Tag Archives: Snow

Skywatch Friday – Cold Snowy Spell

It has been a week! We have had some wicked cold weather and a little bit of snow.

Last Friday, my brother got sick and we spent hours in the emergency room. Turns out he had covid. So they bundled him up and sent back to his residence where he is being isolated for a while. I went home and tested negative but have been self isolating for five days. So stay at home, no gym nor anything else where people are. Low single digits inhibited me from doing anything outside so I’ve been a couch potato.

I had this bright idea of taking the drone out to various places around town and launching it. First though the batteries were all low and it took hours to charge them up. I went on a little test run in the back yard and I got just a little ways up in the air and the drone went crazy and one of the motors started barking. The screen on the controller said “Too Cold” so I nixed that but I got a few photos showing the snow in the neighborhood.

Normally with as sunny as it is our one inch would be gone but it is sticking around because it is so cold.

It took me about 20 minutes to push the snow off the driveway and walkways. If I didn’t it would turn to ice. Now that is really fun to deal with, especially when you are 68 years old!

So tomorrow I’ll self test and I’ll be free again!! (If I test negative) Plus it will be warmer outside. Probably going to be too muddy to go hiking ethically but I’ll find something else to do. Don’t you worry!! And my brother is doing okay as well. He is apartment is kind of small and he is going stir crazy. They will be testing him and if negative, he’ll be free as well! Being free is good in my book.

The other thing that happened last week is that I got notified by the internet company that hosts my blog that I had way too much traffic on it and it wasn’t coming from my friendly global blogging friends. It was coming under attack by evildoers! Traffic was up by a factor of 47,000!! They said fix it or we are going to shut you off. They were nice about it though. They sent a bunch of data on what was happening and gave me seven tasks I could do that would probably work.

Hey, couldn’t go anywhere, so the next day I went through the seven things with a sense of dread. Computerspeak is like a foreign language but with the links they provided I was able to tighten up security and upgrade things and it only took a few hours so I asked them to evaluate again and they said I fixed it and complemented me on how quickly I got-er done. Whew, big sigh of relief. My motto on the blog is if it is not broke don’t fix it. Turns out that is not too smart.

So that is about it for this week! I am linking with Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World.

Skywatch Friday – Snow and More

We are in the middle of a cold front here in northeast Oklahoma. We got some sleet and snow with it and some cold temperatures. Not a fan of cold weather, snow, or any of that other low temperature foolishness.

The low temps are here to stay for a few days so we are not going to get much melting. Our fellow bloggers in Colorado, New England, northern Europe, and Canada are probably getting a big chuckle about whining like this. I don’t blame them at all.

This to shall pass.

Good thing Heather kept her snow men out.

Here is a scene from just a few days ago when we had shirtsleeve weather.

Son Logan wearing a tshirt while walking Rascal.

It was so warm that I was asked to water the butterfly waystation on Turkey Mountain. I made Heather come with me. She is a certified master gardener so I thought she could show me how to do it right.

I hope everybody is staying safe and warm.

I am linking up with Skywatch Friday. Come join in.

Storm Coming to Oklahoma

We have our first storm of the winter coming. On Ground Hogs Day! Here in Oklahoma we panic at the first thought of ice and snow. Everybody hits the grocery stores for bread and milk.

This is from my backyard weather station. It is remarkable that you can tell to the minute when the front hit. At 8:05 PM last night. The temperature and the humidity dropped like a rock. It is supposed to be sporadic rain/sleet/snow until this evening and then the snow will hit. Our weathercasters live for this stuff. The storm chasers are out and about in their cars driving on the ice, looking for stop signs with icicles flags blowing in the wind. Yep, weather is a major spectator sport in Oklahoma.

Weekend Reflections – Snowy Day

I love a good puddle reflection

Well it was kind of a snowy day last Saturday. I dropped the kid off at his Improv Comedy class and then went over to the river to plod a few miles. It had snowed a little earlier that morning but had quit. Just the kind of snow I like.

River Trails Reflections - Topaz Glow - Whisker Wires 85 pct

I used Topaz Glow – Whisker Wires effect on this photo – true confessions

So I did my thing, stopping and taking pictures every now and then.

