Snowdwarf Zombie Vulcan!

Snow doesn't normally come down with that just right recipe for a great snow day. Usually it's much too powdery and light to do nothing more than kick some up at the puppy and send her running around the yard like a kid that just found the pixie stick factory.

Usually you have to wait for just a little bit of thawing to get a nice amount of water into the snow before you can really do all those classic snow day things: snowball fights, snowman building and of course who can forget sludging where you slip and slide down the driveway on all the brown snow remnants left from the car.

After fighting off the blizzard and subzero temps for the week things were finally starting to brighten up this weekend when old man winter dared to skirt around freezing to turn the snow from white fluffy cotton into rock hard ice balls. (you should see Old Man Winter when he skirts around a Paso Doble, tre magnific)

So of course my husband and I must indulge our inner child for this first big snowfall and we set about making the first snowman of the season.

It was a bit of a challenge as the snow wasn't in a fully cooperating mood and Essie wasn't really sure what we were up to but she was more than happy to help in her mind by stepping on our snow balls and breaking them in half or biting a chunk out of them.

We were eventually able to make a little man, a snow dwarf if you will just missing his beard and no songs about gold. But growing up I never made just white ol boring snow man. We always gave them a bit of color and life right before the dogs decided to run right through them or knock their heads off.

May I present our Snow Dwarf Zombie!
BRAAAAINS!

I think the random green dots are probably bullet holes or something. So I guess the Snow Dwarf Zombie is also a Vulcan. Who knew.

At least Essie knew how to deal with the Zombie Vulcan.
After we'd packed it in and headed inside, she started to claw at the snow dwarfs bottom and making sure no one was looking she jumped on top of him and bit off his head.
My little girl's a zombie fighting action figure now. They grow up and fight off the undead so fast.

But I don't just have fun snowman or Essie playing in the snow pictures. Thanks to the light thaw and a little flurry the trees were looking exceptionally beautiful yesterday.

So here are a ton of pretty winter pictures which we can all look fondly back on in July.
So many trees had this lovely white coating all over their branches.
Not all trees had a black lab sniffing around in the corner though.
But I know you all came here for the pine trees, after all what's winter without pine trees.

What do you mean, Hawaii? You're not allowed to talk anymore.

The snow made the most interesting patterns on the branches, looking very jagged and painful.
And for some reason at the dog park there was a deck chair crashed against the tree but with the bit of grass poking through it almost looks like a chair laid out at a beach that just got covered over in snow.
How have your winter excursions been? Been able to enjoy any of natures glory or just stayed inside next to a nice warm fire (for those of you on the other side of the equator I hope my wintry pictures at least helped with the summer burn)?

Edited to add a Muppets Carol of the Bells. You got to see it, it's hilarious. Poor Beaker: