The Snow Is Calling And I Must Play

Snow fell once again on our little cabin in the woods, and it was beautiful! At first sections of the ground were too warm, melting part of the snow. It continued snowing on and off and once the ground got cold, the snow stayed put, covering everything with a fresh layer of white. I ventured out several times throughout the day to take walks through the woods while also taking photos. The next morning the snow had stopped falling, so Wes and I suited up and headed out for our first walk up our road. It was so quiet, and the snow laden landscape so beautifully austere, that the setting seemed surreal.

Snow crunched underfoot, and one gorgeous scene after another unfolded before our eyes as we followed along each bend and turn in the snow covered road, and I felt as if I was walking through a living Christmas card! 

We were serenaded by a rooster crowing off in the distance as we walked along, and I was delighted to meet a few more of our new neighbors… several cows and some sheep! The furry cows were curious and slowly ventured up close to the fence, staying just out of reach. However, Wes finally got a friendly lick, whilst I was busy taking pictures and therefor sadly missed out on the introduction. Maybe next time! I felt as if I could walk all day and never grow weary of the wintery scene, even though I had on surely a dozen layers to keep warm. 

The next morning our powdered sugar coated world was greeted by the warm light of the sun, illuminating the woods into a breathtaking scene! 

Whilst waiting for the temperature to rise just a little, I darted from window to window, peering out at the snow laden landscape and watching all the birds. I saw one of our Yellow-shafted Flickers sitting upon a stump, and hoped it would stay there long enough for me to run and grab the camera. 

It did and while I was taking photos of it, one of our Pileated Woodpeckers flew up and landed on the side of an oak tree nearby. So I started taking photos of it, and suddenly another one flew up and landed at the base of the tree! Its a rare thing to get to see and photo two of them at once, especially in the snow! So as you can imagine my day was starting off great!

After breakfast, Wes and I suited up and headed out for a walk and it felt like we were walking in a totally different place than the day before, as the sunlight illuminated the frozen limbs of the trees and bushes and filled the snow covered ground with thousands of “diamonds” and it was simply stunning!

Later that afternoon, I could resist no longer and just had to build something out of the snow. “So what to build?” I pondered, deciding upon a large Nessie the snow monster. I carried over small buckets of snow and dumped them until I had enough to build the larger sections of her, then scraped enough snow from the surrounding areas to build the smaller sections. I found two tulip poplar seeds for her eyes, and she sprang to life! Although all the snow melted a few days ago, parts of Nessie still remain, and it appears as if she’s slowly slipping beneath the surface. And who knows, perhaps next show, she’ll return!

Of course another interesting aspect of snow, is getting to see the different footprints left by critters visiting the yard and woods. I thought this section of snow near one of the bird feeders was amazing with the numerous bird footprints in various shapes and sizes!

I found several tracks which appear to be that of a bobcat, and in one area it looked as if two of them had walked side by side! Of course there are almost always deer and squirrel tracks as well. While the snow is now gone, I must say I’m thoroughly enjoying the abundant sunshine and am heading out into the woods for a walk as soon as I’m done.

 

See our miniatures in person this week

The 47th International Miniature Art Show (MASF) is now open and You can view the show online and make purchases starting here .  The show is being held at The Dunedin Fine Art Center, located in Dunedin, FL and runs through February 6th, 2022.

Our touring exhibition Exquisite Miniatures will open in February at The Evelyn Burrow Museum, located in Hanceville, AL. 

To see our available miniature paintings, visit our WEBSITE here: artofwildlife.com

Until Next Time ~ Rachelle