I 'thawed' you'd like to see this

Yesterday it snowed. Today I snapped a few pics when I ventured out to feed and water my chooks (chickens - an Aussie term I adopted from my friend Licia in Sidney). There was slush falling from the sky in big sloppy glops, and it is 35 degrees out. The snow no longer crunches and squeaks...it now slurps at your boots.

Given the hilly terrain of the expansive Palouse region where I live, guess what this means....

yep...

flood advisories.

The little creek that runs under our driveway still slumbers under its fluffy coat. Even the waterfall is still wrapped under its muffler.














Here is the same quaint little waterfall in the summer:

This is where the creek enters the driveway culvert on the east side of our drive.

Yes, this is what sometimes passes for excitement in my life during the winter.

A flood watch is in effect until Thursday. It could get nasty fast if it begins to rain, which means I have to dash out and move the car to the end of our driveway - on the other side of the creek-- so we don't get stranded.

If we get warm Chinook winds like we experienced in winter of '96, you will likely see the aerial shots of the Palouse region on national news again, showing towns besieged by floodwater. [I tried to hunt down a photo but obviously I don't know where to look on the 'net, as I could not find one picture of Palouse, WA during the '96 flood!]

One of the blessings of living among steep hills and foothills, though, is rapid drainage - unlike those who live in the midwest and have 'lakes' surrounding higher ground for months as the water slowly recedes.

EDIT:
I wanted to share a couple more pics of our snowy landscape.
Our mailbox is at sideview mirror height on a sedan.



It also happens to be buried in the middle of a drift, lying rather kitty-whumpus after an altercation with the county snowplow.

The drifts on that side of the road are higher than a car roof. You can see the darker road surface at the bottom.


I could be sad, but I've pined for a new mailbox for several years - one hanging by chains, maybe from a decorative wrought-iron arm.

Between the snow and the snowplows, it looks like that wish is about to become a reality this spring!


This is my front yard rock garden sporting its snowy mantle, located a little way from the creek



Doesn't it look so smooth and flat?

Looks are deceiving though




...here's the same spot in the summer. The tree on the upper right was removed last summer and is now the small dark stump just above the snow - it hits me about mid-thigh.

The danger is for all this to melt off in the next few days. It's been known to happen, hence the flood advisory.

Stay tuned for a daily pic of the creek level - things could get exciting!