them found some old seed on the driveway and their feet melted the snow. It is cold. It is icy - but it is beautiful.