Along the property line fence, out the driveway and up to the road.
We were far enough south this past week to NOT receive 39 inches of snow as some of those in northern Minnesota suffered with. Most of our moisture came down as freezing mist and even that didn't really last very long. As a result, we have less than an inch on the ground and today's 'fall is being very lackadaisical, not that determined to change things.
I couldn't call it Home but I'm a bit envious sometimes of the creatures that can.
Bucks stop here.
This once regal oak lost its top and is now providing life to others.
Our woods are full of these pretzel vines.
The birch, having grown too large for its own good is supporting other life as well......lots of it.
Even just a quick shot of sunshine would have these branches sparkling with a thousand points of light
Bull thistle blossoms providing the snow a place to stop.
I made more than enough noise to roust these two resting deer.
Texture....
The old Hill Road, used prior to and up until the 50's. Cattle used the lane to access the pastures in the valley across the hill and farm machinery accessed the crop land up on top. 4WD tractors and 12 row corn heads no longer can use this route.
As colorful as it gets on a snowy day. Cedar trees and stubborn oaks unwilling, or unready to shed their leaves.
Remnants.......a remaining strand of barbed wire long since needed and green leaves hanging on to last season.
Thanks for taking me on this lovely albeit chilly little walk in your woods. Is pretzel vine really the technical term for these twisted branches or are you just pulling a second language speaker's leg?
ReplyDeleteYou caught me Sonja, I have no idea what the vines are really called, realizing that for the first time when I wrote it this morning.
DeleteI better find out.
I've seen a few scrapes in our woods too. We had some obvious pawing at the dirt near them too. I'll have to keep my eyes open for the spots where they nap.
ReplyDeleteTheir nap site and tracks as they got up were very fresh; they had to be there only moments before I came around the corner. I was actually surprised that I saw no deer this morning.
DeleteSuch a nice post! The kind of little outing that refreshes and yet fills with a sense of wonder over the small things that are beautiful if one takes time to notice.
ReplyDeleteNice!
Thanks Deb. Speaking of small things, when the kids were young and the more level areas were still more open from their pasturing days, we'd take the brood up on Christmas Day, make a campfire and roast wienies (may not have been Oscar Meyer). Lots of work for mom and dad but so fun and a treasure for us all.
DeleteThere were lots of walks up through there, just the pups and I. Brings a happy tear just remembering.
Nice that you avoided the 39" of snow and it was warm enough for a nice walk. Cold enough to not have icy trails and warm enough to comfortably walk around. Nice photos!
ReplyDeleteA little more snow would have been fine but I'm not sorry that we avoided 3+ feet; those are mountain snows and have no business here in the Midwest.
DeleteWalking was wonderful today except on the steepest areas where there seemed to be the deepest oak leaves. I had quite a few branches and small trees for handholds.
I love the warm spots where the deer were! Did you feel the ground to see how long they had been gone? :^D
ReplyDeleteWhat was the bird activity?
With all of the deer in the neighborhood, I actually expected to see more signs of them, surprised I didn't see or hear any of them moving through the woods.
DeleteI did see a crow and two woodpeckers, that was it. Last weekend a hunter field dressed a deer on the edge of the field. 3 eagles and a turkey vulture were on the ground, 2 more eagles in nearby trees waiting their turn. No sign of them today however.
... exited condoland....saw a squirrel... :)
ReplyDeleteYour poor bunnies no longer have a hiding place, squirrels will have to do.
Deletehey.. I'm anonymous... bunnies..,bunnies...? we don't need no stink'n bunnies... :)
DeleteCoop:
ReplyDeleteYour country walks are much different than our urban city walks. No deer or elk here, just racoons and a few coyotes in the local park but they have come into our yard before.
can't imagine how your walk would have been if you had another 3 feet of snow (which you didn't get). Would you then need to dig out your snow shoes ? I mean, what do us city slickers know about country living
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
If we'd have had 3 feet I most likely would have been curled up in a ball waiting for June; there would have been no walking. I do have snow shoes and haven't used them for years.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wcsh6.com/news/watercooler/article/264460/108/Two-Harbors-Minnesota-is-currently-under-three-feet-of-snow
What a beautiful place for walk, especially with the dusting of snow.
ReplyDeleteYou are adventurous to go out in the cold. We woke to 6˚F here and I am not looking forward to waiting for the bus this morning. Still 9 inches of snow on the ground so hubby took the car to work.
I have plenty of clothing that make being outside, especially if I don't just sit, comfortable enough. It's easy to stay inside but once I get out there, always glad I made the effort.
DeleteIsn't that much snow rare for you?
Nice pics Coop! I do miss walking up in the forrest on cold days, I used to do that a lot when we lived up North. We also cross country skied everywhere which was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteBeing out of the wind (in the woods) can make a huge difference. Been years since we skied, walking is still easy with our small snow depth.
DeleteSomewhere here we have photos of family hikes over the hill and into the valley on the other side.....6 Coops, 2 dogs and 1 goat that followed along; a cheap parade.
Coop, reading your post it struck me how disconnected I am from any form of real nature. Montreal is even more isolated from nature than other cities because we're on an island in the middle of the mighty St-Lawrence. Very, very, rarely, when the winter is cold enough to freeze a path to the mainland, we'll get a deer, or moose, or bear, or wolf on the island, but that's such a rare occurrence that it makes all the newscasts. The most interesting wildlife I've seen here have been the occasional fox, and years ago it was a thrill for me to come across a family of pheasants on the mountain.
ReplyDeleteMy mom had told be of seeing pheasants on the mountain when she was a kid, but she told me that there were none left. Who knows, there may yet be a few.
Thanks Coop.
All the best to you and yours for the holidays!
David, thank you for the kind words and best wishes for you through the Holidays.
ReplyDeleteYour mention of being disconnected from nature struck a chord even here; we are very much surrounded by it, at least larger amounts of it than many others are and yet we need to take and make the time to really be immersed in it. With our workaday schedules, commutes and other interests, we spend less time in what is quite literally in our backyard. I've often joked that we might very well see more of nature by living downtown and driving out to it on a more regular basis.
Thank you for reminding us that it is worth the effort.