Much like a storm surge or a tsunami, sometimes a phenomenon called an ice surge happens.  In my more than 50 years on this planet, I’ve never heard of it.  Until now. And wouldn’t it just ruin a yard?  And house. And anything else in its way.

Powerful gusts of wind drove giant sheets of ice toward townhouses hugging the southern lip of Lake Mille Lacs at the northwest end of the state.

Amateur video footage captured at the scene shows 2-foot blocks of wind-whipped ice jams stubbornly inching across residential patios at a speed of 2-feet-per-minute, according to NBC meteorologist Dylan Dreyer.

You can see the video by click through here to NBC News. It’s incredible!

It always seems so gray and dreary during winter months with leaves absent from trees, overcast winter skies. That’s why finding trees with colored bark is just amazing for people who feel gloom setting in.  From HG TV, here are some great selections,

Witchhazel (Hamamelis sp.) unfurls its spidery flowers in either fall or deep winter (and sometimes even spring), depending on the species and cultivar. Some of the H. x intermedia) hybrids begin blooming in late January, the Japanese and Chinese witchhazels a month or so later. Fall foliage is colorful in all witchhazels. The spiderlike, fragrant yellow flowers of the common witchhazel (H. virginiana ) often get outdone by its yellow leaves. You can also find cultivars of H. virginiana that drop their leaves before the flowers form.

Gorgeous!

I like riding around looking at houses during the holidays when I’m not a captive in a car with smokers!  Meanwhile these houses in Long Island are so much fun!  Merry Christmas, everyone!

It is still February in Tennessee and one of my trees is already covered with lush pink blossoms.  It worries me because if we have a heavy snow or frost, they will die without the bees having the opportunity to feed on them.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Man updates us on his own stroll through his spring-like yard,

That’s why I decided to do something I’ve never done in January.  I took my March stroll, the walk around  the yard when I look for bits of green, tiny buds, and any hints of  the coming spring.  As I pushed fallen oak leaves aside, I felt like a kid searching the house for hidden Christmas presents — which, Mom and Dad, I never, ever did.

I took photos earlier today of jonquils already in full bloom. Where is winter?

Today it was 68 degrees where I live. Last year at this time, it was like 8 degrees (ugh!). So here’s to a chillier winter!

Are you missing your lush green lawn as the barren winter months come calling our names?  Perhaps there’s a way you can pretend you’re back in the warm sunshine, feeling lovely grass on your bare feet.  From Inhabitat comes a sod covered dining room table,

The farm-to-table is made from aluminum with sturdy square legs and a tray-like table top. Stones sit at the bottom, which is topped with soil and finally a layer of sod. Watering the sod is done by hand and drains down into the stones. Sunlight, irrigation and interior climatic conditions all determine the status of your table. Unfortunately, no table-sized lawn mower exists, so cutting of the grass is all done by hand with scissors.

Brilliant!

I don’t know why this video is so fascinating, but it is. Spider web holding the leaves up, you think?

Happy weekend!

Photo by Mike Baird.

Photo by Just CinMD.