First snow of the season

It is snowing in Rensselaer, and I am not sure if I should call it the first snow of winter or the first snow of fall. Perhaps the snow (and the very cold temperatures forecast for the next couple nights) mark the true beginning of our winter. The snow started sticking early this morning and is expected to continue though most of the daylight hours.

 It is a wet, sticky snow that covers the branches of trees and bushes and creates lots of pretty scenes.

 If you have kids at home, tell them to stop playing with their electronic devices and get out side and build some snowmen. The snow is perfect for snowmen (and also snowball fights, though it packs pretty hard so some of those snowballs may hurt when they hit).

If you do go outside, be careful walking. The wet slush on sidewalks and streets can be very slippery.

A couple days ago I noticed a little flower blooming out of season.

I brushed off the snow to see how it was doing. It does not look too good.

The forecast lows for the next few days should kill pretty much anything left in gardens and flowerbeds.

My kids in the West had their first snow weeks ago. We have had a nice fall, though the gray days recently have been depressing.

Update: Five years ago November 21 was a special day for two reasons. It was the centennial of my father's birth, and I was able to schedule posts so that on his centennial birth I posted my 1000th post on this blog.

I meant to do something special for the 2000th post but was not watching the count and missed it. This is post # 2207. It amazes me that I am still doing this.

I think the snow has finally stopped. We got quite a few inches but the warmth of the ground kept melting it from the bottom so the total accumulation was only about two inches. Now the cold comes. It is miserable outside. If you do not have to go somewhere, stay home.