Between ice storms

Both dogs were inside for the expected nasty weather. They went outside this morning to eat and then we took a long walk. Who knows how long the ice will last. No one enjoys being cooped up in the house.

To be honest, I was preparing to walk just as the Internet and cable went out. DH was none too amused so Scruffy, Paddy, and I got the heck outta Dodge. Mid-walk I called home to suggest resetting the surge protector. I am not sure if that did the trick, but all service is restored as of this writing.

We set out cautiously as there seemed to be a thin layer of ice on the cars, on the plants and bushes, and on some signs. A few cars passed us, but we only saw two humans outside. We joked with one fellow - "Have to get the walk in quick."

My oxalis from Mrs. Russell shines with ice drops.

The broad leaves of the iris hold the water - then the ice.

I realized I forgot my wallet/id just about the time I found myself slipping. It was a quick slip - scared me and scared the pups too. I looked down to discover I had found the one spot of mud on the sidewalk. Guess I wasn't watching close enough.

There was no ice on the sidewalks, no ice on the streets, no ice on the bridges. But that little bit of ice coating on the trees made itself known as the stiff breeze (gusting to 15 miles per hour or so) moved the branches and we heard the crackling sound as the ice broke.

Ice shines on the tree limbs.

The wind hit us full in the face when we turned towards the park entrance. We moved over to the edge of the woods and were protected a little.

It started to mist as we headed back home. I could see it - first on Scruffy's coat, little bright jewels against his black fur - and then on my glasses. I was bundled against the cold, but there was nothing I could do about the misted and then fogged vision.

 

NOTES:

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos today. Some caused by fogged up glasses (so I had to trust the beep of the camera) and some by the dogs pulling on the leash at the least opportune moments.

Random photos and thoughts:

This is just before we turned around. There is no protection for some of the signs in the park.

Jill still <3's Nate

And he still loves her (in concrete anyway)

These paperwhites took the weather badly. Mine are still standing, but will need to be covered.

We saw this filing cabinet from a distance some days ago. Even though I need NOT ONE MORE THING in my house, I had to check this out. Fortunately it was a rusty old thing (and my heart could rest easy).

FINALLY, the only creatures we saw were black birds flying in a group. They did not make a sound. I don't know if they were crows (a "murder" of crows - gotta love that) or ravens. I think we have both in the area, in the park.

I WILL know in the future. I found this video that will help me tell the difference. If you are interested:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guBwMUAWAJI