Red Sky at Morning, Blizzard Warning

I woke this morning to the sound of high winds whistling past the eaves.
Clouds were moving fast across the clerestory window to the west, and the Aspen branches were rotating and gyrating, silver gray against the dark clouds.

To the east, the dawn was eerie, deep yellow and red. Red dawn, a tumbling sky, bringing heavy weather.




We got up quickly, dressed and got the dogs on their leashes. We walked them up the new road quickly, a blizzard wind driving snow out of the west, into our faces.

They found sheltered places among the trees, in the lee of the ridge, to take care of their business. Going back, the wind was at our backs, blowing snow into canine fur.

The driveway looked dangerous, and we made our way down hill through the woods, and across by the dog run to the porch.

The snow continued, and winds gusted to 60 mph, a veering flaw, from west to north to south, the snow making dust-devils in the drive.

Then New Mexico-like, it tapered to flurries and stopped by noon. We thought we'd get into town to enjoy an early winter holiday dinner at the Chem Geek Princess's new home.

But the road out to Old Route 66 was perilous; it is winding and narrow, and some of the north downhills were sheer ice. We might have gotten down safely. And then again, maybe not. But we'd certainly not have made it up again. And there are the animals to consider. We turned around just before the first steep, curved grade, and came home.

The Boychick is deeply disappointed. The Chem Geek Princess is leaving for London on Thursday, a dream trip. Oxford at Christmastide, with the candles and red academic robes for the Christian holy day. She'll be gone until his birthday at the very tale-end of the year. And he was expecting presents tonight.

So we'll eat the slow roast I was making for this week.

We'll try again on Tuesday.

But the second storm is supposed to come through tomorrow. Bigger. Badder. With heavier snow lasting until Tuesday afternoon.

We might be having the postponed early holiday celebration very late. On the 28th. The last night of Hannukah. The Boychick's birthday.

On A Snowy Evening

NEARLY WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

On Tuesday, December 9, we had a snowstorm, and a snow day . . .

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

And Another Surprise

Last night when we took the dogs out for their last walk, the clouds had enclosed us, and very large, wet flakes were flying at us out of the west. We came in wet and had to dry the dogs with towels.

In the middle of the night, I awoke to Bruce saying, "It's snowing, honey."

I reached for my glasses, and it was lovely.

This morning, we walked out to this enchanting scene. Clouds racing across the sky, and about five inches of snow on the driveway. Sunshine and shadow were playing catch with each other across the pristine snow.

As we walked up Via Sedillo toward the top of our ridge, we looked north to see South Mountain parting a veil of clouds for a momentary chance to shine above the snow-laden trees.

The paper delivery guy had made it down Teypana, and his were the solitary pair of tire tracks on the roads in Rancho Verde.

At the top of the ridge, we walked near Cresta Vista, and marveled at the mountains of clouds to the south across the Juan Tomas valley.

Soon after we took this picture, the clouds closed in, and thick fog rolled across the mountain top, and wove around us, cool and wet.

What a changeable, blustery day.

As we descended along Via Sedillo again, we came below the fog.

As we looked to the north, above the trees, South Mountain was once again hidden in the clouds and fog, which swirled around her so quickly, that we could catch only short glimpses of her ridges and trees.

Here again..and gone! A coy game of hide-and-seek courtesy the clouds and wind.

Later, as we ate breakfast, we watched from the breakfast room window as dark clouds again encroached on a clear blue sky.

The frontal boundary that told us that the snow was not going away by noon, as it did last week.

It is one of those days, one where I feel that I must be near the window most of the time, in order to make sure I do not miss anything new that the clouds and wind bring to the constantly changing vistas.

I keep wondering what happened to La Nina. It must be weak indeed, for the storms and moisture keep on coming from the Pacific across the Southwest, like a normal year. Usually La Nina pushes the storm tracks north, and a high pressure gets parked over the four corners, and we have a dry winter and spring. This year, it is not as intense as an El Nino, but we have above average snow cover on the mountains, more like a normal (not El Nino, not La Nina) year.

I am longing for spring weather, but the beauty of these storms--the clouds, the snow, the sudden glimpses of sunlight--is a blessing, too.

And my mantra has become: ...and we need the precipitation. We need the moisture. This was a particularly good snow, too. Wet and heavy, and five inches of it. Marvelous.

Blizzard Ends Birthday Weekend with a Bang!

Once again, N. and I beat the storm by a small margin.

