About Ten Inches of Snow

February 6, 2010.  Saturday.

Situation:   Last night I made it to work right on the line, for as I was driving home the snow was coming down rather heavily.  This morning Moi, first out to check things, reports that about ten inches have fallen, judging by what’s on the picnic table.  Looking out my office window, I can see and hear the wind every once in a while blowing the snow off the limbs of trees.  Moi also reports that this morning she caught Mway running around with a loaf of bread dangling from her mouth.  Late in the morning, Moi shovels out most of the turnaround and around the mailbox, then I take my turn to shovel out the rest of the lane, about 75 yards of shoveling.  For about two minutes I hear neighbor kids in their yard.  One neighbor is out on his snow tractor, plowing his driveway, another has a snow blower out up near F_____ Road.  The Township truck plow passes by twice; and the mail woman makes her delivery.  After an hour’s work, though I’m quite tired, since I have my snow suit on, I decide to take Mway for her walk.  It’s noon (this afternoon I will have to leave for work around 5).

State of the Path:  Moi didn’t take Mway for a walk this morning, so this is Mway’s first and probably only walk for the day.  Moi has made tracks out to the chicken coop, but after that it’s untouched snow.  Sagging multiflora briars at the outbuilding snag my cap and pull it off my head.  Mway ventures over to the pig pen, and for a while, I’m shuffling through the snow first myself, but then she returns to the path, and I end up following her fresh trail of paw and belly prints.  I don’t see any other animal tracks – the rabbits and squirrels are probably not moving today.  Mway squats twice to poop into the clean white snow on the way to the creek.

State of the Creek:   The creek is packed tight with snow, much of the ice is sludge colored; the log and barrel jam is heaped up with snow.  I have to duck especially low under briars.  In places, though, the water is still running, and you can hear it quietly trickling.

The Fetch:  I’m slightly winded by the time we reach the clearing.  I throw the stick once toward the exit of the clearing.  Mway hops through the snow after it, but she has to practically dig it out to get it, which apparently frustrates her, for she just drops it back down and stands barking over it, while I have to walk over to pick it up.  I throw it one more time, and she digs the stick up again and half-heartedly drags it half-way back.  I turn around, signaling that I’m satisfied and ready to walk back to the house.  But back in the back yard, Mway drops the stick again.  I pick it up to throw it one last time, and Mway fetches it, then lies down and kind of fights with it.  She looks over at me, not sure what she wants to do.  I tell her “That’s it,” and start walking toward the porch.