This is what it looked like yesterday at KPC during the Great Blizzard of 2009.

Beginning Friday evening, the snow was unrelenting until late Saturday night. It fell fine and fast, with a pretty good wind behind it at times.

You can see in the picture below what the flags are doing!

The stupa is barely visible . . .

. . . and every bush is wearing its own snow-cone extension!

The bird feeders are too. The winged ones are having a hard time finding food!

Ani Palmo went out to clear the bird feeders and fill them with birdseed.

Now at last the birds can find a footing, and some food. That’s a peanut-butter pine cone she’s waving around in her right hand:  an easy way to get some nutrition out to them.  (That’s right–it’s just what it sounds like!  You smear peanut butter on a pine cone.)  And she took some bread crusts out too, tossing them in a place with some protection from the snow.

At midafternoon, 15 inches of snow had fallen, and it was still coming down.

One of the other nuns, Ani Pema, had to make her way down to the Garuda Aviary (our parrot sactuary) to tend to the birds. The photographer missed Ani-la on her trek–but here’s her trail.

We caught up with Ani Pema later, warm and dry, inside the temple.

Meanwhile, the 24 Hour Prayer Vigil, the heart of our activity at KPC, continues, with the residents tag-teaming on shifts.  Ani Pema did a double shift earlier in the day, four hours.  Here’s Gonpo, arriving from elsewhere on the property, to take a late-afternoon shift.

You can see how the snow is piling up!  It seems we are completely cut off from the outside world.  But wait–here comes help!  The cavalry!  Our neighbor with a bobcat.

It was such a beautiful sight, we think we want to show more of it.  After all, plowing means that YOU can get here!

By the way, you can sponsor the Prayer Vigil and dedicate your support to a loved one or a cherished cause.  Click here to learn more about Prayer Without Ceasing.