It is cold here. Extremely cold. It was 12 (F) when I got up yesterday. OK, it is not as cold as some of you have it, but my house is cold inside. COLD. (Note: That was the outdoor temperature. Inside it slightly warmer!)
click photo to enlarge
Because our elevation is around 5000 feet, our heat depends on sun. Thank goodness we have a lot of it–310 days a year. However, this week has been short on sun. Tuesday was a day with mixed snow and sun. There were large snow squalls all day. Toward the end of the day I thought it was actually going to get busy and snow, but three minutes later the sun was shining. (I am not sure what made me so delusional. Probably wishful thinking about the possibility of no school on Wednesday–“art day.”)
The first photo is one I took on the way to an appointment. I loved seeing part of the city obscured in a snow storm while it was perfectly clear where I was. When I left, however, I drove about 500 feet and got in a mini blizzard myself.
The next photo shows how hard the pellets (yes, usually they were pellets, not flakes) were coming down at times. If these episodes had lasted more than a few minutes, we would have been buried!
click photo to enlarge and see snow detail better
To see LOTS more terrific sky pictures or to find out how to participate in this meme, head to the SkyWatch blog.
Potted Frog 
February 12, 2009 at 12:56 pm
That’s amazing; didn’t know about the pellets. You featured pellets today and I have rain and rainclouds.
Mine is over at http://calrat.blogspot.com
February 12, 2009 at 1:09 pm
That must be on the high plains. And yes, with all that sun, and not much water … it’s an austere place to live. And the contrasts in cold between night and day make it almost seem like a lunar scape.
February 12, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I enlarged the photo, as you said, and indeed I saw clearly the pellets. I hope your house can be heated properly. We have cetral heating, but when something is wrong with the boiler we have to call the heating engineer, who comes as soon as possible.
February 12, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I find your natural surroundings so stunning Louise. We only have shades of gray right now, so this is so beautiful to me (and warm). 🙂
February 12, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Cool!! Love the photos!!
February 12, 2009 at 1:35 pm
You were seeing Mirage? 🙂 I envy the sun on your part! Enjoy the weekend!
February 12, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Nice shot and post. I love first one. It looks like we all have almost same weather around;)
February 12, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Oh my goodness. You know it’s cold when even the inside of your house is freezing! We’ve had the woodstove on quite a bit ourselves lately.
Very pretty photos!
February 12, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Pellets? The air must have been violent at the altitude where the clouds were.
February 12, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Great photos! Love the pellets! It does look cold! Hope you get some sun soon! We have a little sun today, but mostly clouds. I’m ready to see the end of this winter.
February 12, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I hope that it will warm up for you soon. Beautiful shots.
February 12, 2009 at 1:50 pm
In that first photo, it’s like someone is pulling a veil of mist across the landscape, which creates a mood enshrouded in mystery. I’ve had similar experiences watching weather from afar. Several times I’ve stood on the beach on Sanibel Island and watched it pour across the bay on Fort Myers beach. It is a rather weird experience!
Tink *~*~*
NEW at My Mobile Adventures *~*~* : Friday the 13th at Walt Disney World
February 12, 2009 at 1:51 pm
At first glance your first photo looked like the ocean and sandy beach…the mountains looked like a huge wave coming in. Talk about delusional! :o| Very nice pics!
February 12, 2009 at 1:56 pm
The veils of winter come and go around here too but we don’t have much sun in the winter. The top one is so mysterious. What an amazing landscape.
February 12, 2009 at 2:00 pm
That is such an amazing shot of the city in a snowstorm! And 12 sounds pretty cold to me. We’ve actually been having some warm weather — 60 degrees over the weekend… 🙂
February 12, 2009 at 2:01 pm
One of those squalls stayed right on top of my place. Three inches later, it finally moved on. But it all melted by yesterday and the sun shines again. Don’t you just love New Mexico?
February 12, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I see what you mean about the ice pellets..very nasty.
Love the photo of the approaching storm.
February 12, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Hee heee pellets bet they would hurt if you were out in it. Nice shots Don
February 12, 2009 at 2:31 pm
At this moment we got snow, but not pettets. great shots and post Louise.
February 12, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Wish I could send you some sun from down here!
February 12, 2009 at 2:33 pm
That`s for shure – not as cold as in my world – but very still beautiful 🙂
February 12, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I’ve seen rain in the distance when I was standing under a clear sky, but never snow. That’s a pretty cool view!
February 12, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Looking at your photos makes me cold! Interesting shots though. Thanks and Happy SWF!
February 12, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Sorry so cold. It looks dreary too.
February 12, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Perhaps it will warm up considerably soon.
February 12, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Hi Louise ,
Great sky I love all the snow,Happy skywatch and better enjoy the snow!
(Please don’t pay attention to this “kostas” spammer)
Greetings JoAnn Holland
February 12, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Great photos!
February 12, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Wow, pellets? first time I’ve seen it and only in a photo, thanks for sharing this Louise. Great skywatch photos. I love them both.
February 12, 2009 at 3:44 pm
I like the reds of the lights in your pellets photo. Gives it an urban, funky look.
Stay warm! We’ve got howling winds here, but yesterday it was gorgeous.
February 12, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Pretty picture of the high prairie with the city, mountains, and clouds moving in. The sleet? hail? pellets don’t sound fun. And having vision obscured in a blizzard while driving isn’t good at all.
Hope things warm up for you, inside and out.
February 12, 2009 at 4:30 pm
It’s very gray and wet and the temp got up to 40 today. Feels cold and damp, though.
But my sky watch post is of a sunset last Monday. I hope you can come by.
