Today our temperatures hit the 40’s! Yahoo!!! Yippee!! I so loved it. Although I felt crappy and exhausted because of this terrible cold, I couldn’t help but enjoy a few spare moments soaking in the sun. The few minutes I got helped to make me feel a little better.

Once I got home from school I changed into my comfortable clothes, which included a black Maine sweatshirt. I got supper started then went to enjoy a little of the sunshine. I love sitting on the steps of my back porch soaking up the sun. The back of our house gets most of the sun; in the summer, it shines from midmorning until it sets in the evening. It’s a great place for a garden and also where we’ve placed our greenhouse. That’s what I enjoy about our home, the constant sunshine. The front of our house hardly gets any sun, just a few hours in the wee hours of the morning in the summer, and that’s it.

Well, while I’m sitting on the back porch, the boys are in their ski pants, winter jackets, and boots enjoying what we still have for snow and Hubby is chopping the ice that we still have on our bricks. The ice is a little more than an inch thick, but it’s quite slushy because of the warm temperatures. There’s finally no wind, so I don’t even feel chilly sitting outside without a jacket. It felt so refreshing breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warmth soak into my skin. Too bad I couldn’t stay longer. Duty calls, there’s supper to finish, laundry to do, and floors to clean. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll find a little more time to sit outside. It’s suppose to be warmer than today. I do believe that spring has sprung (cliché and I know).

Snow

Snow. Tiny, six-sided crystals of water that glisten like diamonds when the sun is shining, sparkling like glitter that have been scattered all over the ground. It can be light and fluffy, blowing easily in the slightest breeze, or wet and heavy, weighing down the trees and their branches. In the beginning of the season, snow has a magical quality that everyone can appreciate, but as the winter drags on, and the more it accumulates, the less it holds its charm. By mid-January we begin to get tired of this white stuff. On warm days, it changes quality and can turn to a dirty, salty, slushy-brown mush that stains your pant legs when you walk, dirties up your shoes, creating a salt mark on leather, and sticks to the bottom half of your car.

There’s a time for snow. From November to January it’s almost necessary to have snow to help create the magical ambiance of Thanksgiving, the miraculous enchantment of Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, and exciting allure of New Year’s Eve. However, after months of bi-weekly snowstorms that close schools and bury cars in the driveways and parking lots, with thirty-mile per hour winds and sub-zero, double-digit temperatures, we’re ready for spring when mid-March comes around.

As a child, I always wanted snow for my birthday, which is in mid-November. If I awoke to the scene of snow on the rooftops and lawns it would make my day. Even to this day it I feel a special little-girl feeling if there’s snow on the ground on my birthday, like Mother Nature giving me a little gift just for me. However, after the holidays have passed the need for the charm is gone. Come mid-March, it’s time for the snow to start disappearing. I’ve seen years when there’s still snow on the ground up until May! I read the blogs that others have written about how they have flowers blooming and the snow has melted and such, and I’m so jealous! But, in spite of the snow season lasting so long, I do love Northern Maine and wouldn’t move anywhere else, willingly of course, for the world.

Sunday Sleigh Ride

This afternoon we went riding sleigh with our horses, Jasmine and Golden. They are beautiful Belgians. Actually, Jasmine is a Belgian and Golden is a Belgian mix. Just the same, they are such a sight to see. We loaded them in the trailer and brought them up to the trails we like to use. We did hit one drawback, the sleigh we were going to use was frozen in the ground because of the rain we had since we used it last. It worked out well anyhow because Hubby used his axe to chop the ice away. Once Hubby got the horses harnessed up and hitched to the sleigh, the boys had their sleds already hooked to the back and were ready and waiting. Then we were off!

The boys love sledding behind the sleigh, throwing chunks of snow at each other, throwing themselves off, and dodging the “prizes” that the horses tend to leave behind. It’s so peaceful just sitting behind the horses, listening to their soft “clip clop” in the snow and the crunch of the sleigh rails sliding on the path. Jasmine, who is about 10 years old now, is more experienced with pulling a sleigh, Golden, however, is about 3 years old and is still learning the ropes. I watched as Jasmine’s ears were constantly turned towards us to listen to Hubby’s instructions and praise while Golden’s were more attentive to what was going up ahead of him. He was also skittish today, too. He wanted to change to a gallop and run through the trails and up the hills. Fortunately, Hubby has a commanding voice and knows what to do in these times, so Golden was controlled and we continued to enjoy our ride.

I love to look around at the trees and footprints in the snow. As we began our ride, I saw a large black bird, which I assuming was a crow, flying above us with lichen in his beak. I watched as he landed at the top of a tree. Perhaps he’s sensing that spring is coming and is preparing a nest for his new family. I usually hate crows; their squawking (CAW! CAW!) in the early mornings while I’m trying to sleep, their picking at our garbage left at the side of the road for the weekly pickup, and their boldness when they won’t get out of the road until you’re about to bump them. Yet, I have to admit, they’re pretty intelligent, considering. Watching it fly above with the lichen in his mouth, I felt an appreciation for that crow, no matter how much I dislike its kind.

At the end of our riding, everyone was ready to be done, except for the boys, of course. They could have gone on forever, so it seemed. Even the horses were willing to walk into the trailer without any coaxing. They are so adorable with their green blankets on. The color is a nice contrast to their honey-colored coat and flaxen mane. Jasmine and Golden were ready for a rest, plenty of green hay, and refreshing water. By the time we turned the truck and trailer around to head home, they were already at the barn and eating. They turned to watch us as we drove by. Golden already had a mouthful going. Such a great way to end the weekend.