Posts Tagged ‘images’
New Level
It is amazing how quickly we are able to adjust our perspective about things, when given the “opportunity.” When I turned into my driveway after the long drive home from work yesterday, I immediately had my definition of asphalt damage dramatically re-framed.
All winter long, I have been fretting over the scrapes and marks I have been making on the driveway, as a result of my crash-course in plowing technique this year. Then, on Wednesday, the first truckloads of dirt for our new loop created some cracks, and damaged an edge.
Yesterday’s truckloads made all the other minor damage a moot point.
Suddenly, all my previous concern over the driveway seems like much ado about nothing.
So, now it’s got a real bad spot. So what. We’ll deal with it. My previous obsessing over the condition of the pavement has been adjusted to a whole new level.
Meanwhile, the fill for the area where the hay shed will go is starting to take shape. Day 3 was again cut short by the afternoon melt. The project will proceed in half-day increments.
Snow Fun
We have company this weekend. Cyndie’s niece and nephews stayed overnight. Yesterday was a beautiful day for outdoor fun. There is still a lot of snow around here for fun and games, but it was warm enough to be completely comfortable in the spring sun. I started the morning by digging a path to the fire pit, so we could have an outdoor fire. We created sled runs on our back hill, one with banks and turns, and one straight shot down the hill. A snowman materialized, an activity that was followed by snowball battles, snow angels, and much running and exploring. The kids were particularly interested in one of our brush piles that never successfully burned last fall.
Soaking wet, rosy-cheeked kids came indoors for treats and respite beside the fireplace. I got a chance to watch a little of the college basketball tournament games before it was time to head back out to cook burgers over the fire. That gave kids another opportunity to see how the sled runs were setting up in the cooling evening temps.
The runs had gotten a bit too fast for the size of our banks. I think that is the funnest part for the kids.
Boggled Mind
Last night I had my mind boggled by the PBS broadcast of Nova episode, “Earth from Space.” My mind is numb. So much information all at once, about our planet and the interconnectedness of everything, has left me speechless (write-less). I will provide one of my photos to speak for me today, in place of my words.
Enjoy.
Trail Grooming
After the rain that fell over the weekend, we received a nice finishing touch on Sunday night, in the way of 4 inches of new snow. Of course, that meant, once again, I would spend most of Monday (my extra day off from the day-job) plowing and shoveling.
In addition to the driveway and sidewalk projects, I also freshened things up around the house in preparation for Cyndie’s return from Arizona. That doesn’t mean I didn’t squeak in a little time to work on grooming my ski trail in the woods, though.
Grooming in process
Snowshoes and a dragged shovel
…create a nice enough finish
Beautiful Storm
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.
Beautiful Night
It was another beautiful night on our new property. Breathtakingly so. The richness of being here is almost overwhelming sometimes. Walking through our woods on the snow-covered trails, heavily marked by the frequent activity of wildlife, large and small, is an enthralling experience. It is a dance of life. It is a privilege and a pleasure, and a feast for the senses. The crunch of footsteps in the snow makes what seems like a thunderous cacophony announcing my presence, but stopping to stand still, immediately wraps the surroundings in a blanket of comparative silence. Just as quickly, subtle hints of movement can be detected in the increasing darkness of distances. Branches creak in the flow of cooling air, a dog barks somewhere far away, and the sound of a bird brings a sensation that springtime is locked up in everything here, on the verge of bursting forth in all its splendor.
I can’t wait to see it happen, but I wonder if I have the capability to bear it all. Part of me senses the beauty of this place could be incapacitating if I am exposed to too much all at once. There are times I feel like I’d be perfectly content to just sit down in any spot here and do nothing but absorb the surroundings to the fullest until my ultimate demise. It is intoxicating!
