Enough Already !

Last night's snowfall was warm and wet. It may have been preceded by rain. Snow coated trees create a special image and a silence that makes everything feel close. We have had unusually high amounts of snow this winter with no real thaw. Our perennial plants have been protected from the cold by their insulating blanket of snow. One has to wonder about the condition of the soil under the snow. Has the warmth of mother earth crept near the surface?

Ice has been constant on our lane. A professional was called to deal with the mess. His plow preceded by sunlight moved the ice to the edge of the driveway. There it refroze into rough unmovable masses. Last night's snow brought us some magic. Its warm and wet coating caused the frozen masses to soften. They could be plowed by my John Deere lawn tractor.

Cold air returned with a vengeance so the window for scraping the road was narrow. With a 4:30 AM start I was able to plow the new snow and push back the old mixed mess by 1:00 PM. The push back requires moving the tractor across the short width of the lane. Much back and forth with frequent raising and lowering the blade along with turning the steering wheel sharply pointed out that I am no longer young.

All of this drama took place surrounded by incredible beauty. A fierce north wind has reshaped the picture. Drifts have replaced snow covered trees. When it less cold out a walk to the back should find some huge snow drifts.