It's snowball snow!

When the world gives you lemons, make lemonade!

SnowJester and SnowQueen!

I love the changes in weather. I love the four seasons. After yet another 5 - 10 cm of snow, I figured out it was snowball snow! Today it is -15 C. and I hope they freeze well!

It was 4 C. Sunday afternoon, and it had been snowing all day. Out I went to shovel the front walk. We had snow forecasted to last until 9 p.m. but after doing the sidewalk the snow called to me.

The crazy thing was after I finished my snow pair, I realized the snow on the driveway was getting deep and I ended up doing the driveway with the snowblower. Great exercise.
My biceps are getting pretty tough, and I'm not doing any handweights these days!

I like making snow critters. After 25 years of yard duty, I really didn't learn much about them. I spent too much time trying to stop fights.

I loathed the arguments, though, how kids will build one during one recess, and then other kids rush out and try to take it over during the next.

Then there were the snowball fights. Every principal outlawed the dreaded snowball.  There were no end of kids who couldn't resist. In some middle school kids had to write a 500-word essay about the dangers of snowballs if caught doing the deed.

Snowman 2010

In another school, the custodian made the kids a target, up against the fence. It was brilliant. It channeled their need to throw, play, keep active, and meant no snow in someone's eyes. I remember kids going to the ER with a snowball that contained a stone. A shame kids have to me like that.

But back to my efforts. The kids know how to do it! They get buddies to help. I wish I'd taken photos of those days! I keep making the first one too big.

2011

Last year, I made a huge first ball, wrestling it along the yard. Then the second one, to be in the right proportion, is REALLY big and I cannot lift it up. I figured out that if I split the next one I could lift it up half a piece at a time!
She melted and I made a time-lapse movie from photos!

Death of a Snowman
The pros go out and film tornadoes, hurricanes, crespular clouds, sunsets, macrophotos of bugs... These are my PlantCam photos of my latest (2011) and best snowman. May s/he rest in peace. I am loathe to put copyrighted music to it, you may hum Mozart's Requiem, or other dirge, at will!

2009

2009 SnowAlien

This one was fun. It was 2009 when we lived beside the lake. I ended up putting solar-powered lights on it as ears on one. It looked great from up at the house in the dark.

When we lived by the lake, the ice proved to be another source of creative fun. One year I made sculptures of the ice!

Docktails after my hard work!