The meteorologists were issuing ominous forecasts a few days ago, using terms like "snow event" and "accumulation," and as usual, attempting to cause widespread concern. However, we only received a meager half-inch of snow that had disappeared by mid-morning.
They repeated their predictions yesterday morning, but once again, we saw just a small amount of snow, which had melted by suppertime.
Today, the forecast called for a temperature of +2°C, with a chance of flurries. To our surprise, we've been hit with a sudden heavy snowfall, with about two inches already on the ground and still falling vigorously. There's now too much snow for it all to melt, signaling the arrival of the winter season. The yard is bustling with winter birds, as the warm-weather nesters have all headed south. The trees stand bare, and the deer have donned their dull gray winter coats. We've already split and stacked firewood, and a black bear made what we hope is his final visit of the year, creating a mess at our bird feeders. An early appearance of a Snowy Owl, which initially stood out like a sore thumb a few days ago in the
wedding kake, has now blended into its wintry surroundings, becoming nearly invisible.