Walking in the Winter Wonderland

It’s official. This is Minnesota’s snowiest December on record… and it’s the December I’m doing chores by myself while Melissa heals from neck surgery. WHINE ALERT! (Melissa’s doing great, except for a serious case of cabin fever.)  We had the Dec. 11 blizzard, then at least two more snowfalls of at least six inches.


Here’s how far I must walk from the house to the barn:

For days I slogged through snow over my knees. I’d just get a path broken, and the wind would blow it shut and I’d have to start all over again. The sheep needed help making a path to their water trough, so I made them one with my own two little feet.


Neighbors came with their snowblower and blew paths to the wood pile, and up to my first red gate. Another neighbor uses our tractor to plow our driveway. A third neighbor scoots down with his four-wheeler and plows when wind blows waves of snow across the driveway. I plan to bribe all these neighbors with peanut brittle until winter ends.


For a good ten days, winter kicked my butt. I’m not proud to admit it. I was wiped out every day with shoveling and slogging. I might have even shed a few tears of self-pity.

Then I realized I didn’t have to climb through the snow drifts every day to feed the animals. I needed snowshoes! But I had no time (or energy) to drive 30 miles to shop for some. We shopped online, and Melissa ordered expedited delivery. They came Dec, 23, and on Dec. 24 we had another 6 inches.


Talk about a Merry Christmas! Using extreme ZOOM lens, Melissa caught me up at the barn trying to shoosh the overly friendly ram, Inigo Montoya, away from me. When a ewe’s in heat, he pays no attention to me. When none of the ewes distract him, then he wants me. Not interested.

But now, with my handy snowshoes, I can bypass the sheep trail. Inigo can’t reach me. I’m invincible! And instead of sinking into snow over my knees, I only sink a few inches. And after a few days, there’s a great trail. Here I am in my oversized, baggy insulated overalls.

I LOVE THESE SNOWSHOES! I’m even strapping them on and hiking around the pasture for some extra exercise every day. I’ve started making a maze in the west pasture. (I must be insane.)


But at least winter’s no longer conquering me….With these snowshoes, I might actually conquer it.

So there are two good reasons to live in MN during the winter. Snowshoes are one. And the morning sunrise is another….

Wishing everyone a safe and sane New Year’s….