..and so mundane things around me are not so mundane to me

I always am interested in the "performance" of the sun--and the external things that effect that performance.

As we move toward spring the sun is rising in the sky and the radiant heating---independent of air temperature continues to increase as we go.

This morning as I went out to the road with mail I pushed my trusty little "snow plow" which is 18" wide along in front of me. This was in about 4" of fresh snow and since it was fairly cold the snow was very light. I "plowed" a path out and a path back on opposite sides of the lane--similar to wheel tracks.

By the end of the day the parts of the lane not shaded were bare--simply due to the absorption effect of two black strips and the high radiation from the sun. The high temperature today +25 F.

The sun room heats much more effectively when we have a full snow cover since a lot of radiation is reflected off the snow into the room in addition to direct radiation.

If the snow has a crust on it that effect is even more pronounced since the reflectivity is increased.

Today was crystal clear--and dry---tonight the temperature will drop like a home sick rock---the snow does not absorb the radiant energy like the ground--and return it at night--the low humidity and lack of cloud cover accelerates the cooling of the air. I expect at least a 30 degree drop tonight.

I love watching the things that go on around me