Snow day...

I slept in a bit, until 6:30. When I looked outside the early light of dawn showed me that the promised 6 or more inches of snow had, indeed, arrived while I slumbered. This topped the 10 or so inches we received two days before. My day stretched before me, a blank canvas. My only solid plans were that friends were coming for supper around 5:30 PM. I thought to myself, "Hmm. I can snuggle up by the fire and write today.I'll make hot cocoa. It will be cozy and serene." With that delicious thought in mind I dressed up in boots, hat, warm gloves, heavy coat and a neck cowl and hauling 40 or so pounds of water went out to do chores.

First I carried water to the poultry. Then I topped off their food container and tossed them sunflower seeds and cracked corn to snack on. Next I carried water and hay to the horse and goats. I then had to encourage the goats out of their cozy shed and out into the deep snow to walk across the yard to where they are milked in our garage. Once they were milked I carried the milk inside, strained it, and let all the dogs, (including one that is visiting) outside. Then the dogs got snacks and I was back outside, carrying more hay and more water, shoveling any wet or soiled shavings out of the shed, gathering eggs from the coop. Our neighbor stopped by and plowed out the end of our driveway where the town plows leave huge embankments of heavy, wet, salty snow. He came in for a cup of coffee and a sweet chat, then was on his way to help someone else out. My husband and I went outside with shovels and cleared the steps to the driveway and the yard. We shoveled the little path, and shoveled around where the cars park and spots the plow could not reach. We cleared our vehicles of snow, and shoveled out the bed of my truck. Then we gathered up our trash and recycling and headed out to the transfer station. After that we swung by the farm where I buy hay and filled the bed of my truck with stout, fragrant bales redolent with the scent of summer. When we got home we unloaded the hay, and I checked on all the livestock (wading through knee-deep snow!) and gave everyone a snack. At 12:30 those chores were done and I sat to have my cozy day. Knowing that very soon I'll need to hop up and prepare the meal for friends, tidy the house and ... take care of all the animals again!

The snow is beautiful as it falls, and it blankets the world around me in unbroken perfection. But it does make for more work, and not so much time to drink cocoa and write!