Welcome Winter!!

Rescued Young Pine

Day two of our first winter storm of the season. Yesterday brought rain interspersed with wet snow. Overnight, it changed over to all snow. By morning, there was 8+ inches of heavy, wet snow waiting for me to move out of the driveway.

The sight was reminiscence of last March’s blizzard. We didn’t get as much snow today as in March, but the storm’s damage was identical. After snowplowing the drive and a path to the back storage building, I surveyed the damage. The ground was littered with dead branches, some just a few inches long; others 5 to 10 feet in length. A large limb on the maple behind the storage building was split near the trunk and now hangs precariously over my compost pile and building. Taking the branch down will be a project to be attended to once this storm passes.

As in March the young pines were bent horizontal, laden with 4-5 inches of wet snow. I stomped through the deep snow to shake loose the branches, freeing the young trees from their white prison. I feel a personal responsibility to do all I can to help these young trees survive.

Afterwards, I unburied the ground feeder, refilling it with shelled corn, black oiled sunflower seeds and millet. The water container holds slushy water, just requiring only a brushing away of the snow on the container’s rim.

Exhausted, I went inside. Shedding the now soaked outerwear, I hung everything on the indoor clothes line to dry. When I returned back upstairs, I found mourning doves sitting on my ground feeder. Unlike the squirrels, deer and other wildlife that remain in the warmth of their winter shelters, the doves had ventured out in search of food.

It’s been an hour now since I finished my outdoor work. The young pine that began its day parallel to the ground is now standing at a 45 degrees angle, well on its way to again standing straight up. The wind has returned and the snow falls down not from the sky but from the barren tree branches overhead. The yard is still, the mourning doves have long moved on. Although I refilled all my feeders, I don’t expect any more wildlife visitors today.

My outdoor chores finished for the day, I enjoy the white scenery from the warmth of my living room. After weeks of no snow and dreary overcast days, it finally feels like winter. It didn’t have to come all on one day, but I am glad it has finally arrived.