Until last night, this was the view of the east side of the house I’m staying at.

As you can see, the ice has done a job on the gutters. Luckily, this is the only one with serious problems so far; some others have been bending, but still hanging in there (pun intended).

Last night, though, things changed a bit. The temps are a tad warmer and the snow & ice on the roof is a tad slidier. Around 10 p.m., there was a very loud whump that shook the house. This is what caused the commotion – the ice and snow finally let loose, finally knocking the gutter to the ground. It’s crumpled in the corner by the house.

At least the snow on the top floor should drop easier now.

So far, we’ve had about 15 inches of snow. With Monday being forecast at 50F with showers during the week, who knows how much will last and how much will end up as ice covering the ground. This is on the deck.

A Michigan magic bbq mushroom. It grew a little more before it died a quick death by snow shovel yesterday.

Even with the gutter falling, there’s still a lot of snow & ice up there. Even though I lived in Michigan until I was 10, I never knew snow could deform like this. It almost makes being cold worth it.

BUT, not everything is snowy here. Cold, yes. Here’s a shot of five of the feral cats who share our home, staying warm together under a lamp. This is a major step for the top left girl; she’s usually camped outside somewhere on her own.

Before I leave you to go get some more wood for the fires, here’s a view of melting icycles. Merry almost Christmas!