Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

You are here: Home / Archives for snow

friday 5 at the farm: photos of soft sudden snow

I started chores early this morning then cleaned up the house and got dressed in “real clothes.” No running miles for me today, per the arctic temperatures, only running errands. After an hour or so in town doing miscellaneous things, I stopped at the grocery store for weekend essentials. When I parked my Jeep it was cold out, of course, but dry. Not so much as a sheen of moisture on anything. I really thought the weather forecasters, who all morning had been warning us of a blizzard, had done it to us again with the false alarms. So I gathered what we needed, then some more stuff, and maybe a few things too many for baking. When it’s bitter cold out, I really need to bake. You too, right?

There was basically a run on certain foods like ground beef and canned tomatoes. It was kind of hilarious. And exciting. So I joined the madness, wheeling my cart around at a nervous pace and collecting stuffs for one recipe after another. I didn’t give the weather another thought until I was standing in line to pay and heard an announcement about parking lot assistance.

Then suddenly the cashiers were all backed up and we fifty or sixty customers in line were all creening our necks up and out like meerkats to see through the pane glass store front. Yep, snow! It was snowing hard and fast, swirling past in angry swishes and hurrying the shivering, coat-less workers in and out of the automatic doors.

By the time I reached my Jeep and had the first half of our groceries loaded in the back, an open paper sack filled with kale was white! Snow had accumulated in tiny little drifts between the craggy dark green leaves, and it was beautiful! Unfortunately my fingers were too cold and slow to snap that photo, but I did get the Jeep windshield:

 

soft snow jeep

My drive back to the farm was slow but uneventful. Because, JEEP. xoxo

Once home, I was happy to see all the usual beautiful sights a snow day offers us.

soft snow bachelors

soft snow geese prints

soft snow turquoise chair

soft snow azalea milk can

So I am home now, warm and dry, safe and sound. Our pantry and refrigerator are both well supplied with our favorite edibles and then some. The animals are hunkered down. The heater is working, and for now so is the Internet. I’m wearing comfy jeans and fuzzy socks, and we have nowhere to go this weekend.

Now if my people could just get here already.

Every window a snow globe
XOXOXOXO

Snow Day at the Farm

   This past Friday morning most of our Great State received a soft, thick blanket of snow. Arriving a little past the Christmas morning forecast, perhaps, but made far more beautiful by the element of surprise. 

   I was working upstairs, receiving texts from friends and family of what snow they were seeing all over Oklahoma, noting only a dark, cold, dry morning outside. I admit, I felt a little teeny tiny bit sorry for myself  Just a smidge. Snow is just plain fabulous, but still I tried convincing my childish heart that I was sad for good reason. That we need the moisture here so badly.
   Then I heard the horses whinny kinda oddly, much differently than I am used to hearing, sort of a wiggly whinny, a silly sound, and I looked outside to investigate. Imagine my shock and thrill to discover that in no more than five distracted minutes, during my wintry pity party, the Lazy W had been covered by the pure white fluffy stuff! 
I was squealing with excitement! 
The snow fell so rapidly and silently, I almost couldn’t believe it!
   That wiggly whinny was the horses celebrating! I think.
   The snow fell quietly on our dark nine acres for almost three hours, piling up about two inches of cold frosting all over every exposed surface (including all of our llamas). I watched, checked everyone for safety and water, and admired it all, then huddled myself back inside the house with Pacino. He and I had a lot of work to do. Like read Louisa May Alcott and drink hot lovely things and gaze at the Christmas lights. Oh, and watch for paper white blooms.
Paper white blooms = totally worth the wait
   Then sometime midday the sun reemerged with a vengeance and made the winter wonderland downright comfortable. Sparkling and fresh, cold but not frigid. In fact, the blacktop surfaces all warmed up quickly and made walking around super easy.
Ever faithful Mia watched and waited during my snow carving 
of our ranch brand here, and then he followed me all over the farm, 
honking melodramatically and kicking up little snow flurries of his own.
Silly goose. Snow goose. Silly, lovesick, loyal snow goose.

My goose.
  
The snow was caught in pretty little pockets in every tree, ornamenting them beautifully.

For some reason, seeing the Talking Tree dressed in white almost made me cry.
But that bright sunshine crawling over its shoulder cheered me up completely.
The summertime swing, wet from melted snow, hung perfectly still 
from the tree’s thickest branch, ready for another little girl or boy to come visit.
   Most of the animals played in the snow gleefully. Perhaps four or five of the chickens stayed cozied up in their brick and mortar coop, but everyone else (led boldly by Tomato) braved the elements and explored all afternoon. They each left their own kind of tracks, proving once and for all that mostly what our animals do all day is walk in circles.

Some of our bravest poultry souls exploring Friday afternoon.
That dragon in the background, by the way, is Zeke.
I haven’t really shared much of him yet.
We are full of secrets.


Chanta seemed to enjoy the snow more than anyone.
Can you see Romulus in the back ground here? Supervising. Of course.
  
Hello, Green Goose garden gate, old friend.
I miss you. But I haven’t forgotten you.
We have big plans together this year, you and me.
Enjoy your slow, cold drink and sleep soundly.
For in a few short weeks, we get to the business of GROWING.
Our front gate sign
    Today, most of the snow is already melted. Only what fell inside the shadows of our buildings is still gripping the dead grass there; and that is wildly perforated by every variety of animal tracks. We are very thankful both for the drink of moisture and the fun snowy afternoon as well as for the quick melt and conspicuous absence of power outages. We are so thankful for heat, for a full pantry and freezer, and for animals who are healthy and happy enough to endure a rare winter storm.

   Heather, my Canadian friend who writes at New House New Home New Life, reports a respectable ten inches of snow this week! My cousin in Colorado celebrates snow regularly, too. It is slightly less of a fact of life for us here in Oklahoma, but we love it when it does come. How about you? Is your late December snowy?

Brr! Stay Cozy!!
xoxoxoxo