Today, we had gone into to town to meet a friend and see Temples and Tombs, an exhibit if ancient Egyptian artifacts on loan from the British Museum to the Albuquerque Museum.

As we were enjoying enchiladas at the Church Street Cafe in Old Town, Bruce called to say that the rain in Albuquerque was slushy stuff at home. We finished with some dispatch, took our friend home and then hit the pet store. It was crowded and we had to wait a few minutes to get crickets for N.'s fire-bellied toads. Bruce called again. The barometer was dropping ominously, and the temperature was dropping as well.

As we were leaving the grocery store, Bruce called once again. It was the dreaded start-home-now-or-regret-it call. I was already merging onto I-40 eastbound as N. took the call.

It was raining in the canyon, and the wind was picking up. By Tijeras, the temperature was 39 degrees and I needed the defroster on. Three miles east and uphill, the temperature was 37 and the ice-warning on the truck thermometer was flashing. The rain had turned to slush coming from the sky.

As we climbed Sedillo hill from Zuxax, it seemed the temperature dropped a degree every thousand feet, and by the time we turned from Old Route 66 onto our road, the slush was very wet snow that was accumulating.

We parked at the top of the driveway, and as we ran down to the house, grocery bags in hand, the wind picked up and it was almost white-out conditions.

We made it!

The slushy stuff was accumulating on the windows on the northwest side of the house (top picture).

The wind was what sailors call a 'veering flaw' at first, the trees blowing this way and that, and white waves coming across the yard. (second picture).

By the time we got the groceries put away, and MLC and Bruce had moved their cars up, the driveway was covered. (this picture).

And it was finally completely clear of all snow and ice for the first time since December 21 just yesterday! Durn it!

Well, it is back to parking above again, and wondering if we will make it into town for tomorrow's activities.

Here at home, we are slated to start doing some math together again tomorrow. That will keep us occupied if we become snowed in.

We are expecting accumulation through the night and through the day tomorrow.

The first wave of the California storm has made it to New Mexico.

In this picture

Deja Vu All Over Again! The Friday the 13th Snowstorm

On Friday afternoon, we came home to see N. walking up the hill to the house in the snow.
Yes, really! It is pretty unusual for central New Mexico to get snow this late in April, even in the mountains. He told us that he had build a wickiup in the forest and had studied the insulating properties of snow. Next winter, we'll have to teach him the use of a psychrometer. This time he just used a thermometer.

Bruce and I were at the synagogue Thursday night, and I stayed in town on Friday morning because I had a review session for our last exam in Neurobiology (coming on Monday afternoon) and then class after that. I kept in touch with N. and MLC., who were at home. Apparently, it snowed all day. When I talked to MLC at 4 PM, she was concerned that I would not be able to get Henry, the big red truck, up the hills to our development. Poor Henry! He doesn't have 4WD so slippery hills are tricky!

I talked to my husband (he was at work at Sandia) and we decided to park Henry at the grocery store--we needed a few things--and drive home together in his Focus, which has front wheel drive. So we secured Henry and started off. (I was remember February 13th when I did not heed N.'s warnings about the snow and ended up sliding Henry down the hill backwards to Alta Vista). It was raining miserably in ABQ. Just east of Carnuel, it was snowing. By Tijeras Village it was sticking. Snow was Packed on the sides of the road at Zuzax, where we exit the freeway. Old Route 66 was snow packed when we were half-way up Sedillo Hill. But the snow was so wet, that I think I could have got Henry all the way up Via Sedillo and home. But better safe than sorry!

By the time we arrived home, there was 4 inches of very wet snow in the snow guage! Amazing weather. I mean we expect frost until around Mother's Day--but our last snow is usually on April Fool's day, if we get any in late March and April at all! But this year, we had snow last weekend and this weekend!

BUT...we need to be grateful. Every bit of precipitation is a blessing after the last ten years of drought!

This morning, the snow was heavy on the eaves of the house and there were icicles hanging down, as well. I put the towel for boots and another for the dogs by the front door. The pellet stove was fired up. If not for the spring solar angle, it would have seemed like January all over again!

But this was definitely a spring snowstorm. The snow was very heavy and wet, and the trees

were weighed down to an extraordinary degree. The light was spring light, and by afternoon, it was 58 degrees outside and felt like spring. Water was cascading off the roof and the icicles were gone.

Our morning walk was definitely a wintry feeling walk, and we got a good picture of a snow-bent tree over on Shultz Road.

But this afternoon, when MLC and I had our toes done in Albuquerque, we wore short sleeves and sandles. Go figure.