The Changes that Snow brings

We woke up this morning to an unusual brightness in the room, and it took a few moments to recognize what it could be.  The trees outside were covered with thick white snow! The overnight forecast had called for a few flurries, but this was obviously more than that.

Down in the kitchen Jet barked and barked at the window, and I don’t know if it was because of the brightness, or simply the anticipation of getting outside.  He paused at the doorway and I just knew he would have a case of the “zoomies”.  Sure enough he did – several times, but he’s learned to calm himself down a little so it doesn’t get out of hand like it used to !

It feels like I’ve been talking about and planning for the arrival of snow for ages, but in actual fact we were nowhere near ready. I had found my winter boots in a box the day before but had tucked them away so had to dig them out.  Coming back into the cabin with snowy feet I realized we hadn’t quite got our entrance reorganized so we still have to enter through the kitchen, and the carpet that covers the wooden floors will get wet which isn’t good for the wood. 

I also remembered that we always had a stash of windshield wiper anti-freeze, and lock de-icer at the dome, so will have to make sure I pick some up this week as we have none here. We found the snow brush, but it isn’t actually in the truck yet. We have seven – yes seven – snow shovels, but none of them are down here at the cabin where we need at least one.

I have got a stash of soups and canned goods stocked up ready in case we can’t get out, but the fridge is a bit bare and I should make sure it doesn’t get too low for the next few months. I realized today I am out of bread, and getting low on a few other staples. (Not to mention we have run out of red wine!)

I think it’s the first time that I started to think that we are seriously living here now – it is no longer a cottage where we will just make do because we are going to leave and go home in another day or two. This is now for real!

Although it was just a little snowfall, it has stayed all day as the temperature is well below zero.  The roads look icy, and I doubt any plows or sanding trucks have been out on the main road.   We could have ventured out, but we have a line of soft stone in front of the cabin as we are getting some more work done to the road, and most of the rest of the road is full of stone and waiting to be graded. Unfortunately the grader got a flat tire and all work stopped temporarily until it can be repaired later in the day.

Ah yes, the road. It’s been a bit of a learning curve.  We had hoped that Brennan’s bulldozer would get repaired earlier in the fall so we could get the road finished, but it just wasn’t possible. When we called to get some grading done, (by the same person who will plow and sand our road this winter) and to see if he could maybe get the last sections finished, he and Rob agreed to meet up and walk the road to talk about potential problems, and possible fixes. Well, it was no surprise that he felt that some sections were too narrow, especially at the "steep curve" part, so we all agreed to add more stone, and to increase the width where needed. At the same time, the final part that approaches the cabin has never had any stone laid, and it will be a mess come spring when the snow melts, so a layer needs to be added to it as well.  They started the work on Friday, and would have finished up today but due to the flat tire, they will have to now return tomorrow.  By the time the tire was fixed, it was already dusk outside. All this to say that we couldn't drive our truck out today as there were big piles of soft stone blocking our way out!

The photo above shows the steep curved part is now a bit wider and I am feeling a lot better about driving on it. It will be graded again tomorrow, but I tried it out with the truck on Friday and was pretty pleased.  We shall see how it goes this winter, it may need grading again in the spring once things settle a bit.

They moved some rocks away and levelled out this section on Friday. They filled it with stone today. I was worried it would lose it's nice country laneway feeling, but it didn't, it still looks much the same thanks to all the evergreens. It was even prettier today with the snow!

We decided not to worry about being unable to get out of the driveway, and all the work being done on the road, and went out for a couple of good long walks in the glorious sunshine. It was cold and crisp out, but the sky was blue, the woods were beautiful and we stopped to admire the snow in the trees.

It was so lovely to be out in the sunshine. Where the sun had melted, the moss was a bright green, and the reflection off of the river was stunning. Rob noted how the snow had melted on our riverbank but on the other side of the river, the snow was still all there. I am glad we are on this side of the river!

We are both really looking forward to the next few months, as we have only once been here in the winter.  I love to head down to the river, and watch the changes that occur there. This week we noticed how the ice had formed around the vegetation at the edges, and then hung suspended out of the water when the river levels dropped.

