The view from my bedroom window at 8:40 a.m. The sun is barely up, and it is cold outside. It is -17 F. Yes, that is 17 degrees below zero. There is only a 5 mph wind, so it feels the same temperature as it is.
Notice the windswept snow. We really have had a difficult winter. That is saying a lot since North Dakota is known for its harsh weather. It started with freezing rain on Dec 1. That made everything icy for the whole month of December. During that month we had bone-chilling cold. Many days below zero for highs and wind chill temperatures in the minus 30 to 40 degrees. It was cold.
Then January came. It warmed up some, but we have been in a pattern of a little warmer weather…somewhere in the 20s or 30s for highs for a day or two and then around zero for a day or two. The worst part is January isn’t normally too windy. However the wind has been relentless. We have had many days where the sustained winds are in the 30 mph range. There have even been a few with sustained winds in the 50s. That means we have felt into the high 60 mph winds on some days. Let me tell you, when it is already cold, it just can be miserable. There has also been damage from the winds. The even stranger part is that it has been windy at night. Normally it is calm during the night.
However, we have had some beautiful moments and sights as well. Yesterday we had the most gorgeous sun dogs I think I have ever seen. Check out this photo above from the Bismarck Tribune. If you want to see more click on the photo. There literally seemed like we had 3 suns in the sky. It made me speechless.
I am definitely ready for some nicer weather. It doesn’t look like it will be happening any time soon. So in the meantime I will bundle up, drink my hot tea, and enjoy God’s beauty whenever I can.
It's Still Life 