Yet Another : Holiday Season, Month, Year

How quickly the time has gone by, again! My inner mind has worked on many blog postings over the last month, unfortunately, the fingers didn't get the message clicked into this blog. Perhaps next month!

Just to show something has happened during the month of December, I will paste in many of the entries and images from my blog at Wunderground. I have been much better at keeping things up-to-date at that site.

With that said, Happy New Year! Let it all continue!

December Snow Shoe Walk Video with Holiday Tunes
(Filmed on a earlier date, but added here as my holiday and year ending video)


12/31/2008 - A final posting for 2008. Happy New Year to everyone! This last day of December, and of the year, has been a weather filled day in NW Montana. Just cloudy conditions gave way to what I would consider a near blizzard during parts of the morning. The wind has continued blowing, but the snow stopped long enough to plow and shovel. However, as I write this, a new snowy blast is blowing through the ranch, and, in fading daylight, the barn is only slightly visible from the deck. Since it isn't too cold, the horses are spending the day (so far) outside. Maybe we will move them into the barn, just so they don't get lost in the wind and snow!

Video of Morning Animal Check and Walk, and the first Snow Storm of the Day


12/30/2008 - A final morning animal check with the ranch guests, and it was time to catch the train back to Minnesota. Unfortunately, a call to the ranch at about noon, showed them still waiting for the train to arrive from Seattle. (It was about 4 hours late already, and with a 20 hour train ride ahead of them, it may be a long trip back home). Sun through high streaming clouds is making up the weather scene at the ranch today. After the 4"+ of yesterday, this is turning out to be the most snow we've seen here in a number of winters. More is expected to arrive over the next week or so.

The Last Morning Animal Check for the Ranch Guests, a Return to do a Dog Walk and the Daily Ranch Tasks


12/29/2008 - The temperatures cooled down a little and the soft snow and slush of yesterday was replaced with a new snow coating on top of the icy undercoat. The morning walk today was more of a crunch crunch through the crusty snow. Later, another round of horse riding took place for the visitors. Light afternoon snow ended before sunset with a new 3" plus covering everything (including the horses unfortunate enough to not be selected for riding).

Morning Walk with the Dogs, Plus


Riding the Wild Tree


Afternoon Horse Riding Sessions




Outdoor Horses Getting Covered with Snow


12/28/2008 - Mild and wet today with a rain snow mix in the morning. This changed into mostly rain by mid day. This is really going to wreck the nice powdery snow that has existed for the last week. ... And it did ... The snow slid off of the metal roofs today and we used a combination of the tractor and other equipment to move some piles of snow around. I ended up skipping snowshoeing and skiing and just did the snow cleanup tasks today instead. It was a fine day at the ranch!

Snow Sliding from Workshop Roof


Snow Piles after Plowing and Moving Snow


12/27/2008 - There was another coating of snow for the ranch today. The total on the ground now is in the range of twelve inches, plus. I used the back country cross country skis today to go out to feed the horses for the afternoon snack, and continued the trek around the ranch trails. It was a snowy beautiful day in the upper woods. Late in the afternoon a new snow fall passed through the area covering everybody and everything with a fresh coating of itself.

Quiet Snow Trails in the Upper Woods


Snow Covered Trees along the Upper Trail


Taffy with a Snow Coated Muzzle


Ski Trail Leading to the Gate


Returning from Snowshoeing in Heavy Afternoon Snow


Patti and Jonah with Afternoon Snow Falling


Christmas Tree now loaded with the New Snow


12/26/2008 - The day began with the sun breaking through the morning clouds. As the day continued, so did the sunshine with great conditions for a combination of cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and even some horseback riding. The visiting triplets and my wife visited a neighbor while cross country skiing was enjoyed by others.

