I think the snow got the message...

This is the first Friday in ages that snow is not falling in Western North Carolina. Temps warmed into the high 30's yesterday and the bees were flying. Today promises to be even warmer and the weekend looks absolutely tropical with highs in the 50's!!!! The bees should be quite active and I may even get a peek inside the hive. I've ordered Mega-Bee and will start feeding as soon as it arrives. If the warming trend continues, the forager bees should start to bring in small amounts of pollen. Alders will be blooming down by the stream. Red maple will be the next to bloom. Winter is long from being over, but with the sunshine yesterday folks around here were in a much better mood.

A World of White

Snow fell lightly all day Sunday, but by late evening had quit. My husband remarked as we were headed to bed that maybe the predicted 3 - 5 inches was going to miss us this time. He was wrong...

If it's Friday, it must be snowing in WNC....

Since December 16, we have recorded over 30" of snow and ice at our house in Cashiers, NC.

Yesterday as the snow had been falling for 2 hours. The limb came down after last week's snow and ice.

The birds are looking for shelter everywhere they can find it. Even this house with the frozen entrance has birds roosting inside. This is the favorite chickadee box in the summer. The funny little black-capped birds usually nest 3 times here.

The shimmering ice on the trees is beautiful, making the area look like a fairyland.

Digging out. G making paths up the driveway so the Forerunner can get out. Thank goodness for husbands and 4-wheel drive!

The deck this morning. There is a small table in front of the bench in the center of the picture. It stands about 18" tall. That's about the depth of snow all over the yard where it has accumulated over the past few weeks. The snow on the table is the 5" that fell yesterday.

I posted this proverb from Guinea in January last year. I think it bears repeating.

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."