  | The lyrics "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" may have seemed like more of a nightmare for those dealing with the winter storm that impacted the area over the holiday weekend. White-knuckled driving and life-threatening wind chills didn't add much to the holiday festivities. Some of the wind gusts were forecast to reach 50 to 55 mph. On Christmas Day the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh posted on its Facebook page, "Yinz, we have 1" of snow on the ground, hereby making it a White Christmas!." I almost commented on the post saying, "here in Venango County we have 1" over here and a 4-foot drift over there." |
Nonetheless, the weather-tough critters of the Applegate clan decided to brave the weather to continue their daily walks. However, the human leader of the pack did limit their time exposed to the frigid temperatures.
 | There was no escaping it the wind was brutal. As we attempted to stay upright against the wintry blasts, snow devils or snownadoes raced across the fields and hills. The trail cameras were inundated with photos that were predominantly white. Night vision photos showed snow blowing one way, then another and then another. |
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Nonetheless, the Applegate canines appeared to enjoy the snow in spite of the subzero temperatures.
There were a few times that Clem displayed the "cold foot" pose. However, that didn't stop him from exploring the frozen tundra.
One area of exploration included the neighbor's pond which had frozen solid in what appeared to be overnight. The smooth white surface provided an interesting backdrop for photos.
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My animals were not the only ones withstanding the freezing cold. The bird feeders were filled with puffed up birds sporting snow encrusted eyes. Visitors included dark-eyed juncos, tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches and American goldfinches. The feathered ones struggled to find shelter from the winds in the garden debris and in the trees.
Meanwhile, the beginning of this week was a different story.
The wind died down and the temperatures started to climb.
Our walks became more endurable and enjoyable. One could not draw a breath without nostrils freezing together.
Remnants of the previous week's freezing rain could be seen on the trees.
The forest animals were on the move again. Over the past weekend almost no deer tracks were seen. At the beginning of this week, the deer were everywhere.
They visited my yard, my parents' yard and traipsed around our trails in the woods.
As the warmup continued, a Facebook post on the National Weather Service's Pittsburgh office's page said things were looking up temperature wise. "Confidence is high that above average temperatures will occur in the Ohio River Valley between Dec. 31, 2022 to Jan. 4, 2023," the post said.
It also added that there would be an above average chance of precipitation and that would most likely fall as rain.
The wind died down and the temperatures started to climb.
Our walks became more endurable and enjoyable. One could not draw a breath without nostrils freezing together.
Remnants of the previous week's freezing rain could be seen on the trees.
The forest animals were on the move again. Over the past weekend almost no deer tracks were seen. At the beginning of this week, the deer were everywhere.
They visited my yard, my parents' yard and traipsed around our trails in the woods.
As the warmup continued, a Facebook post on the National Weather Service's Pittsburgh office's page said things were looking up temperature wise. "Confidence is high that above average temperatures will occur in the Ohio River Valley between Dec. 31, 2022 to Jan. 4, 2023," the post said.
It also added that there would be an above average chance of precipitation and that would most likely fall as rain.
As we approach the new year, the birds appeared to lose weight. It was not due to their resolutions. Merely they just smoothed out their feathers a bit. While the Christmas weather was white and wicked, it seems that New Year's will be warmer and wetter.
That's just the nature of things 'round here.
That's just the nature of things 'round here.
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