The prairie is reborn as the new corn crop slowly rises skyward. From tiny seeds grow the fortunes and futures of the heartland.

Full moon in spring. Taking decent pictures of the moon can be challenging thanks to low ISO, full zoom extension and image instability. Thankfully for me, there’s photoshop to help smooth out the wrinkles…If only a little.

This small garden snail (about dime sized) found its way onto the sidewalk after some very heavy rainfall overnight. I would have loved to have had the big Canon with the super macro lens handy, but no such luck. You can’t carry it everywhere, so that’s why I have the ELPH. Check out Snail World for tons of cool snail info.

It’s finally spring again, which means…NO MORE ICE!!!

The temperature topped out around 90 degrees today. A little warm for the beginning of April, but I’ll take it.

Christian County in early March. Hopefully the final encounter with the white stuff for a while.

This dusting amounted to about two inches and melted the next day.

A solitary stray shopping cart holds its own against the ravages of winter.

Sunrise near Blue Mound on a frosty February morning.

Symmetrical rows of frost take the place of last year’s soybean crop.

Merchant Street in Downtown Decatur, home to Dell’s Popcorn, Porter’s Steak House and formerly Macon Ice Cream.

Another downtown snow scene, taken about one block from the Transfer House.

Winter in Decatur: The first major snow event of 2012 as seen from Eldorado Street. Please be careful driving or working outside. It is extremely slippery and dangerous. Be safe, stay warm and don’t take chances!

Railcars battered by gusting snow and cold. Not exactly your warm and fuzzy feel-good photo of the year.

Just like Florida… Only, different.

Brush College was a slushy, treacherous mess this morning…

…And about as well cared for as your average back alleyway. How many more days ’till spring?

Caterpillar back hoes rolling south out of Decatur. Not sure if they were manufactured in Peoria, as the Decatur plant produces earth movers and mining trucks. Long live American heavy industry…What’s left of it.