Day Eighty-Seven: Glazed Over

Well, no sooner did I speak than Old Man Winter strikes again! Friday's gentle coating of ice on my car window, which quickly and quietly melted away with the warmth of the defroster, was billed by weather forecasters as a precursor to upwards of 10 inches of snow!

Of course, when the forecast calls for "anywhere from zero to ten inches of snow" (we like to cover all our bases here), it was no great surprise to walk outside and see the world in its normal technicolor hues instead of a blanketed shade of white.

So there was no snow on the ground this morning. But, things were a bit...shinier?

Lawrence is generally good for at least one ice storm a year.

These are days when you have to wake up 20 minutes earlier just to scrape away the frozen shell of ice that is caked on your car windshield.

These are days you consider wearing baseball spikes to work so that you don't slip on your way out the door.

These are some of the most beautiful days to look outside and see every stem on every branch of every tree finished in crystal, gleaming in the sun - assuming the sun decides to make a vivid post-storm appearance.

Today's "storm" was mild by Kansas standards. Traffic was not slowed, people were not bound to their homes - life proceeded as normal, if not a bit more brilliant.

Today's picture shows how a soft rain, falling and freezing, can coat everything - down to the individual blades of grass - in a thin layer of ice.

Even Lucy's favorite stick was not immune to the weather!