Morning Light along the Upper Fence Lines


Morning Sunrise through the Clouds


Turkeys in the Barnyard


Visiting a Neighbor - Travel by Snowshoe and Horseback


Kicking Up the Snowshoes




Skiing the Woods Trails


Ginger Resting in the Girls Bed Nest




12/25/2008 - Christmas morning began with the regular required ranch tasks of doing the animal checks and the feeding of the horses. Everyone enjoyed a light morning snowfall. The morning was spent inside with some gift exchanges and morning fun. Early in the afternoon, all of the horses were brought into the indoor arena to provide some riding for the visitors. Even Goldstar enjoyed some time with his coat off so he could work out a little. (He is 22, so he doesn't get ridden like all of the others). It was a quiet evening with the outdoor tree providing soft light for the time of resting.

Family at the Fence during Morning Animal Check


Animal Check, Feeding and Photo Session




Girls Catching Fresh Snowflakes


Gift Opening during Christmas Morning


Afternoon Horse Exercise Time


Resting and Reading on Christmas Day




The Christmas Tree Lighting Up the Late Evening


12/24/2008 - Today was a great day at the ranch. The animals were cared for, and appreciated the food and attention. The later morning and early afternoon was spent enjoying great sun and mild temperatures around the ranch. We did a snowshoe trek along the fence line and the girls enjoyed sledding down the hill. Afterward, we continued the snowshoe walk into the woods and picked out a Christmas tree. It was a wonderful day!

Horses, Out Standing in Their Field


Ranch View from the Sledding Hill


Sledding Down the Pasture Hill


Carrying the Christmas Tree


Showing the Horses the Christmas Tree


Trimming the Christmas Tree


12/23/2008 - Clearing conditions overnight resulted in another good drop in temperature. The morning low was in the minus 10 range with a waning crescent moon over the horses at the morning feeding. Clouds moved in during the morning, and the temperatures rose slowly before leveling out at between 10 and 12 degrees in the positive range. Mostly cloudy conditions with just short glances at the sun made up the afternoon. A run up the hill provided some views of the area with the full snow cover that has arrived over the last week.

Decorated for the Holidays


Ranch View from the North Hill


12/22/2008 - Variable conditions passed through again today with light cloud cover in the early day breaking away into full clear sky for a couple of hours. The mid-day brought in some more clouds and additional light snow.

Harmony Munches Hay at the Morning Feeding


Snow Angel Creation during the Morning Dog Walk



Full Sunlight for a Taking Ranch Images
Images by Steve
The Snow, the Plow, and the Sky

Shadow Fence along the Driveway

The Tree by the Pond (covered by snow)

Sun and Shadows along the Creek Trees


The Return of Snow in the Early Afternoon
Image by Steve


Harmony, Hoping to be Picked for Riding
Image by Steve


Afternoon Riding of the Horses
Image by Steve


12/21/2008 - Well, it's a cold one. Just after midnight as I write this, and I notice the LaCrosse sensor came back to life. Showing a minus 21.9 degrees right now. I think that's about the last displayable value, since it was showing OFL (overflow ... er, make that underflow), when the temperature was -22 or colder for a couple of hours. The horses are (happily, I assume) in the barn. However, one of the shared waterers has failed, so we may have to run a couple them out to the old barn (where a stock tank has a working heater in it) for the rest of the night. Either that, or go out to chip ice out of buckets we left for them every couple of hours! ... and way, way, way back in the distance ... Life on the Farm ... do dah, do dah (used before ... but so true)!

Slowly increasing temperatures continued through the day. With the rising temperature came some more falling snow. Light snow continued off and on and resulted in another 2" for the ranch by late evening.

The ranch guests who arrived just after midnight, were allowed to rest before being put to work with ranch chores. A little recreational snow shoeing also took place later in the afternoon, when the chores were completed.

