December 21st. Winter arrived yesterday with powdery snow roughly a foot deep.

 

Mice have ventured out.

 

December 28th. Sunrise.

 

A Sun Pillar!  From a NASA web site: "When the air is cold and the Sun is rising or setting, falling ice crystals can reflect sunlight and create an unusual column of light. Ice sometimes forms flat, six-sided crystals as it falls from high-level clouds. Air resistance causes these crystals to lie nearly flat much of the time as they flutter to the ground. Sunlight reflects off crystals that are properly aligned, creating the sun-pillar effect."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31st. New Year's Eve snow began at 10:00 A.M...

 

...and got quite heavy.

 

 

 

 

 

Unoccupied beaver lodge.

 

January 1st.  An extra dusting of snow overnight.

 

 

 

January 7th.  Cold spell continues and ice coats objects near flowing water.

 

 

 

 

 

January 8th.  Another inch or two of snow.

 

January 12th.  Sunrise.