How to photogaph a snowflake under a microscope (tutorial)

We had a snow day yesterday.  I go stir-crazy on snow days (see these posts for Snow Storm 2008).  This year I am trying to embrace the "forced days off" that Mother Nature has provided (if you haven't heard, Seattle shuts down in the snow).  That said, you will be unsurprised to hear, that I set up lab on the front porch at 8am yesterday morning.  I brought out my microscope and "science box" and started trying to catch snowflakes.  Catching them was not the hard part.  The hard part was trying to get them to stick around long enough on the glass microscope slide.  Even on the plastic slide, they melted before I could get the microscope focused.  But eventually I figured it out- before I got frostbite on my finger tips.

Here's what I learned:

As if we didn't have enough already...

my hubby & I were just reminiscing about our childhoods in Denver (me) and Montreal (him) and comparing nose-hair-freezing stories... And also remembering how QUIET it is when it snows (oh, did I say that too loud?)... And remembering what the streets look like in winter with brown slush everywhere... And having to wear snowpants that were hard to walk in to school... And having to go to school, even when it snowed... And licking icicles... And peeing in my pants [literally] when I had to sleep in a snowcave (oh wait, that was just me)...

Well, the snow is coming down again and the last 4" hadn't started melting yet. We are still nowhere near a Denver or Montreal winter (Montreal is currently 2ºF), but we are 1 step closer than usual!

Did I mention that cashmere is reported to be 8 times warmer than wool (and a ton softer)? So bundle up in cashmere and stay warm and cozy - and eat some Christmas cookies with your hot chocolate - 'cuz baby, it's cold outside!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

and our fireplace has a board in front of it to keep the draft out - but the rest still applies (sing it with me) -

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Seattle is getting winter - and having problems dealing with it. But none the less, the kids are in the wonderland that we should all be in.

Bad news is, I am an absolute weenie when it comes to driving in bad weather (might have something to do with sliding down a cloverleaf onramp to a highway SIDEWAYS in my Karman Ghia many years ago... I didn't hit anything, but I can still see the barriers wizzing by the windshield... been there, done that, not doing it again ['nough said]!

But I digress. The point I was getting to is that I can't get out to pick up more scarves from my sewing team and deliver them to the stores. So.... there's a good chance that we will be sold out for the season! There is a chance that the snow will melt once it stops falling (as it usually does here in Seattle), in which case scarves are on the way for last minute shoppers. But just in case...