Light Morning Snow


Ranch Guests, Put to Work for the Daily Chores


Afternoon Snowshoe Outing


The Snowshoe Group


12/20/2008 - In a surprise move (at least to the NWS Forecasters) the sky cleared overnight and the temperature dropped, considerably! I will cut the forecasters some slack though, since it is difficult to forecast when elevations vary from 2500' to over 8000' in the forecast area. Even the local area forecast feature (both on-line, and in my own estimate, using the 10 PM dew point as a guide for the overnight low) only came within ten degrees. The temperature sensors all showed a low of at least 20 below zero this morning. The horses were not impressed, as we had told them it was going to stay relatively mild (no colder than 10 below) so they could stay outside for the night! Oh well, from now on we won't tell them how cold we think it will be. The clear sky and bright snow cover made for a gorgeous, if somewhat cool, day today. The evening came fast and cold, this almost shortest daylight period day of the year. Some of the temperature sensors already have gone below their limit (-22 degrees) before 10 PM!

Frosty Face on Corrie this Morning


Bright Afternoon with New Snow and Full Sun


Ranch Buildings Framed by Pines and Snow


12/19/2008 - Another light snowfall overnight to add slightly to the depth so far accumulated. It made for a good snow shoe outing, with just the big dogs venturing out with us. With the cold temperatures, stops to clear ice from their pads was needed from time to time. Varying overcast continued for most of the day, but with nearly sunny conditions just at the end of the day.

On the Morning Snowshoe Outing


Late Afternoon Sun Appearance


12/18/2008 - The snowfall that began yesterday continued through the night. Morning measurement showed a depth of six to eight inches of snow. For this event, the amount was about five inches. The temperatures are holding at between ten and fifteen degrees today, with falling temperatures expected as the snow ends and sky conditions clear.

Additional Snow for the Walk with the Dogs


Snowy Trees along the Upper Trail


12/17/2008 - The clouds slid in quietly overnight and dropped another offering of snow. This resulting in the lowest temperatures just at midnight, followed by a slow climb to above zero in time for the morning walk with the dogs. There was a valiant attempt by the sun to break through early in the morning, but the thickening clouds persisted, an won control of the day, giving a slow addition of snow as the day continued.

New Snow for the Morning Dog Walk


Morning Attempt for the Sun to Appear


12/16/2008 - A quick passing of clouds during the night brought the early low temperatures of around minus 20 degrees up just a little. Clear conditions again in the morning as the winter sun tries to raise the temperature above zero again ... which it did ... with a high just about hitting 10 above zero! A clear sky this evening hints that another cold night is ahead.

Cold Morning with a View to the South from the Deck


Last Evening Light on Swan Range to the Northeast


12/15/2008 - A mixture of clouds overnight kept the temperature holding around the zero mark. Those clouds began breaking up during the mid morning and by afternoon clear sky and falling temperatures both arrived. The sunshine may keep temperatures steady through the afternoon, but if the clear conditions continue overnight, a forecast low of nearly 20 degrees below zero may be reached. The cold conditions have resulted in some changes to the ranch chores. With a water tank frozen in the winter pasture, the horses have been enjoying the comfort of in the barn protection overnight.

Returning from the Morning Walk


Sunny Conditions during the Middle of the Day


Orpheus near Frozen Water Tank


12/14/2008 - It was a cold start to the day with a low of about minus 15 degrees. The temperature did a nice rise to almost zero by the end of the afternoon. Maybe it was because of some high cloud cover and it probably kept the full heating rays of the sun from having much impact. (The sun's angle, and the reflecting snow didn't help, either). But it was a good day around the ranch and we got the necessary chores done without any problem.

Cold Morning Just before Sunrise


Deck Railing Shadows on the Snow


Mid Morning with Frosty Fog Still in the Air



12/13/2008 - The calm wind conditions changed at about 11:30 PM last night with speeds of 30 mph common overnight. The barometric pressure is on the rise today after hitting a low of about 29.35" late yesterday. Today, the morning horse feeding and dog walk was done in blowing snow conditions. However, the trails in the woods were rather calm compared to the winds blowing while crossing the pastures.

Snow along Woods Trail


Walking through the New Snow


Winter Wonderland Dog Walk


12/12/2008 - Clear start to the day. But, the barometer is falling, overcast is increasing, the forecast icons are starting to blink, and any time someone might blow the klaxon. This could be the start of real winter here in NW Montana! At 4:00 PM it started snowing. The temperature is holding at about 25 degrees and the wind is light or even calm. The snow continued to fall through the evening with a depth of about 3.5" at the last animal check.

