Snow and Cold
LeAnn posted this blog on Monday, February 7th, 2011 at 1:00 am
Snow and Cold
It snowed again last Monday. And now it’s supposed to snow again this Monday. It seems like it snows often this winter, but not much at a time. A few inches here. A few inches there. But a few inches is enough, especially after we got that 20-inch snowfall in December.
We were supposed to get maybe six inches out of the snow a week ago, but in reality it was closer to three or four. The southern part of Wisconsin ended up with a lot more snow and the southeastern part of the state was in a blizzard warning.
The snow that’s been falling so far this winter has tended to be light and fluffy. And my little Shetland Sheepdog Pixie is really enjoying all of that light fluffy snow. We have a path shoveled around the house to the lower driveway and a path out to the bird feeder and a path into the yard so Pixie has a place to walk when she needs to take care of her business.
With each new snowfall, the “walls” of the path have gotten higher. And this is the part that Pixie loves.
Every time we let her out of the house, she feels compelled to take a snow bath and rub her face in the snow and rub her shoulders and her sides and even her read end against the snowbanks. When she’s finished, she is covered with snow and looks so pleased with herself.
Go figure.
If I get ready to give Pixie a bath in the bathtub, she looks dejected, indeed, at the prospect of getting soaked in the tub and might even hide in the bedroom if she thinks no one will see her go in there.
But the snowbanks — that’s a different story. She is so exuberantly happy, rubbing and snuffling in the snow. And fresh snow is apparently quite tasty, too, because Pixie enjoys a snowy snack when it’s light and fluffy.
As for me, I am delighted that January is finished. My mother always told me I should not “wish my life away,” but when it comes to January, I am glad when it’s gone. January is such a long, cold, dark month. But still, even by the first week in January, I can see an improvement in the length of days. It’s just that I know it’s going to be a long time yet before we have warm, balmy evenings with a long twilight scented with lilacs, and I am impatient to wait that long.
Then again, Pixie is on the right track, I think. Enjoy the snow while it’s here in all of its white, pristine and fluffy glory. Before we know it, the snow will be melting and the driveway and horse pastures and the garden will turn into a muddy mess. And that’s Pixie’s least-favorite time of year because when she’s got muddy feet, I insist on giving her foot-baths before she comes in the house. And she hates standing with her feet in a pail of warm water. . .
LeAnn R. Ralph
Pixie loves to rub her face and her sides in all of the fluffy snow we've been getting this winter. (Feb 2011)
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