Beneath the drain pipe at the corner of my house sit five rain barrels. My husband has connected them together with lengths of hose so that when the first barrel fills, the water flows into the second one, and so on. The barrels are covered with pieces of plywood weighed down with bricks to keep our cat from falling in. He prefers to drink al fresco.
From June to September, these barrels provide water for our garden.
From November to March, I like to peek under the plywood from time to time. Sometimes I’m rewarded with fascinating discoveries.
One winter we had a flash freeze following a period of rain. The next day I discovered that the moment of the flash freeze was captured in the ice in the barrels. In an instant, the flow of water pouring into the barrels through the hoses had halted, leaving the water spray and bubbles frozen in time.
Before we were adopted by a cat with little sense of self preservation, we sometimes left the barrels uncovered. That resulted one day in a beautifully sculpted ice peak rising up from the surface of the barrel like a dorsal fin. It was a thing of beauty – perfectly curved, deliciously smooth to touch, a pale frosty blue speckled with frozen bubbles.
Most recently I discovered a new treasure hiding in the rain barrels. The surface of the water within had frozen in a series of triangles with raised perimeters.
I don’t know much about the science of ice or what causes these phenomenon. I’m not alone, though, in my fascination of them. American photographer Warren Krupsaw has captured images of wonderful ice patterns he has come across: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2226349/Amazing-ice-patterns-formed-naturally-pools-frozen-water.html
Looking forward to more rain barrel discoveries this winter.
Cheers,
Lana