Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Suddenly…
Flump! That’s really what it sounded like. And there I was. Laying in the snow. I discovered that when walking forward while it is snowing heavily it is best to look forward. I wasn’t. I was looking back over my shoulder at that wolf. Which at that point was about 50 or 60 feet behind me. There was this little drop off. And I did. About 6 feet. Which really wasn’t so bad. And I landed in nice soft snow. On my side. That was okay. However, there was just a couple problems. First the soft snow. It was soft.
That’s good. Also bad. It was about 4 feet deep (I measured it later). Second was 2 large rocks right beside me. Well, kind of beside me, kind of in front of me. Sort of. Even though there was snow on top of those rocks, it still would not have been nice to land on them. However, there was a space between the rocks, just big enough for my leg and foot. And my foot was stuck. Probably wouldn’t have been a problem except for the snowshoe, which was wedged in there too. Sigh. My leg was sideways, so I couldn’t bend it at all. And since the snow was so soft, I couldn’t push myself up too easily. Sigh.
The Wolf…
He was not far behind. I could just imagine that huge head of his staring at me over the edge of the rock. Okay, not a fun thought. I decided to remove my other snowshoe. Now I had something a bit more solid to lean on so I could sit up a bit. But my other foot was not moving. Hmm, good thing my joints don’t mind going in two directions. Otherwise my ankle would likely be broken. Then I spotted the wolf. Still about the same distance away but over to my left now. Hmm, somehow I don’t think that’s the same one. A few minutes later the big fella joined the other one. Great. Now there is two.
Now, if circumstances were a bit different that would have been a wonderful sight. And a great photo. However, at the moment I wasn’t too thrilled about the sight. I was really praying that they would just decide I wasn’t anything exciting and then leave. Which is what I wanted to do. Sigh.
So Now What?
Maybe if I unlace my boot I would be able to pull my foot out. Then I could retrieve my boot easily. So I started. The smaller wolf had sat down. The larger wolf was gone. Not nice. By the time I got my boot unlaced the big fella had gone around to my right side. Looking at me. And he was closer now. Maybe just trying to figure out what I was. I wiggled my foot as much as I could and finally out it came. Rats, gnats and blueberry bats! My sock had come off. I hate when that happens. And a bare foot in snow is not very exciting either.
I quickly pulled my boot out from the rocks and pulled my sock out of my boot. Put my sock on. Put my boot on. Great. Snow in my boot. Now my foot is wet. Sigh.
Where Are They?
The wolves had both disappeared. That’s good, if they really did. But…rats, my snowshoe is broken. Now I will have to walk through that deep snow. It is not easy walking through snow that deep. Forget it. I put the snowshoes back on. Even with the broken one I figured it would be easier than just walking. Okay, maybe not. I headed for an area with more tree cover. Less snow there. I looked all around. No sign of the wolves. Fantastic! Now I just had to figure out the fastest way back to one of my trails, then it would be easier walking. It was still snowing. Must be 4 inches of new snow by now.
Those Eyes…
I got that feeling again. I looked around. Sure enough, that big wolf was following me again. Maybe I could hit him on the head with my broken snowshoe. No good for anything now anyway. Of course, after such action I wouldn’t be either. Sigh. I wonder where the other wolf is hiding? Oh. There she is. In front of me. Hmm. I decided to change direction. At least it was easier walking through the trees. Easier for the wolves too. Finally, there is one of my trails. I was getting kind of tired by this point. But I didn’t really want to stop and rest. They are gone again. Both of them. Good. After ten minutes I spotted them again. They were both ahead of me. And standing on my trail. That’s not nice. It’s my trail. I kept on walking. They just stood there. I kept on walking. Like I didn’t see them. Then suddenly they took off running to the side. I looked around. Nothing. But I never saw them anymore after that. I wonder what happened? Oh well.
Thank You…
To all who responded to my questions, both through the comments and my contact page. Hmm, this is tough. About equally divided on length. Some other ideas put forward too. Several liked my raspberry tea thoughts. Maybe I will write about different herbal teas I have tried. Ones I have actually made myself. I will share about the raspberry leaf tea. On Wednesday.
My Apologies…
Another long post. Sigh. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. There will be more on the way, though not all are so exciting. But fun anyway. Snowed today. I hope you all enjoy your week and until next time, God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
© 2019 Steve McLeod
February, Snow, And A Nice Cup Of Tea!