February 12, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Pellets? looks like they hurt. Thanks for sharing, great skywatch photos.
February 12, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Hi Louise! Hope it warms up a little bit…
Meanwhile, the colours of Rajasthan wait for your comments at Blogtrotter. Much warmer… ;)) Enjoy and have a great weekend!
February 12, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Great squall shot – and those pellets are really interesting – is it like hail?
February 12, 2009 at 5:57 pm
interesting shots……
Gill in Canada
February 12, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I love your first picture, Louise. It’s kind of strange to see that angry shower in the background and the dry desert sand in the foreground. Wonderful.
Although it’s cold overthere now, I envy your amount of sunny days. 🙂
Have a great weekend.
February 12, 2009 at 6:10 pm
We had the snow pellets over on this side of the Sandias, too.
I always enjoy visiting you to see what the weather’s like on the west side of the mountains. ;D
~Lisa
Tijeras, NM
February 12, 2009 at 6:32 pm
great shot of the squall….people tend to think it does not get cold in the desert environment…but, it does 🙂
have a great weekend.
erin
February 12, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Great pictures. Thanks.
February 12, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Great shots. Hope things warm up soon.
February 12, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Pellets sound extreme. That looked more like a photoshop-filter in the bigger photo.
12F is -11C. That is quite cold and I´ve had only couple of days so cold this winter.
February 13, 2009 at 12:03 am
Two great shots which very well represent the cold weather. I understand you: to be cold inside the house is not at all pleasant.
February 13, 2009 at 12:13 am
Brr! And here I’m complaining about 37 degrees. 🙂
Amazing photos.
February 13, 2009 at 1:47 am
5000 feet in the desert – wow!
February 13, 2009 at 6:14 am
We don’t get much snow here. But when we do everyone stops and enjoys.
Funny how your traffic lights are different than ours. I’ll have to take a pic of one to show you.
February 13, 2009 at 6:45 am
Wow, I just spent some time going through some of your earlier posts. Now I understand what the stamping is all about! The photo of the red lights is great enlarged because of the snow.
February 13, 2009 at 7:48 am
Pretty pictures of around 5,000 feet elevation. I’ve just posted a couple of pictures of over 10,000 feet of Mana Village in the Himalayas. I invite you to have a look. Cheers!
February 13, 2009 at 8:05 am
it must have been really cold in there! amazing capture! 🙂
February 13, 2009 at 8:27 am
12 cold? I know, everything in perspective. It is cold, especially when it’s unexpected (or unwanted.)
February 13, 2009 at 8:47 am
That is cold, we have had a few days likt that or below and they’re nasty! Great piccies.
February 13, 2009 at 9:07 am
Beautiful! If it’s going to be that cold, it might as well snow. 🙂 I know those snow pellets can hurt, especially if one hits your eyeball.
February 13, 2009 at 9:43 am
Nice shots. It is hard for me to think about NM as being that cold but I guess an elevation of 5000 feet would do that. I’m used to the colder temps only because I’ve always lived in MI except my two years at BJU in SC. I like the warmer weather but since it looks like I won’t be leaving here any time soon, I have to except that I’m always going to be cold.
February 13, 2009 at 11:40 am
Beautiful with de snow as falling!
Great pictures ! ! !
Gr.
P-TER
February 13, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I suppose you weren’t speaking of a hail storm. But yes snow can come down as icy water, ie. water frozen into ice particles and that is not a very nice wheather to be out in.
I love the first shot. The border between the wheather fronts is so clear. If your inside temperature is not more than 16-17 F I do feel for you. That is cold for indoors. BRRR.
February 13, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Hi ~ Brrr….just looking at your photos made me go get another sweater! Here in NE it has actually been warm (48 degrees) and I was outside with just a light jacket! I know that more cold weather is headed this way this weekend. Stay warm and…happy heart day!
February 13, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Beautiful impressive shots!
February 13, 2009 at 8:34 pm
It’s still gorgeous! I always wondered what it would be like to live out west. I am so east coast it isn’t funny. Maybe it is funny but I must have missed the punchline.
February 13, 2009 at 10:03 pm
12F is bitter cold for me, take care.
February 14, 2009 at 8:46 am
your camera always captures cool clouds!
stay bundled up!
February 14, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Love the snowy shots!
February 14, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Great photos, Louise. The first one looks almost like a beach shot.
February 14, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Lovely snowy photographs but I can’t quite wrap my mind around weather that cold!
Hugs and blessings,
February 15, 2009 at 8:03 am
Lovely pictures even if you were cold while taking them. I’ve been cold this entire Winter and I’m SO ready for Spring!
February 15, 2009 at 11:11 am
Great shot of the snow storm blowing by Louise. I hope you manage to keep warm – have a nice big mug of hot chocolate with some marshmallows on top! That should help keep out the chill 🙂
February 17, 2009 at 8:12 am
Louise: What a neat post and a great way to share your loves in gifts.
February 17, 2009 at 8:13 am
Louise: Hit the wrong comment link. Looks like winter has come to NM.
February 24, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Wow! I had no idea you guys got that cold! Brr! And snow/pellets? Cool!
February 27, 2009 at 5:13 am
Dear Louise!
Such a wonderful words, great post! I wish you a nice vacation!
Our Luxembourg Blog is “out” for a while, unfortunately…We have had some difficulties here, we still are in Brazil but I do hope to be “on line” with Luxembourg blog, as soon as possible.
One more time I would like to say your blog is always “cool”.I love reading the posts!You are a great writer!:-)
See you! Have a great holiday!
God bless you!
Léia
February 28, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I love the picture of the mini blizzard!