I had the opportunity to walk into my back woods this morning with Missy. We don’t own these woods, but there they are bordering my back property so, off I went. I have never walked back there before because these woods are just covered with thick thorny pricker bushes (oh, that’s redundant, huh?) and you just can’t walk through that stuff. But currently, there is a covering of 3 to 4 feet of snow on top of all this messy undergrowth, allowing me to walk without getting thorned to death. Lovely!
Only this past week has it been possible to actually walk on top of this snow without sinking in up past your knees on every step. The rainfall last week with more snow and sleet, combined with temps near zero every night, to make this possible. And all of this was on top of a record 84+ inches of snow this season that has been compressed, but has never melted, rendering it nearly perfect to walk on! Beautiful!
Missy and I have not been walking up on our street since the snow has accumulated because it is too dangerous without any “shoulders.” In fact, the street has narrowed a bit making it a little tricky in some places for two cars to pass side by side. Also though, it is not good for Missy’s little paws with all those “melt” chemicals on the road. I mean, when it is 10 degrees out and the road is “wet”, there’s gotta be some serious bad chemicals on the street. Last year I saw some guy in February walking his 2 dogs down the wet street and the dogs were limping. I was so angry at this man for what I knew to be such stupidity. If it is cold out and the road is bone dry, that is one thing. But if the road is actually wet when it is way below 32 degrees, you are putting your innocent pets, who depend on you to protect them, in harm’s way. I mean, really! Grrr – oh, don’t get me started! Maddening!
Anyway, Missy and I have been walking the shoveled pathways in my backyard. Although Missy seems to be having a great time, running through them like a maze, she has been curious about what is beyond the snow walls of our corridors. They are higher than she and she cannot see. We finally hopped on top of them nearly a week ago and have been walking around our yard ever since. Today I realized that there there was no reason why we couldn’t venture into the woods now that the prickers were buried. Why I did not think of this sooner I do not know. I finally realized my invisible fence was gone and I was free to roam! Brilliant!
We walked back only about 300 yards or so. I brought my snow shovel with me as I have been accustomed to doing when outside with Missy these days. It serves as my “pooper scoop” which has long since been buried in the snow. The shovel came in handy as every so often I would sink down a bit, sometimes past my knee. I used the shovel to help distribute my weight, holding it out to my side at a 30 degree angle and pressing it down on the snow covered ground as I walked. Of course snow shoes would have worked wonderfully here. How it is even possible that I don’t own a pair is beyond me. Puzzling!
It was nice to escape the confines of my immediate backyard if only for our brief 15 or 20 minutes in the woods. The house was always in view even as we walked down beyond the ridge. Anyone watching us from the house would have just seen the tops of our heads I’m sure, as the property is quite sloping to say the least. We saw 2 well traveled deer trails, a pond and some houses that are off of a side road off Main St. All in all, it was a great way to start our day. Excellent!
Only this past week has it been possible to actually walk on top of this snow without sinking in up past your knees on every step. The rainfall last week with more snow and sleet, combined with temps near zero every night, to make this possible. And all of this was on top of a record 84+ inches of snow this season that has been compressed, but has never melted, rendering it nearly perfect to walk on! Beautiful!
Missy and I have not been walking up on our street since the snow has accumulated because it is too dangerous without any “shoulders.” In fact, the street has narrowed a bit making it a little tricky in some places for two cars to pass side by side. Also though, it is not good for Missy’s little paws with all those “melt” chemicals on the road. I mean, when it is 10 degrees out and the road is “wet”, there’s gotta be some serious bad chemicals on the street. Last year I saw some guy in February walking his 2 dogs down the wet street and the dogs were limping. I was so angry at this man for what I knew to be such stupidity. If it is cold out and the road is bone dry, that is one thing. But if the road is actually wet when it is way below 32 degrees, you are putting your innocent pets, who depend on you to protect them, in harm’s way. I mean, really! Grrr – oh, don’t get me started! Maddening!
Anyway, Missy and I have been walking the shoveled pathways in my backyard. Although Missy seems to be having a great time, running through them like a maze, she has been curious about what is beyond the snow walls of our corridors. They are higher than she and she cannot see. We finally hopped on top of them nearly a week ago and have been walking around our yard ever since. Today I realized that there there was no reason why we couldn’t venture into the woods now that the prickers were buried. Why I did not think of this sooner I do not know. I finally realized my invisible fence was gone and I was free to roam! Brilliant!
We walked back only about 300 yards or so. I brought my snow shovel with me as I have been accustomed to doing when outside with Missy these days. It serves as my “pooper scoop” which has long since been buried in the snow. The shovel came in handy as every so often I would sink down a bit, sometimes past my knee. I used the shovel to help distribute my weight, holding it out to my side at a 30 degree angle and pressing it down on the snow covered ground as I walked. Of course snow shoes would have worked wonderfully here. How it is even possible that I don’t own a pair is beyond me. Puzzling!
It was nice to escape the confines of my immediate backyard if only for our brief 15 or 20 minutes in the woods. The house was always in view even as we walked down beyond the ridge. Anyone watching us from the house would have just seen the tops of our heads I’m sure, as the property is quite sloping to say the least. We saw 2 well traveled deer trails, a pond and some houses that are off of a side road off Main St. All in all, it was a great way to start our day. Excellent!
If I keep reading these posts Sheri, I know its going to motivate me to get outside and get my own fresh air. Thank you! Sharon
ReplyDeleteFresh air is a good thing. I'm not getting quite as much as I'd like lately. Find (make) the time to go outside and breathe deeply now and then. Find the "me" time for yourself everyday -- if only 15 minutes -- you deserve it! Your saying that I motivate you -- really gives me a boost and in turn motivates ME. So, thank you for that! Be good to yourself!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you should invest in some snowshoes!! ;0)
ReplyDeleteHey Bon -- yeah, maybe I'll buy a pair next year. This past summer I bought all sorts of hiking and camping gear. Summer '09 I bought my kayak. Summer '08 - just after Laurie died, I bot a bike. So, next year's purchase of snow shoes will be cheap in comparison. I never thought about it till this year!
ReplyDelete