Thursday, January 27, 2011

Sensing the snow

Like much of the east coast, Roundtop Mtn. got hit with another snowstorm yesterday. I tried to measure 10" but couldn't. I found 9.25", 9.75" and 9.5". Snow is still pasted on many of the trees, so the entire forest is white and brown.
The only color comes from the male cardinals, who are as red as a stop sign.

I spent much of yesterday shoveling the decks and the driveway. I shoveled out to the chicken pen and dig out the car. The dogs never tire of the snow. Of course, they don't have to shovel it. Even the aging Dog rushes through the snow like a puppy. And Baby Dog, now in her prime years, is as silly as she was at 7 weeks.

I see tracks of many animals in the snow. Deer tracks come right up to my front steps, and it appears two of them are munching on my juniper bush. Rabbit tracks cris-cross the lane. I haven't seen a rabbit in months, but I can tell they are still here. I see the hopping tracks of small birds, likely juncos.

The snow muffles the sounds of the already quiet winter days. Just before dark I hear the very distant, barely heard call of a courting great horned owl. When the trees sigh with a barely-there breeze, I lose the sound altogether.

Oddly, when I have nothing to hear, suddenly the smells of the winter woods are mysteriously more intense--the piercing bite of the snow like a sour lemon drop, the sweetness of a white pine, the dry roughness of stones nearly exposed by the snow plow.

Note: Today's photo was taken on Tuesday, the day before Wednesday's snow.  I'll have a few photos of the bigger snow tomorrow.

5 comments:

Cathy said...

Oh you got a lot of snow, I only got about 4 inches and really don't need anymore for awhile. However that's not going happen the way the forecasting is looking.

Scott said...

Carolyn, we got 15 inches in two bouts: one of four inches, a break of about eight hours, and then a burst of 11 inches over a period of five hours. I was watching the weather forecast on television and they said that areas in Lancaster and west would not see much snow, but I guess they were wrong since you report nearly 10. I was thinking about you when I heard the reports, thinking how lucky you were to avoid this latest blast. I posted some images on my blog of "our" snow.

Carolyn H said...

Scott: my snow came in two blasts as well. The first dropped 3-4 inches (forecast was for 1-2) of powder, then late in the day it snowed hard with a wet snow. I had about 3 inches in hour for that one. I think it was because I am up on the mountain that I had more snow, though the local school district was closed on Wednesday, so perhaps it wasn't just on the mountain.

Carolyn H said...

Cathy: Snow again today and maybe tomorrow and again maybe on Wednesday. the snow valve is stuck in the open position, I think.

Jeannette StG said...

Trying to catch up with friend's blogs, in-between several painting projects:)
I see this is the same landscape as in your header - I know it's awfully cold, but it sure is beautiful!