Wicked Beauty

Conjure an image of a beautiful but wicked ice queen and you'll be on the right track to imagining winter in Iowa.  In December of 2009, Iowa got more snow than they had seen since the 1800s.  Rough start.  While I was home there was a blizzard, an ice storm and more snow. 

 

Pine trees in the back yard after a melt-fog-frost combo froze.  It wreaked havoc on power lines causing major power outages around the state.

 

Storm likes eating the snow while she's outside.  Keep going girl, maybe we won't have to shovel.

 

 

The smiling rock in my parents' landscaping was peeking out of the snow suspiciously. 

After the ice storm.  Limbs break under the weight, power lines and poles fall, and vehicles slide, but there is an eerie beauty about everything outside.