Sunday, March 1, 2026

on we march

 


A view looking east from the bottom of the driveway.
Checking the mail and taking a few wintery snaps.

I don't bother to check the mail every day. Like my email, most of my regular mail falls into two categories: either asking me for money (suggesting donations or home improvement projects), or offering me money. The "offers" are usually banks suggesting I acquire debt for a "deserved" holiday trip, or strangers wanting to buy my home "for cash"). Not worth a penguin-walk down to road and back.

The forecast last week included one day in the 30s, so I took a few snaps of icicles before they disappeared. These were taken from inside the house, through a row of south-facing windows. Walk along with me, won't you?





Back to the driveway, halfway up and looking southeast toward the house. Much of that snowload slid off the roof yesterday. This time I heard it. I don't know if you can see (click to embiggen?) the overhanging ice dam that had shaded the north windows in the kitchen, but it is now on the ground, and the kitchen is noticeably brighter.



With the warmer hours, the snow on the ground has gotten heavier and wetter. The paths that have been packed down by daily use over several weeks now only appear "packed down" because at random moments my boots go right through the surface into the soggy snow beneath and I'm suddenly over my knees again. I don't enjoy this type of thing; it's a jolt through the spine every time, and it makes keeping one's balance quite tricky. One morning I dropped every single flake of hay I was carrying to the various shelters. There was some unfortunate language that day. But when I'm not actually in the process of tipping over or dropping feed, I focus on how lucky we've been with the weeks of dry powder and the infrequent high winds. There's no denying that it's been a challenging Winter so far, but it could have been So Much Worse.


And now it's Sunday. 
As soon as I post this it will be time for a round of chores.
Then checking my Seed Inventory for the gardens of 2026.
And it's snowing again.

~~~~~

15 comments:

  1. Very glad you haven’t been trapped in that blizzard. Massive icicles seem to be a theme this winter. I saw one hanging half way to the ground. Glad your roof can take the icy load.
    May

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    Replies
    1. Not trapped, but definitely in the path of that blizzard. Already seems like history now, just one snowstorm after another since January.

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  2. My own back hurt when I read about going suddenly through the snow. I can avoid it, no herd to feed, so I do.

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  3. Post-holing unexpectedly is distinctly unpleasant. But what a bluebird sky in the first photo! Those are very impressive icicles. It IS March, so there IS hope that spring will come.
    Chris from Boise

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    Replies
    1. Post-holing! I've not heard that term before, but it's a good one. Yes the blue skies have been dazzling. It's below zero again this morning (Mon) but the sky is clear, so spirits will be high :)

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  4. Those ice icicles look deadly. Do you sometimes wonder if the snow will ever melt away?

    You describe the mail nowadays perfectly! It used to be fun to go to the mailbox, but I think those days are long past. We don't even get interesting holiday catalogs anymore.

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    Replies
    1. I'm just hoping for a gradual melt instead of dangerous weeks of ice, followed by a flooded cellar.

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  5. Great photos. It's amazing how deep the snow is in some of areas!

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    Replies
    1. And the original icepack all snug and safe beneath...

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  6. Unfortunate Language. I like that, quite descriptive!
    You still have so much snow! Will you warm up this week? And if you do, will it be a help or a hindrance?

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    Replies
    1. The forecast is for several very warm days - high 40s! - so it's likely to get a lot messier. Hoping for the best, but honestly not sure what that could be.

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  7. They predicted an old-fashioned winter this year and it seems they are proven right. We've been really lucky in this area because we seem to have missed the worst of it, however that's not to say that we haven't gotten way more snow than in recent memory. Stay safe!

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    Replies
    1. Knowing how you feel about snow, I volunteered to keep most of it down here. You're welcome ;)

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    2. Bless you my friend - much appreciated!

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