haiku~~wonder or wander~

 

 

silver dollar snowflakes

my first night in a new town

wonder or wander  

how many faces do you see????

 This is one of those photos  one usually deletes, it does not show the image i was trying to capture of large, seriously large, icicles on the side of a road-cut.  That happens when one presses the shutter button on an cheap,old, digital camera while riding in a car that is traveling at 55mph, in a rainstorm and AFTER seeing the giant icicles.

But...big but....when i was previewing the images  i got, deciding which ones stay and which ones go, a voice over my shoulder remarked, "how many faces are in the picture?"  "Faces? what?"  So, i looked and it didn't take much to find a large Aztec warrior, in the center of the photo. after that i needed a guide, and my guide found 3 more.  Poor me i found no more.

 

 

 

 

Pareidolia is a phenomenon wherein people perceive likenesses on random images—such as faces, animals, or objects on clouds and rock formations. 

 

 Try as i might, I have never been very good at seeing those faces  or spotting those shapes everyone else sees.  Pareidolia  is believed to be a survival skill our early ancestors developed.   

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Some cold Weather words

 The bluest skys, a stiff breeze and bitter cold!!!! here in the piney wood.   Think i will stay indoors today.  The apple cores orange peels, potato skins, onion skins, egg shells tea bags, what have you, can get a bit more pungent before they go to the compost pile......i'm NOT going out there today!   It was surprising to see that last night's winds, swept the snows into a smooth even surface, looks like it could be an Arctic scene, gone where the trails of human and deer tracks  that made the yard look like an all white quilt in the making, when i looked out the  window.  There is also a dark rectangular object that looks very much like a door, hmmm all of ours are present and accounted for.  The winds are vigorously sweeping across the the yard and slowly burying it.   I will be more than grateful for the warmer temperatures predicted  for the coming week.   

Meanwhile it will leisurely read thru my seed catalog and find the perfect variety of pumpkins to grow this year.   

 

What does Cold weather mean? (Meaning & Origin)

Cold weather refers to conditions where the temperature is low, often causing discomfort or requiring protective clothing. The term “cold” originates from Old English “cald,” describing a lack of heat or warmth.

Slang Words for Cold weather

1. Brrr: Very cold feeling or weather.
2. Icy: Extremely cold, like ice.
3. Chilly: Mildly cold temperature.
4. Frosty: Cold with possible frost.
5. Nippy: Quick, biting cold.
6. Arctic: Extremely cold, polar-like.
7. Frozen: Extremely cold, ice-like.
8. Glacial: Cold and slow-moving.
9. Crisp: Cool, clear, and refreshing.
10. Biting: Sharply cold.
11. Blustery: Cold with strong winds.
12. Parka: Extremely cold weather.
13. Sub-zero: Below freezing point.
14. Wintery: Typical of winter coldness.
15. Brisk: Cold but invigorating.
16. Snowed: Covered or overwhelmed with cold.
17. Coolish: Slightly cold.
18. Frigid: Intensely cold.
19. Baltic: Very cold, especially in UK slang.
20. Icebox: Extremely cold space.

Use of Cold Weather Slang in Example Sentences

1. It’s so brrr outside, grab your coat!
2. The lake looks completely icy today.
3. This morning feels particularly chilly.
4. The window has a frosty layer on it.
5. The wind is especially nippy today.
6. It feels almost arctic outside!
7. The ground seems absolutely frozen.
8. His response was rather glacial.
9. The air is so crisp and refreshing.
10. This biting cold cuts through everything.
11. It’s a blustery day, so bundle up!
12. You’ll need a parka for this weather.
13. With these sub-zero temperatures, stay indoors.
14. The roads look very wintery now.
15. I love a brisk morning jog.
16. I feel snowed under with this cold.
17. It’s a bit coolish, isn’t it?
18. The night was utterly frigid.
19. Feels rather baltic out, doesn’t it?
20. This room’s an absolute icebox.

 

Here's to the people who drive the snowplows

 

 

 I do thank you, all of you!

Even when you drive past my house for the umpteenth time that night, the rattle of anti skid hitting the road,the sound of the plows' blade as it scrapes away the snow and sleet on the roadway as you pass by often wake me. The lights  pierce the dark and light up my room lets me know that you are out on that road making it safer.  When it  wakes me up enough that i get up and look out the window {sometime i'm fast enough to see the plow truck}.  I love to see the  flashing lights and to wave and say "Thanks for keeping us safer! You be safe out there". I even  say that when your lights can just barely be seen.

Thanks!!! thank you so much. 

The full moon February 1 2026, Imbolic, just me rambling. and a haiku

(Image credit: Misha Kaminsky/Getty Images)

 

 

The 2026 Full Snow Moon will peak on at 5:09 pm EST. on Sunday, February 1st. 

 Coincidentally,  the  Full Snow Moon falls on the cross-quarter day Imbolic.

Celebrating the first signs of  spring,  lighting bonfires on  the feast of St. Bridget.   Spring and Lambing season would begin so and to mark this occasion dairy food were included in most meal.  Other activities included  spring cleaning, lighting candles to encourage the sun's return, planting seeds, and setting goals for the year are  a part of Imbolic's traditions.

 

The 2nd full moon of the year is  sometimes called the Bear Moon, possibly because a temporary rise in temperature, or hunger, causes them leave their den briefly.  Groundhogs  also  will leave their dens in Mid February, at times, but they are looking for potential mates as well as food.

