Big Snow
December 10, 2012 § 2 Comments
So much snow fell yesterday and into today. 15 inches, maybe?
Imagine you are here. You would slide into long johns and boots and mittens and take great strides through the snow with the dog and me.
The snow came nearly up to Tassie’s belly in some places. It covered our boots. It put tall caps on the beehives.
It is the kind of snow that makes you work around it, that makes you clumsy, that makes you pause and look at how the world around has changed. The kind of snow that makes you laugh and even shimmer a little bit yourself.
I think everyone around here is secretly or not-so-secretly thrilled. I swear there is more spring in our steps, more cheer in our voices. Last winter had scarcely a decent snow in this part of the country, and so this one feels like ice cream long waited for. It tastes sweet.
Snow in April
April 16, 2012 § Leave a comment
After that somewhat strenuous drive home through a pouring thunderstorm, and a much cozier evening tucked under the covers, and a very nice sleep, I woke up to see white out the window.
What?
I did know, actually, that flurries were in the forecast, but I thought that meant petty little flurries. Rain that just briefly, for a second, turns into snow. Not enough to be completely white and flying sideways with the wind.
Only later, after a solid morning’s work, did I get out for a walk to snap some shots, so the melt had already begun. Even now there is little left. Though, tonight is still supposed to be cold.
Oh, funny spring.
Come walk through the woods with Tassie and me:
Let the dogs out
February 28, 2012 § 1 Comment
The nice thing about rural areas? Hardly-traveled dirt roads. Ditches and fields. Places for dogs to be off the darn leash without all sorts of regulations.
Miss T. loves it out here. Even if the other two are best buds and she is the old girl who stays closer (and listens when you call).
Let ’em play.
Warm thoughts
February 24, 2012 § Leave a comment
“One can enjoy a wood fire worthily only when he warms his thoughts by it as well as his hands and feet.” -Odell Shepherd
Hike the river
January 23, 2012 § Leave a comment
So we used to do. These walks became welcome breaks from studying and working, in those graduate-school Iowa winters. Miss T and my sister and brother-in-law and I went out where the high banks and the thick ice would invite us in, and on.
We followed the tracks of cross-country skiers. The paw prints of other dogs, the boot prints of other hikers. We put our own prints in new snows.
Climbed fallen trees and ducked beneath their branches. Saw our breath turn to fog.
We loved winter. How it opened new terrain. How it made the river a favorite hiking trail.
Kinds of Honey 