Well, the sky is partly blue, it’s 39 degrees, and we have a bit of spitting snow. A lot of the snow has already melted, and that is a very good thing! Here’s a photo of the church and hills north of Bowman.

Well, my father is back at home after a run to Bismarck on Tuesday for surgery on Wednesday. He’s doing O.K. so far, and we are very grateful for that. As we approached Bowman yesterday, I took some photos of the sun breaking through the clouds. What a welcome sight that was! It’s been shining all day long today, and I’ll bet everybody in the region has noticed!

The Sun Breaking Through the Clouds

It was a very beautiful, but cold, winter morning today. Here are a couple of views from the window for you. This is the most snow I’ve ever seen in the backyard, and frankly, I hope it’s the most I’ll ever see out there.

It was a lot more wintry-looking today, as thick fog and frost blanketed the North Dakota plains. I couldn’t resist going out for yet more photos, and then tweaking them with filters in my computer.

It was a very beautiful day here in Bowman, with thick white frost coating the trees, a bright blue sky, and sparkling snow all around. Thought I’d gather some images from the yard for you.

With the help of a few snow shovels, strong backs, a snowblower, and a kindly neighbor’s tractor, we got the driveway cleared this morning. That was a relief! By late this afternoon, the sun was shining and the white snowdrifts were sparkling. Welcome to the Winter Wonderland that has appeared in the yards and streets of Bowman!

Wow, we are having an old-fashioned North Dakota Christmas, with lots of cold, wind, and snow. The drifts in the backyard rival those of last winter, which was a record-breaking year. This will create a lot of challenges, even for the famously sturdy stock of the northern prairies. People are snowed in everywhere, and my nephew Kyle is still here, which is lucky for us. He took a shovel to the front driveway, then obliged us by going around to the backyard so we could see how high the new banks of snow really are.

The wind is howling, the snow is blowing, and it’s definitely a white, white Christmas. It’s 9 degrees above zero, today, though, so things are warming up. Maybe not if you count the wind chill. Sounds like we’re under a blizzard warning through tomorrow afternoon. Stay warm and safe, everybody!

Christmas Day, 2009