Saturday, February 6, 2010

SNOW!

We got snow! Not the Big One, which had so many folks hereabouts dithering in dread and fear, while the rest of us awaited in gleeful anticipation…but a big enough snow to be fun—and breathtakingly beautiful. Somewhere between 7-8 inches here along the river; folks only a few miles to the north got more.
The bulk of the snow arrived sometime after midnight and before I got up and looked out just after 6:00 a.m. Prior to that, in spite of having snowed all day yesterday, temperatures throughout had hovered around the freezing mark, so most of the snow melted soon after it came down, while any that stuck was a wet slush…not quite 2 inches of the stuff when I went to bed. I was disappointed—I'd been hoping for a real humdinger belly-deep-on-a-bulldog snow. A blizzard would have been fine.
When I realized we did have snow, I knew the birds would be coming to the feeders in droves as soon as it got light—and knew the first order of business (before coffee!) was to make sure their breakfast table was set and served. It was still dark when I stepped onto the deck, but the cardinals were already in the big hackberry by the door, waiting impatiently for their meal. I swept an area near the base of the tree and tossed out several scoops of cracked corn. I made sure there were suet cakes in the wire cadges and topped up the seed feeders.
Even in the dark, I could see the river was full of slush. A wind was gusting, too; I hoped it held off at least long enough for me to make some photos of the fluffy piles of snow atop limbs and small branches.
I barely made it back inside the cottage before a dozen male cardinals and about the same number of females were on the ground and tucking into the fresh corn. Even on a morning when food would be at a premium and the key to survival, the redbirds beat their competition to the feeders by half an hour—and except for that lone junco, most species didn't show up for a full 45 minutes!
Once it got light—a glowing white since the sun remained hidden for much of the day behind cloud cover—the feathered mob moved in…woodpeckers and sparrows, finches, a wren or two, chickadees, titmice, more juncos and a lot more cardinals, starlings, a single blue jay, a pair of doves, nuthatches, and probably one or two others I've forgotten. Later the ducks, mallards, came up from the river and cleaned things off. I threw out a post-noon meal of corn, and another just a few minutes ago. No hungry beaks and bills.
Unfortunately, Myladylove had to report for work this morning. No snow day for her. Not that anyone who's lived in Alaska is intimidated by a few inches of snow…though she would have enjoyed the time off and the chance to get outside.
Moon the dog and I certainly had a fine day of it. I took photos. She loped and leaped, stuck her nose in the snow, wallowed, barked, wagged, and played like a pup. I love seeing my old dog frolic, though there's always a bittersweet recognition that time for her runs at a faster pace.
Late in the afternoon, the sun came out, putting a sparkle on the tag end of the day. So while the Big Snow I'd hoped for failed to materialize, we did get enough snow to make up for an otherwise dreary winter. And who knows…winter may not be done with us yet!

19 comments:

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Fabulous shots of the white blanket chez vous.

As I read I thought that all the feathered creatures around your home have seen the face of God. A loving, gentle and reliable one.

KGMom said...

Well, I am not sure our snow was "the big one" (we are about 2 hours north of DC where they did get "the big one") but we got a wallop.
You can have our snow, if you like.
I hear tell another storm is due here about a week from now.

Bernie said...

Grizz your photos are really beautiful. Glad you were able to enjoy some snow.....Winter is not over yet so you may get the storm you want yet.

I see many States got hit pretty hard, let's hope those people love a good snow storm as we do.

Happy Sunday......:-) Hugs

Penny said...

I probably shouldnt love your snowy photos but I do, reminds me of snow holidays but these are better!
Thank you for them, here we are not quite sizzling but the temperatures are rising so snow is a blissful way to pretend to stay cool.

Tramp said...

Isn't it something to take a dog out in the snow?
It certainly has a high wag factor, and watching her enjoying a roll on her back or burrowing in leaving just a gyrating backside to view is so uplifting.

Jayne said...

They were saying at one point on the Atlantic seaboard it was coming down at a rate of 3" per HOUR. I can't imagine! Glad you are happy for the inches you received. The photos are beautiful!

Elisabeth said...

These photos tell a different story, maybe not the 'big snow' you'd hoped for, but beauty, beauty everywhere.

Wow. What a day.

From here in Melbourne, Victoria Australia, on the anniversary of last years horrendous bush fires when 173 died, it's awesome.

Thanks.

squirrel said...

Beautiful photos of the birds.

Grizz………… said...

Bonnie…

Well, certainly not God, or even god…but a face, which in spite of its non-deity visage, takes their welfare seriously and responsibly.

Glad you liked the photos.

Grizz………… said...

KGMom…

They're talking additional snow for us, too, over the next few days. I hope so. Less is not more when it comes to snow.

DC did get dumped on. Probably did 'em good.

Grizz………… said...

Bernie…

I'm pleased you enjoyed the photos.

Yeah, some folks did get a real humdinger of a snowstorm…for their part of the country, anyway. I'm sure a lot of them don't mind it all that much, but they don't make the news. And the rest, I guess they're just stuck until it melts. Bottom line, you can't live in snow country and not expect to get snowed on occasionally.

Grizz………… said...

Penny…

You can enjoy our snowfall vicariously all you want. I'm sure a lot of folks around here wish that they were also enjoying it in their imaginations and via photos. Personally, I'm have a great good time! I love winter and snow!

Grizz………… said...

Tramp…

Almost all dogs seem to love snow. Good for them! Snow is just made for playing in and having fun…whether you're a pooch or a grizzled old writer.

Grizz………… said...

Jayne…

I've never seen it snow that hard here, but I've been in some genuine blizzards elsewhere, including one in Michigan, where I watched it cover a doubler-decker tour bus up, literally, in about four hours—of course a lot of that was drifting.

My wife, who lived in Alaska, saw some big, fast snows, too.

Grizz………… said...

Elizabeth…

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that this wasn't a beautiful snow…it was! Just that the amount which fell was well short of predictions.

But…they say we may get another round soon. Yipee!

Grizz………… said...

Squirrel…

I took bird photos by the dozen. They looked so pretty against the snow. You can expect to see many of those in future posts—so consider this forewarning.

Gail said...

HI GRIZZ-

Beautiful pictures of snow on your river and about your view- I love Winter so, WOW!!

We didn't even get a dusting. Although Wednesday we are expecting a measurable and shovel-worthy amount!! I am glad Skipp will be home. phew.

Enjoy your view, and your fire and hearty whatever you have simmering.....

Love to you
Gail
peace.....

Grizz………… said...

Gail…

I did—enjoyed the snow, the river, the birds, being out, taking photos, playing with the dog…and afterwards the meal and crackling fireside.

I enjoyed the day!

Anonymous said...

Wow all I can say is that you are a great writer! Where can I contact you if I want to hire you?