Frozen Sculpture - Da Vinci Sketch I 70 pct

This sculpture is “Crossing the Prairie” by Glenna Goodacre. I happen to love this work. More true confessions I used Topaz on this photo also.

I don’t like cold weather that much but I don’t mind it when I’m running. I have the right kind of clothes for running in cold wet weather and my movement keeps me warm. I’m just hoping that we don’t get any ice. I hate ice. Except in my scotch, I like it a lot there.

Linking with Weekend Reflections

Digital Art Meme – Last Days of the Season

We had a brown Christmas, which suited me fine, followed by several days of lots of rain which wasn’t too much fun and then a day of sleet and then snow and now its cold so the snow is staying. So I got a Christmas photo of house all lit up with the snow which adds some reflection and makes the light a lot more even and later. I used Topaz Impressions software on this shot and then backed the effect by about 2/3 to capture the last days of the Christmas season.

The season started to end at about 5:30 the day after Christmas. Heather’s aunt, a retired school teacher, gave us all Barnes and Noble Bookstore gift cards and since we are all big readers we decided to go buy a bunch of books. So I was coming out of the store and it was raining and I was headed for the car in the rain and a car could have run over me but I was watching the drivers eyes and she wasn’t looking where I was, she was looking the other way and so I got out of her way and raised my arms up in a “What the heck lady” motion. She rolled her window down and said; “I wasn’t going to hit you and you don’t need to give me hand gestures in front of my kids.” I was like huh? and yelled “I didn’t do that!” and then she gave me the old fingered salute. Hah! it was comical and I guess that Christmas was about over, for her. I am still celebrating!!

I am staying home with the family this week eating too much, staying up too late, and sitting around too much. Back to the real world next week helping America fulfill her energy needs.

Linking with Digital Arts Meme this week.

Snow Day

Well it is Saturday and it is a snow day at the Bates household. We are weenies weatherwise here in Tulsa. I don’t think it snowed more than two inches all day long but we didn’t go anywhere. Tulsa is just now set up very well for bad weather. I’m pretty confident that I can drive safely but many of my fellow Okies just refuse to accept that bad weather should change the way they drive.

It was pretty snowy up and down the street. And my thumb is still skin colored as you can see.

I love taking pictures of lawn ornaments when there is snow.

I had my favorite snow footgear. My insulated crocks. They are very warm and cozy and I can unsnap the liner and throw in the washer when it is dirty. Of course I haven’t done that yet. I’ve only had them for ten years so check back next year. What!

My obligatory macro pics. I’m not much of macro photographer. Of course I’m not much of any type of photographer. I’m much more comfortable with being called a picture taker. Most photographers would be much more comfortable calling me something besides a photographer also. So it is a win-win. Especially for those photographers who don’t like thumbs in the pics. We picture takers just take that in stride.

On snow days you eat good. Heather cooked this for my second breakfast and made a great stew for dinner. I contributed also, she cooked and I ate. We make a great team.

This is Abigail. Don’t feel sorry for her, she doesn’t want in, she wants somebody to come out and play with her.

Here is the obligatory snow shoveling selfie, complete with some more thumb. No extra charge. No charge for the big ole double chin either. I read that on selfies you are supposed to stick your chin out to avoid big double chins. Just think how many chins I would have if I hadn’t done that. Do you like my new tortoise shell glass frames. I like them. Everybody else goes on and on about how they like them in a manner that makes me think that maybe they don’t like them. You can also see my deviated septum. An old baseball injury from school. Oh well, so much for this.

This is just to prove that I shoveled the driveway. Not too many people do that in the neighborhood. I don’t know why. My next door neighbor does a good job though.

And here is the front of the house. Snow has its uses. I think the whole family enjoyed the snow day.

Turkey Mountain Snow Day

This is a scene from Tulsa’s beautiful Turkey Mountain Wilderness Park after a brief snow in November. It is a beautiful place where Simon Malls plans on putting in a huge luxury outlet mall (whatever that is.)

I used Topaz Impressions with their Watercolor IV filter to make this.

Check out Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition for more information on Turkey Moutain

Linking with Digital Art Meme

A Belated White Christmas

Hey we finally got a little bit of snow here in Oklahoma. The kind of snow that I like. It covers the grass and trees but doesn’t stick to the driveways and roadways.

