First of all, I love snow. I’m not one of the humbugs who groans and complains when snow is forecast. There’s just something magical about those first flakes and the way the world is transformed. I don’t even mind that I have to slog through the stuff to feed the animals or (much) that I have to break ice in the water tanks. But this snow is a different kind of snow and I guess I see now why people in other parts of the country don’t get as excited about it as I do!
Yesterday was kind of fun, walking through what for these parts would pass for a blizzard. The horses didn’t seem to mind it too much because they didn’t seem interested in staying in the barn. The dogs were pretty delighted to play in it. Phoebe, the youngest, had never seen snow like this and she kept sticking her nose in it and then coming up with a snow cone on her nose. She and Tess, the collie, had a great time playing tag. The other dogs, Kelsey and Trace, are older and more jaded and really preferred the comfort of the horse trailer. Phoebe was still having fun this morning. Her light weight allowed her to walk across the crust without even leaving a pawprint. Tess, being about forty pounds heavier, kept breaking through. She reached her limit in the driveway as we were coming back from the barn. She and Phoebe had started a game of tag when she skidded about three feet, all four legs went in all four directions and her nose went into a pile of crusty snow. She got up and I swear, she looked back to see if I noticed and went straight to the door. She is recovering nicely now, on the couch in front of the fire. I don’t know if I will be able to convince her to got outside again today.
I told Bullet, my horse, that this would be a good time to have a sleigh. He didn’t seem to think that was such a good idea, since he is the only horse on the farm that is broke to drive. I’ve never been on a sleigh ride. It looks like so much fun in the nostalgic pictures on the Christmas cards, but I suspect it is one of those things that would leave something to be desired in the reality.
Yesterday was kind of fun, walking through what for these parts would pass for a blizzard. The horses didn’t seem to mind it too much because they didn’t seem interested in staying in the barn. The dogs were pretty delighted to play in it. Phoebe, the youngest, had never seen snow like this and she kept sticking her nose in it and then coming up with a snow cone on her nose. She and Tess, the collie, had a great time playing tag. The other dogs, Kelsey and Trace, are older and more jaded and really preferred the comfort of the horse trailer. Phoebe was still having fun this morning. Her light weight allowed her to walk across the crust without even leaving a pawprint. Tess, being about forty pounds heavier, kept breaking through. She reached her limit in the driveway as we were coming back from the barn. She and Phoebe had started a game of tag when she skidded about three feet, all four legs went in all four directions and her nose went into a pile of crusty snow. She got up and I swear, she looked back to see if I noticed and went straight to the door. She is recovering nicely now, on the couch in front of the fire. I don’t know if I will be able to convince her to got outside again today.
I told Bullet, my horse, that this would be a good time to have a sleigh. He didn’t seem to think that was such a good idea, since he is the only horse on the farm that is broke to drive. I’ve never been on a sleigh ride. It looks like so much fun in the nostalgic pictures on the Christmas cards, but I suspect it is one of those things that would leave something to be desired in the reality.
So, I will spend the next couple of days sitting by the fire, watching the landscape, making soup, reading, working puzzles, and making periodic trips to fill the bird feeders, feed and water the animals and check on my mom, who lives next door. Maybe Tess will even share the couch with me for a nap!
I have been intending to start a blog for a while, ever since I started reading the one done by my friend Stacy Beam. I’ve been struggling to find a title for it that reflected what I want to do with these writings. I discarded some titles as sounding to pretentious for what are really just going to be mostly ramblings, but I didn’t want to use the word ramblings either. And I would like this to be like a conversation on the front porch. I heard someone the other day talk about the phrase “Sit a spell.” When you ask somebody to “sit a spell,” you are asking them to just stay a while and be sociable. Not a formal visit, not an extended stay, just an amount of time that maybe only Southerners can identify. Sort of like knowing how big a mess of beans is, or when you cross the line between carrying on and throwing a hissy fit. So, this is my first experiment in inviting my friends and would be friends to sit a spell and listen to my ramblings about my life in the country. Glad to have you and I hope you will come back soon!
I have been intending to start a blog for a while, ever since I started reading the one done by my friend Stacy Beam. I’ve been struggling to find a title for it that reflected what I want to do with these writings. I discarded some titles as sounding to pretentious for what are really just going to be mostly ramblings, but I didn’t want to use the word ramblings either. And I would like this to be like a conversation on the front porch. I heard someone the other day talk about the phrase “Sit a spell.” When you ask somebody to “sit a spell,” you are asking them to just stay a while and be sociable. Not a formal visit, not an extended stay, just an amount of time that maybe only Southerners can identify. Sort of like knowing how big a mess of beans is, or when you cross the line between carrying on and throwing a hissy fit. So, this is my first experiment in inviting my friends and would be friends to sit a spell and listen to my ramblings about my life in the country. Glad to have you and I hope you will come back soon!
