Weather Report 12.23.12

Brilliant winter morning.
Flock of twenty magpies passing over.
Sun coming in sideways through low clouds
Reflecting on crystal-white snow.
20th consecutive day of snowcover.

Afterglow

See how the afterglow
Lights up the lingering clouds
Of the storm gone past.
Swiftly moving now
Those wisps of winter.
A crescent moon announces nightfall.

Outside 12.17.12

A good 8 inches of new snow
Light and powdery
Followed by clearing skies
And very bright sunshine.
Lots of plowing and shoveling.
The same people who clear their driveways most religiously
Removed every fallen leaf from their lawns six weeks ago.
Mild temperatures and a few gusts of wind.

Outside 12.16.12

Another inch or two of powder overnight.
Nutcrackers squawking at the feeders.
Low clouds slowly lifting.
Hired hands shoveling walkways.

Ham and Cheese Scramble with Sourdough Toast

Java at 4th and Washington

Weather Report 12.14.12

Powdery snow
From low clouds that cling
To the mountains
Like sticky strands of cotton.

Sun Valley Stables

@ 6:49am
Light snow, cloudy sky.

Ice Sculpting

@ Sun Valley Mall

Bowl of Soul

@ Java 2:05pm

The Colonnade

Iconoclast Books at Spruce and Sun Valley Road

Weather Report 12.13.12

Tenth consecutive day of valley snowcover.
Overcast with cold breeze.
Icy side roads and parking lots.
Nutcrackers and chickadees at the feeder.

Jogging

Here are some
Who jog on ice.

What We Attend To

It makes a difference what you attend to
Whether its sports scores or the stock market
Celebrity lives or politics
Changes in the weather or the movement of the stars
Not for the difference it makes in the outcome
But for how it matters in your soul.

How Blue The Sky

See how blue the sky
Above pure white slopes
And between grey clouds

Weather Report 12.10.12

Warm sun from south
Steady cold breeze from the north.
Scattered thin wisps of cloud.
Snow guns at full blast on Dollar.
Magpies gather in a noisy gabfest
High in the aspens.
A swirling wind creates dervish devils in the pastures
Around and around
Then rising up and vanishing.

A Thousand Footprints

See how the bike path
Is pocked with the craters
Of a thousand footprints
Man and beasts
Thawed then frozen

Cattleman's Chili and Cornbread

Perry's
Ketchum

Sunrise over the Horseman's Center

See how quietly the sun rises
Over the Horsemen's Center
Its light diffused.

Caroling

Sing-a-long at St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Our Lady of the Snows

Catholic Church on Sun Valley Road

Weather Report 12.08.12

Light snow overnight
Overcast with cold breeze.
Northern Harrier chasing chickadees through the aspen.
The sun is a soft fuzzy yellow ball floating in the southern sky.
Quiet.

Elephant's Perch

outdoor sporting goods
East and Sun Valley
Ketchum

Waiting for the Bus?

Curb outside Visitor's Center.
Ketchum.

Weather Report 12.06.12

Classic Sun Valley winter day:
Calm cold and dry
Mostly sunny.
Third day of snow cover.
Lifts and gondola inching their way up the mountain
To splendid skiing and little traffic.

Sun Valley Club

December, 2012
With Dollar Mountain backdrop

Sunbreaks

See how the sun breaks through the low-lying clouds that cling to the mountainsides.

Weather Report 12.05.12

Sad sloppy morning
Raining on inches of slush
Here on the valley floor.
Second day of snow cover
But will it hold?
Feels unlikely.
Mountains shrouded.

Weather Report 12.04.12

First real snow accumulation on valley floor
2" or so in Ketchum.
Avalanche on Baldy Sunday.
Warming and melting on roadways.
Clouds lingering
A thick blanket
Still and quiet.
Pace of commerce seems to be accelerating
As this is the only ski resort in the area with sufficient snow.

Konditerai

Sun Valley Mall
Under remodel with new clock tower.
Reopening In three weeks.

Weather Report 12.01.12

Another day of steady rain on the valley floor.
Good snow above mid-mountain on Baldy.
Pessimists complaining about the weather
Optimists expecting a change
Realists wearing rain gear.

Weather Report 11.30.12

First winter storm of season.
Snow level at 7,000 feet.
Heavy rain in the valley.
Deep snow on the mountains.
Every few feet of elevation
Changes texture of rain to sleet
To snowflakes small and large
Heavy-laden wet and sticky.
Black-capped chickadees at feeders.

Sheets of paper-thin snow

See how the snow/ice
Clings to and falls from metal roofs
In paper-thin sheets

Cossman Cottage

Walnut Avenue
Ketchum, Idaho

Weather Report 11.29.12

Light snow overnight.
Partly cloudy day
Calm and mild
Steady drip of melting snow
From every rooftop.

Weather Report 11.28.12

How economics affects the weather:
A clear cool winter's day
Disappointingly gloomy and sullen
Clouded over with worry
Dreading holiday expenditures
And the impending fiscal cliff
Unable to taste the sweetness in woodsmoke
Or appreciate a child's anticipation
Of a magic you no longer believe.

Weather Report 11.27.12

Pastel pre-dawn skies at 7:30am.
Breath fog rising in the chilled air.
A swiftly passing cloud of pine siskins.
Obnoxious dinosaur trucks unapologetically idle away on fossil fuels
While the occupants wonder at weird weather.

Sunset

See how the sun crests the mountain at 3:15pm this time of year in West Ketchum
Three weeks 'til solstice
And takes the warm air in its wake

Paws and Boots

Tracks of man and dog.
Sunrise Trail, Sun Valley

Weather Report 11.26.12

Frosty night beneath clear skies.
High thin clouds on a cool Monday morning.
Fewer visitors now but the mountain is open on River Run and Nordic skiing at Galena Lodge is great.
This is one of those still days
When everything seems motionless
Or in slow motion
And there's a feeling
It may stay this way forever.
Of all the days in all the seasons
It is the unseasonable we remember best.

Fallen Elm Leaves

See the fallen elm leaves on the path.

Waxing Moon

See how the moon is waxing.
Thanksgiving vacationers waning.
Baldy had powder on top
Ice in its midsection
And rocks at bottom.
Clear skies this evening

Ketchum Dogs

Leashed and left waiting outside shops downtown.

Weather Report 11.25.12

Dawn breaks over West Ketchum at 8:24.
Wet and remarkably mild,
No frost overnight.
Snow level above 7000.
Joggers and dog walkers and bicyclists on the path where Nordic skiers might have been.
Low lying clouds mingle with and partially obscure the mountains.
The air is sweet with wet pine.
Geese flying overhead.
See how the snow is illuminated through breaks in the clouds!

Dogs in Ketchum

Tied up outside Romero's on 4th
And barking ferociously at passersby.

Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars.
Seasonally appropriate
And good for you.

Weather Report 11.24.12

A calm cold dark winter night.
Perfect for sleep and snow-making.
Overcast today with snow from North Fork north.
Visiting families cluster in and around eateries.
Nutcrackers and magpies cluster at the feeders.

Weather Report 11.23.12

High overcast this morning
With a dry frost and calm.
Uncertainty lingers in the air
Like discordant rips of blues

Weather Report 11.22.12

Crisp and clear Thanksgiving Day
Ski season begins on River Run.
Magpies rule the roosts.
Visitors flock to coffee shops.
Lines now where there were no lines
Just a few days ago.
Faces searching for recognition.