Time Weathered
What a wind we experienced yesterday! A simple walk around the property was an exhausting struggle. The bare branches of our trees clattered overhead as they bounced against one another, putting me on alert about walking beneath them. Delilah’s ability to smell what’d been going on overnight was visibly altered as a wealth of distant scent information was arriving through the air faster than she could parse and the ground scents were being endlessly scrubbed away.
While deep in the woods near the edge of our property, we witnessed the sound of a large tree cracking and falling. My first impression had me turning to my left to look up the hill toward the direction of our house, but that didn’t sound right. Looking in the opposite direction into our neighbor’s woods locked into the full sound, but I couldn’t see the source.
It was definitely impacting multiple trees and the cracking and crunching made quite an impression. I looked toward Delilah and she was staring intently toward the direction of the sound, after which she looked up at me as if to say, “Whoa!” –as in, ‘that was huge!’
Yeah, that was a “whoa” alright. It was a big one that answered any questions about falling trees making sounds whether anyone was there, or not.
We were out on the second trek of the day and I could see the footprint evidence of Cyndie and Delilah’s first walk at dawn. Cyndie was able to stay on top of the frozen crust. It provided a contrast to the other extreme from her afternoon walk the day before when the soft snow had her boots dropping to the full depth, making a stroll on our trail into a real slog.
At the hour I was traveling over the terrain, my boots were just breaking the surface.
Our snowpack has experienced multiple thaw/freeze cycles in the last week and then yesterday the surface was scoured by the relentless battering of gale-force gusting winds. It barely looks like snow anymore. It resembles the surface of the moon, except for the occasional random foot path trails various wildlife visitors have left in their wake.
This morning’s peaceful calm almost enhances the perception of a lunar location.
It’s a calm before the next storm, we are told. A Winter Weather Advisory is on for tonight and tomorrow morning in our location. That crusty surface will be given a fresh new coat of inches on which we get to tread in the days ahead.
Huzzah to that, we say! Bring it on.
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John…I can’t even!!
The closest thing I can tell you is we, too, had gale force winds the other day and when I took my puppy out a gust came and knocked me off the patio!! But I was clad in shorts and a tank top!! Oops…I’m not bragging!! 😉
Hope you all are well!!
lorriebowden
February 28, 2021 at 12:31 pm
Oh, you. Thanks for the chuckle. Our days of shorts and tank tops feels closer at hand every day now with the days growing longer and the sun climbing higher. It’s a mixed blessing, as the return of warmth is such a joy, but lately it is tinged with angst that it is climate change related and could bring other extremes that can be much more troublesome.
Thank you for empathizing with our plight, even if offered from the snow-free location.
johnwhays
February 28, 2021 at 4:30 pm
I know…I was so bad!
I agree with you, John. I can see the sun moving north every day and each one seems a little bit longer. As we progress in this year to the weather I really love, we also head into Hurricane Season…and the way these storms have been intensifying every single year…I can’t help but be concerned.
That is when I have to knock the fear out with love…and live in this moment. Nothing new, and perhaps oversimplified…but it seems to work for a little while.
Have a great week!
lorriebowden
February 28, 2021 at 4:52 pm