a ramble in the snowy woods

After all the snow and ice falling from the sky this week, the spot of sunshine that woke me was a relief. People haven't really had a chance to dig out yet, so the sidewalks were treacherous, but once I got to the cemetery it was beautiful. Even though no paths have been shoveled, the ice and snow were textured enough to walk on without falling if I was careful. Today and the next few may be different, as everything seems to melt by day and freeze over by night.

So I had as my companion our dear Isaac, whose fur coat and love of the outdoors made him an enthusiastic rambling partner. He's quite a handsome dog. This is in the parking lot of the Catholic school that has been closed for some time now. The woods of the cemetery await us ahead.

I went out there thinking of something from Thoreau's blog the other day, "Winter comes to make walking possible where there was no walking in summer." I realized that the snow and ice were compacted to the point where I could walk on top of it, instead of trudging through. So I took advantage to be able to walk through the woods in any direction I wanted, not needing any paths, minding only the branches. There's a lovely geometry the shadows made on the ground.

I came across Gen's dragon. Named for a friend of ours who moved away, she showed us the path and the downed tree. She said it looked like a horse, which it can, but I like the idea of it being a dragon, and the tree behind it with its leaves reminds me of flames or scales. If for nothing else, I'll always remember and thank her for showing it to me.

After romping in the woods with Isaac and chasing sticks and each other, I realized that I had lost a glove. After looking around and not seeing it, I had Isaac sniff the one I did still have and said, "Go find it!" At that, he promptly ran to the stick he had left a minute ago. Poor dear. So I sat thinking, "I guess I'll have to retrace my steps!" I'm almost embarrassed to say how long it was before I realized I could do precisely that, as there was enough of a dusting of snow atop the ice that I just had to follow my footprints. And my glove was right where I had left it.

All in all a good ramble. I love these sunny winter days where being outside is a joy. You just need the right clothes. Indeed, I'd say with all the gear I had on, I was warmer outside than I was back at the apartment!