Just enough to get some snow pics but not cause any disruption.

I’m not a big fan of disruption.

It is amazing how fast the snow shovels and sleds appear and mild and bread disappear at grocery stores with the first hint of snow.

I’m doing a transition out of Christmas and into New Years. I’ve even quit using my Christmas coffee mug and started using my New Year’s mug. All I need is a few hours of warm weather so I can take the Christmas decorations down.

Have you started your transition yet?

Song-ography – White Christmas Edition

The theme on Songography is “Any Christmas Song.” I picked White Christmas because to Christmas is very nostalgic for me and White Christmas is a very nostalgic song. And a big part of my childhood was spent in Forest Service Ranger Stations up in the mountains. That was back when when snow was kind of magical and not the pain in the butt that it is now. I’m using my father’s old photographs so I don’t know if that is cheating or not because I didn’t take them.

I think that is my brother, Bob, taking a photo of me and my little sister Ellen at the Payson Ranger Station on the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. My sister was born in Payson and we moved to Utah soon thereafter. I think this was on a visit back to Payson. The Forest Service was very tight knit socially and everybody moved around a lot so we knew somebody almost everywhere. I love the old school jeep and truck and the galoshes. Does anybody wear those any more? Those buckles would get iced over and they would be hare to take off.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the tree tops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I’m guessing that this is northern Arizona in the early 1960’s.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all
Your Christmases be white

This is the old Payson Ranger Station in Arizona. The building on the left was the Assistant Ranger’s Residence. It is now a museum. The building on the right was the Ranger’s office. It is part of the museum. We lived across the street in in a cinder block house owned by the Forest Service.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the tree tops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

This is my Mother at their Forest Service owned house in Happy Jack, Arizona on the Coconino National Forest (I think). This was after my parents were first married and several years before I was born.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases
May all your Christmases
May all your Christmases
May all your Christmases be white

I think this is another scene from northern Arizona.

I’m dreaming of a white
Christmas with you
Jingle Bells
All the way, all the way

A road through the forest. We used to do the Griswold thing and go cut our own tree (with a permit to do so of course). It was always an adventure to go find the tree. Dad was an expert at “improving the tree.”

The movie White Christmas came out in 1954 and I was born in 1955. I find the movie fascinating because to me it shows how the “Greatest Generation” thought of themselves. The old can do if we just pull together and work together spirit.

Santa Fe Ski Area late 1950's or early 60's

Dad tells me that this is the Santa Fe ski area way back when. It is a lot different now. I love the guy rocking the red ski sweater and what looks like a tow rope in the background and the shack which may have been the “lodge.”

And here is a clip from the movie. Everything is cool until you get some dialog and it is in a language I couldn’t understand. Oh well!!

Things are a lot different. Everybody is kind of spinning in their own orbit these days.

But hey, I still love Christmas for a bunch of different reasons and I still love snow, when I don’t have to go anywhere in it. Have a Merry Christmas!!

Linking to Song-ography

Snow Run on Turkey Mountain

Saturday, with a forecast of snow on Sunday, Brian of Tulsa’s Runners World, and one of the leaders of Tulsa’s active running community, put out a call on Facebook for a Snow Run on Sunday on Turkey Mountain followed by a lunch somewhere. There was a huge response. So a bunch of people of all ages and abilities showed up. I had never run in the snow before on Turkey Mountain so I hey I put aside my concerns about bad streets and all that showed up myself. We had Trail Zombie, the mayor of Turkey Mountain as our guide. He did a great job. Check the link for his post on the run.

It was just a dusting of snow but it was beautiful.

The trails were beautiful. I actually ran in my hiking boots cuz I like my feet to stay warm and I didn’t know how wet it would be. The running in the boots went fine. They are well broken in.

It was beautiful. Oh, I already said that? Well it bears repeating.

Everybody kind of shuffled along the Snake trail for 3.5 miles. Nobody was in a big hurry. We waited at the trail forks for the stragglers to come in and off we went again.

Afterward some of went to Cracker Barrel to eat and enjoyed some great company and conversation.

Afterward I went home. LJ the cat was not interested in my Snow Run. A belly rub was more what he was looking for.

This was our route. 3.5 miles the scenic way.

Linking with Our World Tuesday

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