Relative Something

First off, let’s just look at a ‘before’ and ‘after’ view, comparing that shot from Sunday with one I took yesterday afternoon. What a difference a couple of days can make.

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It snowed most of the day yesterday, and I wanted to wait until it stopped before plowing, so that meant I was able to go out and play! First, I hiked on snowshoes for a lap around the entire 20 acres. When I got out to the road, I discovered our mailbox had been knocked off its post by the snowplow. It would take some tools to fix, so for the time being, I laid it sideways on the post, and kept on snowshoeing.

I took a picture of the back of the house, because the snow drifting over the eaves looked cool, and I realized we don’t take many pictures from that vantage point.

While in the woods, I packed down a portion of the trail, with thoughts about the possibility of trying some skiing. I hadn’t gotten around to doing that yet this winter, and the days when that will still be possible are numbered. I was pretty worn out by the time I made it back to the house, but the conditions were so perfect, I decided to get out the skis.

Mind you, I haven’t been on them for a very long time, and I still haven’t quite mastered the art of skate-skiing, so this was a pretty significant undertaking. I’m sure I could have done better if I hadn’t been fatigued, but it was a lot of fun, and I worked to pack down a little more trail with each pass back and forth that I accomplished.

By about 2:30 p.m., the snow had tapered off, and I wanted to get the plowing done before dark, so I ended the ski experiment, before I incapacitated myself with exhaustion. The skiing worked really well, and I’m hoping to get right back out there soon, to make the best of it while it lasts. There’s still plenty more trail yet to be groomed, and I’d like to see how I perform when I am not already worn out.

The plowing turned out to be quite a challenge, because of the amount of snow (I’m guessing 11 inches) and the fact the temperature was warm enough to make it a bit sticky. I wasn’t very successful using the back blade, so I mostly resorted to the bucket. There’s a lot more monkeying around to maneuver to where I can empty the bucket when it gets too overloaded, and I can no longer push it in front of me.

I want to report to my siblings, I was thrown back to wintertime at the old Intervale farm, after I was finished plowing, because I had created giant piled-up snow mounds in a few spots. I visualized my 6-year-old self standing on top of the mountain of snow at the end of that driveway, back in the day.

They must have used a lot bigger tractor than the one I have, though. (Did Dad do that plowing, or someone else?)

Today, it’s back to the day-job for me. No playin’ in the snow till evening. Maybe I’ll do some night skiing in place of my half-hour walk.