The Snow that Lingers

~ rabbitpatchdiary.com

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My affair with snow is quickly on the decline.  The snow that lingers around the barns, and under the pines is hardly snow at all anymore.  It  lies in old silvery patches now and pales in comparison to its’ previous form.  The diamonds have melted on the trees too.  On the drive to work, I saw their last attempt at glory and it was a beautiful grand finale.  It reminded me of the verse, about “the trees singing out in joy”.  They were this morning, when I saw them.

The rabbit patch territory is an awful mess now.  Where the snow used to lay and glisten in the moonlight-is now mud and slush which tracks dependably all over the farmhouse floors.  We all leave a footprint, no matter how carefully we tread.  It is a good thing that the pipes thawed today.

In spite of the the snows’ uncivilized departure, my affection for it remains.  I watched it fall.  Sometimes it fell fiercely and then  later , it fell like feathers  wafting.  Snow seldom falls in most southern winters, so I took great notice of the occasion.   I have no idea, how to put chains on tires, or even what that means.  I bought a snow shovel years ago-very cheap, which we used for goat chow and oats for the little horse. I can not fathom  shoveling snow, before you go to work on bitter cold mornings, either.  Under those conditions, I may not have counted a snowfall a glorious affair-but for me, at that moment, it was.

 I have often complained about the ways of country birds.  I have said they were an independent lot and unappreciative of my bird feeders.  My friend, Rae lives in town and has named the birds in her back yard.   They are on  such good terms.   The town birds are friendly like that.  I took another chance on the ice-and put seed out just in case the rabbit patch birds would change their minds when faced with ice.  Moon Shine, who used to be wild, set up camp in a chair by the window.  When his eyes began to dart around and a curious look was on his face,  I sprang to the window, just in time to see cardinals, robins and a little sparrow eating mightily together.  I thought of my grandmother.  She loved birds and taught me to do the same.

The farmhouse is almost cold in winter.  We will ferry wood on foot for a while, in mud.  We will track the mud everywhere, it ought not to be.  Rabbit sightings are scarce and nothing growing yields a fragrant bloom in this season-but I have noticed the stars seem bigger in a winter sky and moonlight on snow is enchanting.  The hearth is warm with fire brightly burning and sometimes the trees sing out. . . and I think we ought to love the winter too.

 

24 thoughts on “The Snow that Lingers”

  1. I hope you don’t mind me asking a silly question, but is that ‘it’ for your winter now? Will it just be cd and muddy until spring? Here we are expecting our first snowfall later in the week, though much part of the UK usually misses out!

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    1. winter lasts until very late March-once in a great while, we get snow. Mostly it is just cold, though not freezing. Cold rains fall sometimes, sleet too. not too much mud-only after snow and ice. I hope it snows again! thank you!

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  4. We had snow this morning again. I would rather have snow as the really cold days they tell us are coming again. But there is hope…they say we will see the 30’s by Sunday.
    Our farmhouse is also always cold it seems. We just haul in some more wood.

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  5. I love the birds very much also. I have several feeders outside where cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers as well of course as the tiny birds. We will likely be moving in the spring to an apartment where I will most certainly miss my feathered friends. Diane

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  6. My husband grinds corn he has raised and puts it on the driveway where there is no snow. Our country birds love it. I see every type of bird out there eating. Winter is not my favorite season, but I do love fresh snow. We also are tracking in our mud.

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  7. I love that Rae has names for her back garden birds. And I also just love the respite that winter gives us. Its a time to get close for warmth, the play board games beside the fire with hot chocolate for the grandchildren. Things move slower in the winter, and I appreciate that people slow down as well, giving us time to sit and really talk. Thanks for you prose. And I am searching for ski boots for my retired cross country skis, that will come back to life real soon.

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  8. The weatherman has predicted snow for us over the next few days …will it be so ?? I wonder.
    The cold clear nights enable me to see thousands of stars each night which never fails to take my breath away with their beauty at which point I always spare a thought for you and the rabbit patch

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  9. As you know, I live where winters are cold, at times frigidly cold, and the world is snowbound with icicles growing as long as August corn grows tall. I’ve learned to deal with it, to snowshoe and cross country ski in it, and to appreciate its fierce drama and beauty. But I also need our winter trips to sunnier spots where cars are clean and I don’t worry about falling on icy sidewalks. So I understand every word of your last paragraph. It speaks for me as well.

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  11. It’s funny how quickly the”wild” leaves a cat in cold weather, isn’t it? Sorry I have been missing some of your posts, but I have two separate problems with the Reader, depending on what device I use!

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