Snow Day in Jerusalem

Friday  morning I woke up to this sight on my way to the bathroom:

And these sights:

Of course I had to go put my foot in it,

and make a snowball.  

Later that morning it started snowing heavily.

This is the picture of "hell" frozen over...

I wanted to go sledding on the roof.

 Through the swirling snow we caught a glimpse of a small snowman.

 But it wasn't long before the snow stopped and the sun came out.

 Poor little snowman (and his miniature companion that I quickly constructed) didn't last too long...

 It's kind of fun to see the snow on "tropical" plants.

I guess I brought some snow with me from Montana this time.  

Snowflakes

God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. 
For to the snow he says, 'Fall on the earth,' likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. 
                                                                                                     ~Job 37:5-6


Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 
which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? 
                                                                                                       ~Job 38:22-23

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
                                                                                                     ~Psalm 51:7


He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. 
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? 
He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. 
                                                                                                     ~Psalm 147:16-18

Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, 
fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! 
                                                                                                     ~Psalm 148:7-8

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 
                                                                                                     ~Isaiah 1:18

Snow attack

We were deep in enemy territory when the snow hit.  We could not afford to pause to wait out the storm, so we continued on quickly and silently, almost like the ghosts we would rapidly become if we were caught.  

Unfortunately, in this much snow even ghosts leave tracks.  Snow is a mixed blessing for those being tracked.  If enough falls, it might cover your tracks again.  If not, you might as well leave neon arrows pointing after you pass.  You'll be found just as quickly.  

Luck was not with us.  The snow was abating, and we were not close enough to safety to make a run for it.  We would have to make a stand.  

We built the fort at the base of an ancient spruce.  We worked with an energy and efficiency borne of panic, our movements almost too quick to follow.    It was a small fort, but sturdy.  We cleared the ground around it so the enemy wouldn't be able to come close without being exposed.  

We knew the attack would come at dawn.

Fortunately, ammunition was plentiful.   

Finally, we were ready.  When the enemy attacked he would be met with deadly force.  

There was nothing left to do but take turns at the watch and try to catch an hour or two of sleep before the battle was joined.  We slept, dreaming that we were ghosts already.  

 And the beautiful, silent night slowly slipped away...

A Weather Story

Today I met some friends for coffee around 3:30.  

(And yes, shockingly, I actually did drink coffee.)

It was a nice enough day - overcast, it had rained, but warm enough so one of my friends wore Capri type pants and the coffee shop propped its door open.  (Probably in the 50's, maybe low 60's, but no wind) 

I left there and went to Walmart.   When I entered Walmart around 5pm, it was still a pleasant day, though some of the clouds looked rather ominous.  I exited Walmart at 6pm, accompanied by driving sleet/hail and a cacophony of rolling thunder and flashing lightening.  (Pretty sure that's the first thunder of the year.)   

This picture doesn't do justice to the sheets of sleet you could see coming down.

At that point there was already an inch or two of white stuff covering everything and the roads were a bit treacherous.  

I thought to my self, "This can't last!  It will blow itself out soon."    

Clearly, I am not a prophet.  

The sleet didn't last, it's true, but it turned to snow.  I was running errands, so I would make a mad dash into the stores, slush soaking my pants up to my knees, white snow flakes obscuring the green of my coat.  After completing whatever purchases I had to make (rarely more than a few minutes at each stop) I would dash back out to my car where I would have to start the defroster and sweep snow off my car so I could attempt to see out the windows.  


Once I finally made it home, my car looked like this: 

 And outside the garage you could see where the wind had piled snow against the garage door.

 It even tried to block up my door.

It's now nearly 11pm and the snow storm is still going strong with several inches of snow accrued already.  

It's the traditional Easter Blizzard, just a few days early. 

This was the snow storm on Easter when I was probably about one and a half...just as evidence of how common this sort of occurrence is.  

 Bonus Picture (just because it was on the same page in the scrapbook):  I apparently really loved to sing with my dad. :)

Morning Splendor

This morning I was up earlier than normal to see my cousins off as they headed back to Oregon.  With the sun coming up, the moon going down, the freshly fallen snow, and the elk tramping across my back yard, it was a perfect morning for pictures.

As the sun draws closer, the clouds hooding the Bridgers begin to glow pink.

Pink clouds pour themselves over the Brigers

Warm enough for icicles to start melting

Elk purposefully stride across the field to reunite with the rest of the herd

A waning gibbous moon adds a nice touch of ambiance to the scene.  

Yes?

Many elk huddle together under the lightening sky

Fluffy pink clouds gather around these mountains as well

Another icicle

The moon hangs over the Spanish Peaks as the sun makes the snow glisten

The snow is a dramatic contrast to the barren trees under the fully risen sun