First Snow Of The Season!

Not that the chickens were *exactly* overjoyed.  Especially this year's youngsters.

It's always fun the first time the youngsters experience their first real snowfall--we had a dusting a few days ago, but it was so light it didn't really count.

This time it had been super foggy overnight, then started snowing pretty hard beginning around 4AM (I know this because hey, let's hear it for Chronic Pain and his sidekick, No Sleep For You!) and continuing well into mid-morning.  So the snow stuck to everything really well.  The chickens stayed humorlessly in the run and refused to walk around in the cold alien white stuff.

 Keeping our fingers crossed that the new landscaping makes it through it's first winter.

Not even when I went out armed with leftover spaghetti, did the youngsters come out.  As far as Rambo was concerned that was just dandy, all the more for her and she enthusiastically wrestled spaghetti noodles.

Pele, of all people, came out...

I pleaded with her to return to the coop, but she was focused on the spaghetti.

Although to be fair it was more of a 'OHGODOHGODNeed FOODMustGrowFeathersNOW!' manner of eating...

I ended up carrying Cluckadorkle out and setting her in the 1 1/2 inches of snow...she didn't trust the footing (It crunches when I walk! It shifts and MOVES with every step, wwaahhhh!) and didn't want to walk around in it. There was much staring and complaining.

 Criminy, she stood in one spot like she was rooted there.

Finally she *carefully* walked with those big ol' snowshoe feet...

 ...right back into the coop.  Oh, well.

The sun had come out at this point and I could tell the snow was going to be gone in a couple of hours.  But I managed to get lucky and get out there with the camera while the melt started and the delicate, lacelike icy snow coating was sliding off the leaves, it was very pretty!

One of the dogwoods...

The plum tree...

The red twig dogwood living up to it's name.

The Curly Willow...

The Autumn Magic viburnum...

The Burning Bush...

In the front yard, my Gingersnap rose was exercising very poor judgement and blooming.

Poor thing.

With the rosebuds pushing up through the snow and the buds coated in ice, it looked like one of those motivational posters for 'Perseverance' or some such nonsense.

The snow had stuck to everything.

OK, maybe this little miniature rose wins the 'Perseverance' title.

Especially a little while later when the melt had begun.

Most of the snow had melted well before the kid got home from school (naturally!) which produced a pretty darned grumpy kid...but we reminded her that there will be other snowstorms.