Good evening and thanks to all my readers on this first Friday of February, for staying with me all this time! And a special thank you to all of my followers! You are all a brave bunch of people and it’s great to have you along on these adventures and random thoughts. I am sitting at my desk this evening enjoying a nice hot cup of raspberry leaf tea. Not what you might find in a store, if you can find it there, I make my own. It has such a nice delicate flavor, it’s a great winter drink. It’s actually good cold, with ice, on a hot summer day. It kind of reminds me of summer when I drink it. Which is nice. It certainly doesn’t look like summer. But at least it is milder. For a couple of days anyway. And it has been snowing since about noon. Not much. A little over an inch. But more is on the way.
Busy Birds…
It was amazing how many little birds were out here today.
The last couple of days wasn’t very busy. Too cold I guess. They sure went through those seeds today though. Oddly, the blue jays were not around much. Too bad. That shrike was here. Three times today. That is way too often. I went out twice and scared it away. The other time the blue jays did it for me. But the blue jays were not around this afternoon. That shrike knew that I’m sure. One of the nuthatches came over to me the one time I went out to scare the shrike. He knew where it would be safe. Kind of cute really.
It’s February…
So that means 3 months of winter are behind us. I guess that should be 4, since most of October had snow on the ground too. Sigh. It’s been a long winter. But February does give a good feeling. Tomorrow is Ground Hog Day. No sane ground hog around here is going to show it’s nose out of it’s den this time of year. But it’s kind of fun I guess.
But really, no matter whether or not it sees it’s shadow, it means an early spring for us! Ha! Forget it. Doesn’t mean a thing. Just a fun winter pastime. Sigh. Mmm…that raspberry leaf tea sure is good! Better than watching a ground hog any day. Oh well.
And Now…
It’s back to snowshoeing adventures. I don’t want you to think that all my snowshoeing ended in some kind of mishap. Not at all. Most were quite normal. But who wants to hear about something that is normal? Anyway, it started off quite normal. It was cloudy. The odd snowflake floating down to the trillions already on the ground. Not too cold either, which was nice. And this time I was smart. I left a note detailing where I was going. Forgot to mention how long I would be gone. Oh well. Off I went. Walking at first. I was planning to lengthen this trail and turn it into a loop type trail. However, after walking for a distance on the old trail I spotted a pileated woodpecker and stopped to watch. They are such a beautiful bird. It wasn’t long and off he went. Hmm. And off I went. I came to the part of the trail where it split in two directions. I was supposed to go right. However, the pileated woodpecker went left. So I did too. It was snowing more heavily now. After about half an hour I came to a spot where I decided to make a new trail. I looked back. There was about 2 inches of new snow on the trail.
Should I Or Not…
Sure, why not. No one would ever know which way I went now. Oh well. Off I went anyway. The snow was soft and deep in this area. It was not exactly easy going. But it was so beautiful. And quiet. After about 20 minutes I heard some familiar little chirps and looked up into the pines. Sure enough, there was a small flock of black-capped chickadees overhead. When moving about like that they often just give a light chirp, constantly keeping in touch with each other. They kept moving a certain direction, so I followed them for a bit. I wasn’t really watching where I was going. I was watching the chickadees. Besides, nothing here but snow and some trees.
But…
I suddenly got that feeling. Like I was being watched. I looked around. Nothing. Then I spotted some movement in among the trees. I couldn’t believe it. There it was. A huge wolf! Standing. Staring right at me. Animals are generally scared of people. Not necessarily so with wolves. I decided it might be a good idea to change direction. I was getting kind of tired about now anyway. So it’s a good time to head back. I looked behind me. That big fella is following me. Hmm. I kept looking back as I walked. It was snowing very heavily now. Suddenly…
I Need Some Feedback…
Are my posts too long? Would it be better to post 3 times a week instead of 2, but keep them shorter? Is there anything in particular that you like better than other things? Anything you would like me to add? Any ideas at all? You can use the comment section or my contact page if you have more to say. If you use my contact page, everything is confidential, only Muffin and I will read it. Honest. Okay, today was extra long. Sorry about that. There is new items on Steve’s Country Extras. And hopefully two new ideas will show up next week. As long as I don’t run into more technical difficulties like this week. Sigh. I hope you all have a great weekend and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
© 2019 Steve McLeod
