21 January 2013

Root and branch

I forced myself out of the house this afternoon to take a stroll along the edge of the lake. With the high winds yesterday during a rapid freeze, I knew that the water from the still-unfrozen lake would have made some interesting ice-forms along there. It was still well below freezing today and there was a cold easterly wind, but I persuaded myself that it would be worth it. And it was.

In places, trees and branches were welded to the surface of the lake with long columns of ice:


Elsewhere, the ice had formed into delicate combs




The lake is decidedly frozen now, resembling a moonscape or desert with the light dusting of snow which fell today.


In the house, I'm sprouting alfalfa seeds to give myself something that's actively growing to look at, as a relief from all the ice and snow.


3 comments:

Quinn said...

Wild ice formations!

I've been sprouting lentils for my hens lately, and they really seem to appreciate having something fresh to eat. They don't look at them for long ;)

Amanda said...

I've never tried to sprout lentils. But now I want to! Do you just use the regular green grocery-store ones?

Quinn said...

Yes, I've only used the green ones. My hens are on organic, but the regular (really cheap!) grocery store ones work fine. I put about 1/8 in a quart Mason jar, soak overnight, then just rinse a few times daily. I keep 2 or 3 jars going, so there is always a supply.