A fat turkey enjoys a mild, sunny mid January day.
When Crane Creek runs in January, we know we have enjoyed a fantastic winter to date.
Picking up the last of the fall leaves in the middle of January? You bet, and here is a picture to prove it.
The Yellowstone continues to run this January, only partially encrusted with ice.
This January, we can look across field after field and not see a speck of snow.
A neighbor had the opportunity to ride his motorcycle and could even wear a short sleeved shirt while getting the machine ready to ride, an unheard of experience for mid January in eastern Montana.
Even the chickens have enjoyed January so far. These happy cluckers are busy scratching in the dirt, with no fear of frost or snow to ruin their day.
January generally ushers in the coldest month of the year. Daytime highs plummet to subzero temperatures for weeks at a time, winds howl, people only venture outdoors for short periods and only when bundled up in heavy coats, mittens, and warm boots, and those with wood stoves keep the fires stoked and blazing hot all day long to chase the gloom and cold. Animals hunker down as well, as domestic animals stay in their coops or shelters and the wild animals burrow deep into their dens or dense brush to shelter themselves against the bitter cold.
This January, however, the above scenario doesn’t seem to apply. We are practically half way through the month, and so far it has proved itself to be a gentle, good-natured January, a fact that no one dares complain about. Rapid warm-ups have followed the few cold snaps we’ve experienced, giving people the chance to take advantage of this unprecedented weather. Activities and sights that we don’t normally see in this, traditionally the coldest month of the year, have proliferated, as people take advantage of the fantastic weather and accomplish tasks normally done during other seasons of the year.
As the following pictures illustrate, this January we’ve seen people walking around in short sleeve shirts, riding bikes and motorcycles, working on their lawns; we’ve observed open water, running creeks, and animals out and about scratching in the dirt, with not a speck of snow in sight. If the rest of the month gives us the same type of weather, we have winter beat for this year, at least.
Reader Comments(0)