 

Though i've never heard this charm before, 

"Candles lite in the snow  there a snowdrop will soon grow"

I like it. Quite soon the snowdrops will break thru  the ground under our ancient pine trees and bloom  soon there after, a sight i looke forward to each year. 

All gentle reminders that as Gaia stirs in her sleep the sun's warmth will start it's return.

 

 

 

 February is the month when snow is likely to and accumulate in the Northern hemisphere.  This year is the perfect example of that. 
How i dreaded those long walks to and from school in the February  snow, that was before  the school buses covered the whole town.  In those days  little kids held the hands of big kids as they both walked  thru deep snow.  Now one rarely sees any kid, big or little outdoors.

 

 Hungry Moon, and the Bone moon describe the the famine like conditions.  Resourceful ancestors  searched for  bones and brought them home to boil into what we might now call "Bone Broth" .

" Live with the land, it is not you possession, or your slave ."

 ~~~Roy  Tenhorses

 

a full moon, two stars

nothing but snow and pine trees

a promise begins

 

 

 

 

 

Bread like Grandma used to bake, Grandma's kitchen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 For years  and years and years i baked bread every weekend, then for some reason long forgotten by me, i stopped.   Having recently started again.   Quite sure that it because baking warms up the kitchen and that in turn warms up the house, and that warms up the heart.  Well, it has kinda worked out that way.
This recipe was in a book, no not a cookbook, that i bought at the Library's  Yard Sale a few years ago.   Whoever penned this recipe, thank you so much !!!!  

 

 

 

• 2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
• 1 Tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup honey or sugar
•  2 teaspoons salt 
•  2 Tablespoons oil canola or vegetable, or even melted butter😉
•  4 - 5 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

•   In a large bowl or stand mixer add the yeast, water and a pinch of the sugar or honey. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes until foaming and bubbly. (This is called “proofing” the yeast, to make sure it is active. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast is no good, and you need to start over with fresh yeast).
• Add remaining sugar or honey, salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour. Mix to combine.
Add another cup of flour and mix to combine. With the mixer running add more flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be smooth and elastic, and slightly stick to a clean finger, but not be overly sticky. Add a little more flour, if needed.3. Mix the dough for 4-5 minutes on medium speed (or knead with your hands on a lightly floured surface, for 5-8 minutes)4. First rise.  Grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray and place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place* until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours5. Spray two 9x5'' bread pans generously with cooking spray on all sides. (I also like to line the bottom of the pans with a small piece of parchment paper, but this is optional.)Punch the dough down well to remove air bubbles. Divide into two equal portions. Shape each ball into long logs and place into greased loaf pans.6. Second rise  Cover pans with a lightweight, dry dish towel (or spray two pieces of plastic wrap generously with cooking spray and lay them gently over the pans). Allow dough to rise again for about 45 minutes to one hour, or until risen about 1 inch above the loaf pans. Gently removing covering.10. Bake  Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake bread for about 30-33 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Give the top of a loaf a gentle tap; it should sound hollow. Invert the loaves onto a wire cooling rack. Brush the tops with butter and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes
• 

 

Freezing Fog

Then there are those days when you don't want to think about the big snowstorm and/or it's little brother of a snowstorm that will start up soon.  Yes, yes, yes snow storms can be beautiful, and so can ice storms.  But freezing fog, which is also can be dangerous, is more ethereal, and sadly much more rare.

 

  It has been a long time since i saw the the breath taking beauty of  freezing fog.  Then it happened twice in just over a week. 

Both times, it was an excuse for a long and slightly slippery drive on some secondary roads.  slippery enough that my camera spent most it's ride under the front seat.

Freezing fog, hangs in the air, like plain fog, but it turns trees, buildings, fields and the roads into works of frosty art.   But that was all i knew, so looked it up and found some information not only for me but for you.  If you ever experience  the mysterious beauty  and icy surfaces caused by freezing fog. In my not so humble opinion,it has the magical appearance of otherworldlyness.  Ice on trees created by freezing rain makes everything gleam like quartz crystal  with the winder suns' brilliance. Freezing fog is like an eternity of crystalized brushstrokes

 

   A cloud, is just fog that forms above the ground, what  forms near the ground, say 6 feet or less is fog, and both can contain ice crystals.  There are several types of fog.  

 

cbsnews.com

What is freezing fog? Here's what's behind a first-of-its-kind advisory from NWS Pittsburgh.

Trey Fulbright

~3 minute

---

By Trey Fulbright

November 20, 2025 / 7:59 PM EST / CBS Pittsburgh

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The fog on Thursday morning prompted the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh to issue a freezing fog advisory for some counties where the temperature was at or below freezing. 

This was the first time this office has issued a freezing fog advisory, but other National Weather Service offices across the country have been doing this for years and continue to issue this when warranted.

(Photo: IEM)

Freezing fog itself is not a regular occurrence, but it is also not a rare phenomenon and has occurred many times before in western Pennsylvania and other parts of the world. 

Fog is essentially a cloud based near ground level. Most clouds are made up of supercooled liquid water droplets that can exist in temperatures as cold as -10 degrees to -40 degrees (aka well below freezing). When these droplets interact with a surface that is at or below freezing, they can freeze on contact, creating a coating of ice. These droplets can also create a coating of rime ice on trees and other exposed surfaces as shown in the figure below. 

(Photo: KDKA)

Believe it or not, anytime we fly through clouds that are made of liquid droplets, we are essentially dealing with the same phenomenon just thousands of feet above ground.