snow!

Look who was in the valley yesterday morning. One of the few perks of being up as early as I sometimes am, is seeing wildlife walking around like they own the place. So lovely. And its always exciting to see animals. Its one of those things that makes me feel like a kid, as though you are looking into a magical world and seeing something rare and special.  And it wasn't just the one. There were three deer in fact, but I could not get a shot with all three of them in the frame. Its incredible how well camouflaged they are, even in the pure white snow. I had to wait until they were done grazing and were on the move to get these pictures, because before this they seemed to know how to find just the right shadowy brush to stand in front of to almost be invisible. 

Anyhow, this was after a night of heavy snow. Finally. We had a not-very-white Christmas, though it was cold and snow-ish. Not tons of snow, but a light dusting, and cold enough to freeze the pond for skating. But you could still see the grass, so even though it was cold it felt like a green Christmas. But that greenness now seems like a distant memory. We've had two good snowfalls, and the world is transformed.      I love how much snow changes things. How the mundane suddenly seems fantastic. 

Once the Baby was down for his nap, and safely within earshot of Hubs, the Little Dude and I decided to go out in search of the deer. Or at least evidence of the deer. (He was hoping to see some poop, but I'd settle for tracks)

It was hard to get to where the deer had been, right in the middle of the bulrushes in the valley, as we decided to stay on the paths (some of us have much shorter legs). 

But we went over the bridge and around the back of the creek to see what we could find. 

And there were the tracks we were looking for! No poop though. Better luck next time. 

It wouldn't have mattered to me if we found no trace of the magical deer at all though, as everything out there was so crazy beautiful. 

The silhouettes, the outlines, the shadows, the light - it was all so lovely. 

And of course, its all even more wonderful when you have someone to share your wonder with. (And to help you shake snow off branches for impromptu snowfalls, of course.)

But Dude! It was COLD out there. I was ready to head in long before the Little Dude was though. He has snow-pants, and I do not. His cheeks were so rosy that I finally bribed him in the direction of the house again with the promise of cocoa and Christmas cookies and chocolate. He'd have stayed out longer to 'explore' if he had his way. But with the added incentive of a piece of his chocolate letter dancing in his head, we shuffled off for home again. I assure him there will be many more rosy-cheeked walks through the woods to come.

Comments

[Leni]

How lovely! Brings back many memories of "winter walks in the woods", with my young ones!!