I love the beauty and quietness of snow but for a farmer it means lots of extra work in the cold, raw weather. Rain, snow, cold or shine, the cattle need to be fed. Gene is very grateful for tractors with cabs.
After the snow melts, we can look forward to MUD; lots and lots of squishy, soggy mud! Snow is beneficial to the soil as it is a natural source of nitrogen. Have you noticed how green the grass is after snow melts? The freezing and thawing also helps to soften the soil.
Snow cancels plans, slows life down and makes extra work for some. On Saturday the store traffic was reduced to a few brave men in their four-wheel drive trucks.
Church was cancelled today and we had to change our plans about traveling to a family reunion in Harrisonburg. Instead Gene’s work increased tenfold; feeding cows, thawing water, scraping the driveway (we need to be able to get 2 tractor trailers in and out tomorrow), protecting his equipment from freezing, and filling the wood furnace (I helped with this some).
Gene says it is exhausting just to tote an extra forty pounds of coat, coveralls, boots, etc. around!
For me snow is a mixture of beauty, a little extra work, sleeping in a little longer than normal, taking pictures, resisting or yielding to the urge to bake, make soup and play board games. The automatic waterers in the chicken house froze and I had to tote water to my little ladies. I made party mix and resisted the almost irresistible urge to make doughnuts or apple fritters. I knew neither one of us should (diabetic) or needed (watching weight) to eat them. You can’t make them and not eat them! The grandkids came over this afternoon and Emily, Lauren and I played board games; “Settlers of Catan” and “Ticket to Ride”.
They say that no two snowflakes are alike. That blows my mind to think of the millions and millions of tiny and uniquely different icy flakes piling up outside. Isn’t God amazing!
The brightness and whiteness of the sun shining on newly falling snow is blinding. While we are talking about God, did you know he speaks about snow in the Bible, his Word?
- “Though your sins are red as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18
- “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalms 51:7
- “His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow.” Matthew 28:3
The first two verses are talking about our sins and when they are forgiven they are as blinding white as snow with the sun shining on it. Dazzling! The third verse refers to Jesus appearance just after he resurrected from the tomb. The guards who were protecting the tomb shook with fear and fell to the ground as dead men.
Through the lens of my camera….taken from the warmth of my house!
Mid-morning on Sunday the cows came out of the woods where they were bedded down and stood with their faces to the warm morning sun.
7-1/4 inches
Monday follow-up……
This morning it was a very cold 0 degrees outside. It was a cloudy overcast day and the temperature stayed in the teens. Even though the driveway was scraped yesterday it did not melt. It actually became very slick. We got the two tractor trailers in and out today with a little push from behind. This French man from Canada didn’t speak much English and had a hard time understanding what Gene wanted to do but I think he was happy with the help with the hill.
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