Sign of Sleeping Horse


Sun to Start the Day


Horse Back Ride for the Kittens


Chores of Gathering the Evening Hay


Horses waiting for Feeding in Light Snowfall


12/11/2008 - A mostly clear start to the day. Ranch weather has been rather mild ... but, be aware, there is a winter storm watch and a forecast of much colder temperatures in a few days. Meanwhile, it is nice to enjoy the clear dry conditions given to us today.

Mostly Clear Start to the Day


Sunshine Across the Valley


Swan Range Snowcapped in the Afternoon Sun


Fall Color Still in Grass and View to the Ranch


Full Moon Rising Above the Cloud Bank


12/10/2008 - We were out and about early today for the walk with the dogs before sunrise. It's getting to be the time of the year when it stays a bit dark until after 8:00 AM (so, it isn't really that early, after all!). Later in the day, a mix of sun through the clouds melted away the light snow from yesterday.

Morning Dog Walk ... in the Dark


Afternoon Mix of Sun with Clouds Melted the Snow Away


12/09/2008 - A mostly cloudy day today. A steady snowfall ended the day, coating everything with a new layer of snow. It was already dark outside, so no images were taken (yet ... maybe I'll try some at the final animal check).

Horses Mill around the Morning Hay Area


(Santa, perhaps) Checking on the Rein(snow) Horses Late Tonight


12/08/2008 - A light snowfall started the day today. The morning dog walk and horse feeding was done during that event. The day continued to be mostly cloudy with just a glimpse of sun through those clouds.

Light Snow During a Dog Walk


12/07/2008 - There was a bit of rain falling this morning and the snow around the ranch pretty much disappeared. There was a definite snow line though and it was about 200-300 feet higher than the ranch. Meanwhile, in the house, Scamp posed, hoping to become a part of the refrigerator photo collection. I'm not sure this was a good enough pose to make the collection.

Snow Line Above the Horses in the Meadow


Scamp ... trying Desperately to Make the Fridge Photo Collection


12/06/2008 - Just kind of a damp mild day around the valley today. The morning had a mixture of freezing rain and snow pellets. During the middle of the day the fog continued to hang in the valley. We drove east today, leaving a breaking sunshine to head back into a mixture of the fog with a little light rain that fell closer to the Swan Mountain range.

Fog Banks Above the Tree Line at Mid Day


Fog and Mist along the Swan Mountain Range


12/05/2008 - It was a grey/gray kind of winter day today. Good enough to go out for a run to check out the scenes along the route.

Farm Along Running Route ... Now a Wintry Look


12/04/2008 - Clear overnight and morning sky made for a cool start to the day. The creek still continues to work its way through, even if some ice is forming around the edges. Single digits will probably happen again tonight with light cloud cover. There were just enough clouds around at sunset to add some color to the evening sky.

Clear Sky at Morning Sunrise


Creek Running through the Snow


Evening Clouds Give Sunset Colors


12/03/2008 - A bit of sun today over the new snow cover. It is actually only about an inch deep, but it stayed around for the entire day since the temperature stayed below freezing.

Sun Across the Paddock


12/02/2008 - Mild start to the day. However, a change was in the wind already after the morning walk. The temperature fell throughout the day and by early afternoon some light snow was falling. An ongoing mix of wind and snow continued through the afternoon giving the ranch a wintry appearance at last.

First Snow Day 2008-2009 Season


12/01/2008 - Cloud cover around the ranch today with a fog bank hanging in the valley. There was just a quick ray or two of sun under the clouds this morning. The temperatures continue to stay above normal with today's cloud cover. Since Marco is no longer around in the barn, Tizzy (one of the other barn cats) has started coming up to the house more often.

Fog Behind Neighboring Farm


Billows of Fog in the Distant Valley


Tizzy Asking: 'Does this coat make me look fat?'