Snow Log: Earth Date 3

          It all began yesterday, innocently enough. The snow was nearly stopped when I shoveled and kicked a small path to the bird feeders, a path which ended in a small patch of grass beneath them. As I filled the feeders, I heard our resident chickadee thanking me from an overhanging tree limb. It was almost enough – for then. I did commit one act of extremism. I ripped out the screen that impeded my view from the dining room. Today, the full treatment began.   

Fascinated by the cones on top of our trash cans,

 I went out on the porch to take a picture – through 

the now-screenless window overlooking my little

path. You can barely see our cone cans to the

right of the shed. You can also see the ripped
screen still hanging in the frame. What is most
evident is that our shed is sitting in a 30 inch pile 
that ends almost half-way  up the door. And on the 
bottom left,my straggly path betrays a novice
shoveler. Seeing me with a camera from inside 
the house, the seasoned professional of all things snow-related heard the call to improve upon my 
efforts; and the shit…er, snow.. really hit the fan.

There is no challenge for a man with a snowblower like a path that dead ends in a wall of snow. This alone may have caused what followed. But this enemy of white is also the ‘father’ of a short legged dog who needed a place to squat in days past. He was accustomed to clearing a potty spot for our furry boy. What we learned from this is that birds and bunnies LOVE a bit of exposed grass in the drifts. The result will remain enshrined in family history– until the next time…

Our neighbors are acquainted with our eccentricities. After all, we have been astonishing them with our small feats of ingenuity for more than 20 years . I may never know how impressive it must have been for them to see John snow blowing the yard, or how close they were to calling a realtor. What I do know is that the birds who visit our feeders and the rabbits who nibble our weeds…er, grass… will benefit from a carefully wrought schema.

We can walk from the porch to the heated bird
bath, (I forgot to mention the birdbath), 
continue after making a sharp right to the shed 
door, back out to the feeders on the left, and 
retrace our steps to the shelter of our home. 
To me the way to the cone-headed trash cans 
is of secondary concern. The cleared skylight 
is a blessing for my plants. Finally, I know this 
was an act of love, for me-not just  the birds.

Because this is where I am sitting as I write this, 

and the view is spectacular. 

                Thanks, honey.