And we saw our first owl last week! It flew out and landed high up in a branch of a tree and sat there while Jet and I admired it. (Well, Jet barked, but only once or twice, and then he sat and admired it) I took Jet home, grabbed my camera and went back, and was so pleased to see the owl still there. While I was taking photos, Rob arrived, so he was able to watch it for a while too! What a beautiful bird.

I think this winter we will learn that we need to be flexible. If the weather is bad, we will just have to curl up in the cabin and not worry about trying to go anywhere. I will make sure we have a few more staples always on hand, and we will get the snow shovels and all that other winter stuff organized and close at hand. It’s not like we didn’t already do this at the dome every year, so it’s really just all regular winter routine stuff. We just don't have a regular winter routine here yet. Of course at the dome we were a few minutes walk from a convenience store - here it is about 5 km. away! And the power does seem to go out here a lot more often, so we need to be prepared.

Later on in the winter, when the weather gets too nasty, well, we will just take our cue from Jet. Find a little spot of sunshine, curl up, and have a snooze. Clever boy.

Rob's First Post

Well, my first blog and Alison has been apprehensive - something about me perhaps not having time to write a suitably lengthy note in a conversational, easy flowing tone; maybe not being able to write with grace and style when describing the minutiae of daily life; perhaps not even being able to share my inner feelings....Well, fear not Alison - here we go!

When we sold our house one of the most amusing moments was when the buyer was asking about the cable connection; he couldn't quite grasp that it was not that the cable was disconnected - it simply did not exist. I started thinking about why I am so disinterested in TV and the following came to mind - "I would rather live life than watch it." Well, nothing else to add so that's all for today!

Oh yeah, I forgot. Alison says that readers enjoy a photo so here's my favorite button that was attached to a shelf in our bathroom for as long as I can remember:

This is really easy - next week I think I will write about why moving was so much fun after living in one place for 35 years ...

Discovering November

Well I must say these past two weeks have flown by and yet somehow stood still at the same time.  I guess we wanted to hurry up and move, but also needed the time to do it.

We've had cold, wet and windy days, we've seen snow squalls and hail, and we have enjoyed sunshine and warm temperatures that made us think of summer again.  One day this week I could not get enough of being outside, it was so warm and pleasant, and I was out in a long sleeve shirt and jeans. The next day I woke up to snow, and was back to wearing a winter jacket and gloves and toque. Typical November weather I guess.  We watched the weather carefully these last two weeks though, as Rob was in the process of transferring the last of our stuff, and didn't want to load or unload in the rain if possible. For a while it looked like that wasn't a possibility, but the weather suddenly changed in our favour.

We were incredibly fortunate that two of our neighbours, Sam and Dane, gave up an entire day for us and moved our heaviest stuff last week.  We are so excited to be on this new adventure, that we don't really think we will miss much about our lives all those years in the village, but there is no question that we had some truly wonderful neighbours, and we will miss them.

Although I walk with Jet 3 or 4 times a day, it is still not possible to spend time taking photos while I am out with him. He really requires lots of attention, and isn't one to stand quietly (you can probably hear Jet sighing now - because I am going to say that he doesn't stand quietly - NOT LIKE THE LAST DOG .....)  But it's true. Zuni would stand still, on leash, for ages, and quietly, while I approached herons, rabbits, beavers - you name it.  This is definitely not Jet's style. At least not yet.

So after we finish playing with him, and walking him, I usually go out by myself with my camera and have a good long walk. This is such a different time of year, and I haven't spent much time here in November before so I find it really wonderful to be able to wander around.  With most of the leaves gone, we can see the reflection off the river from many different parts of the woods. We can see much deeper into the woods, and walk more easily into areas that are usually too thick with vegetation during the summer (and thick with poison ivy!)

I can also clearly see the paths that the deer use. And other animals. There is a lot of "scat" around. (I'll spare you the photos)  My brother pointed out that during the winter I will be able to see a lot more tracks in the snow, and I'm looking forward to that. I'm not very good at "scat tracking", but maybe this winter I will be able to use the combination of tracks and scat to figure out what is living in the area around us.

