Snow STORM day.

I think it is called a Blizzard...  Or something like that. We have prided ourselves in avoiding such weather here in Iowa.   Mostly because it is a rare occurrence here in the southern part of the state. And when it DOES happen,  we are wise enough to stay inside and drink our warm tea and hot cocoa...insead of dealing with the blowing and drifting snow.  

But today, we were caught by surprise.  It was warm-ish with rain.   It looked like it was going to melt the snow!   The roads were clear and the visibility was good.   Why not drive to Muscatine? 

Right as we get to the city of Muscatine (about 45 miles away...)  the rain turned to snow.   And then it REALLY started coming down. 

It's ok,  I drive a Subaru!  But even with the dependable, reliable all-wheel-drive of a Subie,   being blinded by drifting snow does not make driving in a blizzard that much fun.  Add in that folks were driving 5 miles an hour in the country...  it made for a long drive.  

When we finally arrived home,   Cheryl shoveled the sidewalk that had been filled in.   When we left,  there was only about 4 inches of snow and the sidewalks were clear.   Now....   They are filling in before Cheryl could even finish shoveling them off.   

Snow Fills in faster than Cheryl can Shovel it.

Wiper falls off!

That should fix it!

I should also note that the snow is the heavy, sloppy kind that freezes to your windshield wipers as you drive down the road.   I had to reach out several times to "thwap!" them free from the slushy ice.   At one point, thankfully near Kalona,  the windshield wiper on Cheryl's side FELL OFF!  The ice had packed up so high on it it caused it to come unsnapped from the arm.   Cheryl was able to grab it before it fell off the hood, but we had to stop in the Kalona Casey's to reattach it.  

As I write this, the snow continues to blow up against the window, filling the screen with a layer of fluff and ice.  There was at least one car in the ditch on the way home. I'm sure there will be more. 

 

New Telephoto lens attachment.

Not many bird subjects....

Otherwise,  We have been taking this week off from running.   We did walk a bit, to burn off all that anxiety that builds up during long winters.   I figured it would be a great time to take the new telescopic lens attachment out for a spin.   I still had to fuss with it more than I wanted to.   But I think the potential for greatness is there. 

 Eagle through the branches.

Still has a few quirks.

I could bore you on the details of the dials coming un-attached and the "supergluing of the endcap" because it refused to stay screwed in.   But suffice to say that it was not "out-of-the-box" ready.  Add in that there were no eagles close by, so we limited our walk and our picture taking. 

Hope everyone is safe from the blizzard.... Unless it is one of those ice cream treats from Dairy Queen.  The blowing and drifting snow is not so bad when we are safe and cozy in our small apartment,  But out there on the road, it was rather treacherous!   It is supposed to last until tomorrow.  Not sure how much snow we will end up with, but I guess the land of Iowa needs the moisture for the aquifer.   Or so the farmers say on the radio.   As long as this does not bring any floods in the Spring.   Thanks for stopping in.