It started snowing yesterday. As predicted, 8-inches fell. The horses were kept in. I have a 4-wheel drive truck with superior ABS and other safety features. I drove to the barn. Rode Tonka for an hour in the indoor. We had a big loose trot and canter. Did some fun work over raised poles. Stretched and felt good. Then I gave him a thorough currying. It gets itchy under that winter blanket! Snow is part of life here in the Northeast. It was a good day.
More snow was predicted for today. It gets tiresome after 24-hours of precipitation. The weather report was, unfortunately, accurate. This is what it looked like at 7 am.
No matter, I thought. I’d drive my truck to the stable again.
But. Today’s snow was different. I backed out of the garage and slid sideways. The snow under the tires was slick as ice. I was stuck.
Serendipitously, the guy who plows our driveway appeared when needed. He plowed. I shoveled around the tires. We put down sand and the truck was ready to go. But, he said that the roads were slippery and getting more treacherous as the temperature dropped. I decided that Tonka could spend a day in his stall eating hay and being bored. The smart thing was to stay home.
That didn’t mean I had to stay inside. I strapped on snowshoes and headed down to the marsh.
It was quiet except for the sound of snowshoes in snow.
I wouldn’t have gotten very far without those snowshoes, but even with them, there were places were I sank up to my knees!
The body of water in front of the house is a beaver pond. The water is deep in some areas, shallow and murky in others. In places it freezes clear and shiny, in others a slushy brown. Beautiful.
There’s water in the woods, too. This is a vernal pond. There are plenty of wild things sleeping the winter off in its muddy bottom.
We’ve had an exceptionally wet autumn. Today it’s snowing, but it’s not bitter cold, so water is still coursing down to the bog.
Except for two juncos, I was the only one out. There weren’t any tracks to be seen, except for these made earlier by a coyote.
A snow day quiets everything and everybody. The woods was stunning during this peaceful interlude, both as a landscape,
and in the closeup details.
I’ve got a pot of black bean soup simmering, which will be a good dinner at the end of a classic Maine snow day. It’s been nice. But I’ll be in my truck, first thing in the morning, to get to the barn.
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing. Linda in Oregon
Thanks for reading! 🙂
Hi Terry
I love reading your posts – they are always so positive and enabling. I am envying you your snow, simmering pot and rain – here in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, we are heading for mid-summer with scorching temperatures. We live in a small rural (very rural) hamlet called Salem (no no witches in action here – except a prolonged and wicked drought) and haven’t seen any meaningful rain (we don’t get snow) for over a year – our reservoirs are dry, there is no grazing – what we would do for a deluge right now!
How wonderful for me that my writing has reached all the way to your small hamlet. So sorry to hear about the drought. I know too many people, in too many places in the world, under such conditions 🙁
Beautiful pictures and really enjoyed the videos. The snowshoes are interesting, but I guess I really don’t need any. We very seldom get as much as 8 inches of snow, mostly 2 or 3 inches, but can be really pretty for a while. You are fortunate to have an indoor place to ride.
The indoor is great – but the heated tack room and indoor bathroom, now that’s essential!
So wonderful to see the snow, we rarely get any here, but I know how difficult it can make doing normal chores having lived for 5 years in North Alberta where snow 6-9 feet was not unusual. Please all keep safe and warm, Scooter has the right idea 🙂
Wow, we have had frosts and I thought that a nuisance but nothing like you are having. It is beautiful as I don’t have to deal with it and I admire your steadfast way of getting on with things. In England we grind to a halt if we get an inch or two of snow. I love seeing how different things are with you.