Walking in Sunshine, on the Snow

Lately, I’ve envied the dogs. They’re lightweight enough that often, they run atop the snowdrifts. If I tried to follow them, my feet sunk a foot or deeper into the snow. Yesterday morning, the elements -- freezing temperatures, sunshine, and time -- fell into place, and I joined them on top of the ice-crusted snow. The two Border collies and I walked the wildlife area that borders our pasture and farm, and I saw the farm from a different perspective. Often, I was a foot higher than had I been walking on bare ground. Sometimes, I grew another two feet. The snow covered most of the grasses and weeds, giving the wildlife area a bare, clean look. However, some saplings, taller weeds, and grasses poked through, revealing the wildlife activity that continues through winter. Critters had eaten the bark of a sapling. Others had eaten the seeds from a plant. Tracks showed where the little critters, mice, found openings in the snow and burrowed under to the air pockets and ground below. Every once in a while, I was reminded of how fragile that snow was. Occasionally, the icy snow crust collapsed and my foot sunk into the snow.