Friday, November 23, 2007

Tiny Crystals

No snow yet? It started as rain then turned to the tiniest of frozen crystals. It was like being in a frozen fog. Then once again the tiny pellets that were identified as sleet returned. No flakes. This time they piled up just a little deeper.

















Bravely, after opening my frozen closed truck door with a screwdriver, I drove down from these white hills. It was going to be a first after a very long time, driving on frozen roads, but the roads were dry and completely fine. This new again first will have to wait for another time.

From a distance the uninformed might imagine these were snow capped mountains.














And what did I need in town that was worth the risk of a frozen drive and shopping on Black Friday? A few supplies and more bulbs!














Lest you think I have gone stir crazy or been touched by the Beautiful Madness, these bulbs are not for me, though the three packages of Daffodils on the left some how landed in my cart with my name on them. They are for my new client. We were late in ordering from the bulb catalog and everything was sold out.

So I went to the Big Box store and bought 392 tulip bulbs for $60. They were half off. I had a feeling there might be a sale on remnant bulbs on Black Friday. Maybe I should get some more.

Then again maybe not. They look like they are a touch smaller in size than the tulip bulbs I got from Elizabeth. Not being a bulb size queen myself yet, I can only go on the innuendo that size really does matter in this case. Still the bulbs look plump and firm and there is no mold that I can see through the bags. My search on the bulb packager Van Zyverden based in Meridian Mississippi turned up some negative feedback so that's not good.

Well if it turns out bad next spring they'll have to come up here and get me.














Back home you can see that the white line is several hundred feet above me. It is really all the trees up there encased in a white frosting, more than an accumulation of the tiny crystals or pellets on the ground.














This morning that line of tree frosting was on the top of the hill just across the road. It rose higher during the day. The days are still getting shorter and it will descend again. Maybe soon it will snow. By then I hope to have found locally a Shur-Trax water filled bag to add weight to the bed of my truck for better traction in poor road conditions. It will take some good nerves and adjusting (Go Slow) when the time for the new driving test comes.

2 comments:

Dave said...

I like those pictures of the mountains! It reminds me of when we lived in Maryville, TN and we'd go visit Cades Cove and the other areas of the Smokies (only from the other side). That area has so much to see!

lisa said...

Oh yea, "go slow" in snow is key, for sure! You'll get used to it, but with all those hills to contend with, it could get interesting.