Finally

A storm! A storm!! Finally, a snow storm. School was canceled by 5:00 am. But when I went to feed the girls at 7:00, there was still no snow. I went down, fed and grained them and then headed up for breakfast and conversation with Grampa. Two hours later, still no snow. I decided to work on the temporary fence I use after first cut and get that down before the snow, the one that contains the horses to the smaller, lower pasture. I love fence-work. I love the neat lines I make, how the change of season and number of cuts dictates and influences my horses' world. I love working alone, how adept I now feel at the task of fencing. Grampa taught me his way, and it works. I wondered if he was watching me with his binoculars, from the kitchen table, as I worked. Smiling as I deftly employed his tricks of the trade. The value of his tricks are immeasurable. I recognize, too, that I am lucky not to be related to him, not to have grown up with his constant eye watching, so that I can (and do) freely ask his opinion and request his advice. Because Jim sometimes sees his critiques as a nuisance. So I worked, and I learned that this late winter has made sure that the fence-posts will stay in the ground until the Spring, because man, they are in there. Just as Grampa thought they might be, frozen - solid. I had waited to remove that fence because the weather was allowing for the girls to get up high and graze, and I thought hey, if it's not going to snow...

The naked fence-line of the middle pasture.

After I finished with this work and put my tools away in the barn, I noticed the Amityville Horror nature of a certain part of the barn.  I headed up the tractor path to retrieve my camera, tripod, water and more.  I smiled and exclaimed aloud as I noticed the storm, the snow, slowly moving over Black Mountain (not of Rumford, but of Peru).  I smiled and pointed and gave a small wahoo.  Finally, it was coming.  You can see the storm even closer to the house, in the photo below.  It had advanced some just in the time it took me to get my camera.  Can you see the subtle, disappearing ridge-line of Black Mountain?

I went to the barn to wait for the snow to pile up enough for a ski, with the thought that 3pm would be prime.

My little devil.

The barn.

So thankful for this girl - and so thankful to be back in touch with a very old friend, one who was a close close friend in high school, one who I've not been (until recently) in touch with and who is a gifted, talented and insightful farrier.  It has been so nice to spend time with him, talking about what he is currently dealing with, remembering the good times we shared during our youth, walking in the woods and learning so much about horses from him.  He has volunteered to help me with Taco.  She is not a very sound horse, and my friend has offered to help me make her more so.  He came last Saturday and worked on her feet, teaching me as he went along.  It is remarkable how already, she feels so much better - as evidenced by her frequent trips up to the upper pasture as of late.  She is a good egg.  Love her nicker-nicker-hay-hay when I enter the barn.  Love bucket.

I spent some cozy afternoon time at the cabin - god that place is cozy - might have something to do with the two souls - 89 and 90 - who inhabit the upstairs.  Might have something to do with the powerful wood furnace, or the log construction, or the proximity to the woods, the fields, the gardens, the farm animals.

By 3:30 I was skiing in the large field we hay - the one that runs along Spear Stream and the tributary to Spear Stream.  I did a couple of loops and felt so good to be sliding on snow and watching Dixie act like a maniac.

Moose surprised me by joining us on this ski.  I did not know he was with us until we had crossed Dickvale Road and I was taking Dixie off leash.  What a good, loyal boy he is.

Today I sit at a conference in Augusta at the Civic Center (THERE ARE NO WINDOWS IN HERE!) - one over Argument Writing and tonight I party with old friends in Jefferson, ME.  Meeting one of those old friends in Hallowell - then spending the night in Jefferson to wake tomorrow and do some exploring around there.  Then, depending on what Jangles wants to do to celebrate his birthday, I am either heading to Lewiston (tourney at Bates College) to help him celebrate his birthday or heading to Al and Barry's to do the same.  Either way, gotta give my main squeeze some birthday love.  He deserves it. 

I am thankful for the storm, old friends, Grampa Marlin, my husband, new information regarding how I teach, the ability to influence students' lives through my profession, my animals, Spring water harvested from the Green Woods road and my home state of Maine (and all it embodies).