The grey and brown tones of November always seem to make me somewhat reflective. One of my Flickr friends says I should view the falling of the leaves as replenishing the soil ready for spring growth, and I am trying, but I still find it to be a rather bleak month.  The sun is low in the sky, the shadows are long, the days are short, and the birds are few and far between. With this view I walked this week, and tried to look closer at the natural world around me with a different eye. Sure enough, I have discovered that there are logs lying in the fields and forest that are covered with a multitude of lichens and mosses. I will have to read up on it as I don't have a clue what I am looking at. But they are beautiful, in a variety of colours and shapes and sizes. Some of them make me think of coral.

Yesterday Rob and I heard the sound of the Ravens, and looked up to see 15 of them just above the cabin. The talked, they soared, they barrel rolled. Talked some more. They circled around and around, before they flew off, mostly in groups of two, but some in three's or four's, and slowly went off in different directions. I didn't take any photos. I simply stood holding my breath I think, and watching, in awe of them. I've never seen a group like that before.

Later in the afternoon, I heard Ravens in the forest on the other side of the main road, making a variety of sounds I have never heard before. Then 2 flew up, joined by 3 smaller ones who I guess were juveniles, and they proceeded to fly and talk, and roll and it was just amazing to watch. The two adults flew side by side in a variety of movements (sort of like watching the Snowbirds in action - but much better !) One of the younger ones flew higher and higher and further and further away, and I could hear the adults talking as they disappeared over the trees. Then some urgent sounding calls. Maybe calling that young one back?

I took some photos of them flying as I think I would like to play with the silhouettes and then print them onto fabric. Of course, I will have to make an effort this winter to learn a bit about photoshop first! This is just one I played with for a little while.

Walking back I was smiling, feeling pretty fortunate to have the time to watch these activities. Then a flash of red in the trees next to me made me stop as a brightly coloured bird flew past. I watched for a while and a more yellowish, olive coloured one followed. I took some photos and looked them up, and it seems they are Pine Grosbeaks, a male and female. Pretty common, but I've never seen one! It's a fuzzy shot as he was hiding mostly behind the branches, but came out long enough that I could see his wings and the bands of white on them.

I also discovered one of the "No Hunting" signs that our friend Frank erected on our property years ago in an attempt to keep the deer safe.  I was surprised to find it, or what is left of it. It is high on an enormous pine tree, and so many trees have grown up in front of it since, that you would never know that you could once see the sign from one of our roads.  I miss Frank, but it made me feel like a bit of his spirit lives on in these woods.

We visit the area where we hope to build almost every day. It's good to see the changes in the sun and shadows, as we are hoping to harness some of that solar energy and need to know how much the sun changes with the seasons.  Although we are still in drought conditions, the river is finally higher, whether due to the rains or changes at the dams further upstream.  I can no longer stand on the rocks in the river, so have to be content to stand at the shoreline.

 

 

Last week I spotted a coyote in the field where the cattle usually are. I of course look for it there every day now, but haven't seen it again. As soon as it saw me, it ran off across the field. We hear them howling most evenings and again in the early morning. It's an amazing sound.  The other day when I looked there were no cattle or coyotes. But I kept feeling like someone was watching me. Sure enough when I got past the treeline, there was one lone cow in the field. He ran off bawling for the others a few minutes later.

I spend a lot of time in this area as the birds seem to stop here on their migration routes, and there is a good view this time of year across the fields. I also discovered that with the leaves gone, I can see the main road, and catch sight of Rob's truck a few kilometers away when he's coming home! You can just see a glimpse of the road on the left, but I now know that I can see it again on the far right as well.

We had heavy snow squalls one day last week, and I stood here and watched as they came over the tree line and up the hill. Wished I had my camera, it was quite a sight.  We had snow again this week, and in the areas where the sun doesn't shine through, it has stayed. It stayed on the roof of the shed for quite a while. We want to put solar panels here, so obviously this is the wrong side of the roof to use!

The ground was hard and crunchy this morning as we had a deep frost, and my feet were cold in my shoes when I was walking Jet.  But I am snug and warm in the cabin, the sun is shining through the windows, I can see the river flowing, and every now and then a chickadee lands in the tree outside. I think we are going to have some nice days in here this winter. We already have some books on the shelf ready to read, books on wood working, photoshop, digital photography, tree care, forest management, timber framing, house design.... and lots more!  We are almost ready to hunker down, put our feet up, and get ready for our next project.