I'm seeing things. Why doesn't that surprise you?

I thought I wouldn't, but I'm gonna say it again- the snow is still kind of pretty, and the past few mornings I have awakened to see the added sparkle of Hoar Frost that, with a bit of imagination, transforms every surface that it touches into something else.

Many of the tree branches look as though they are adorned with soft feathers.

Or tiny white butterflies.

Sometimes the branches appear to be covered with sharp thorns.

The dormant apple tree almost looks like it is covered in spring blossoms......OK, maybe it's easier to imagine if you don't look at the snow-covered ground.

The old tomato plants are skeletal soldiers standing guard over the deserted garden-that I never cleaned out in the fall-thanks for noticing.

A wooden fence post becomes a strangely-decorated cupcake. Work with me people, it's winter in Iowa, you start seeing things.

And Jasmine becomes....

Lady GaGa.

Then, as the sun starts to warm the air....well, warm is a relative term, when I say warm I mean it gets up to about 20 degrees....I digress. When it gets warm-er, the frost comes tumbling down and the show is over.

Then it's just back to regularly scheduled winter in Iowa again, and I am still just a little off-center. OK, a lot off-center. Thanks for noticing.