Sign Of The Times

This is our sanctuary sign along our west drive into the ranch.  Usually when there's this much snow piled up on the sign, it's February or early March ... not the first week of January.  But like lots of areas in the western U.S. and Canada, we've been getting plenty of snow over the past few weeks ... day after day.  If this keeps up, that sign will be completely buried by March! 

Now, don't get me wrong, we are absolutely delighted with this much snow.  Unlike our friends in Seattle or Spokane or Vancouver who are struggling with record snowfalls in urban areas, we are used to this kind of thing and welcome it.  Heavy snow pack means lush pastures in the spring, water for irrigation, and full rivers and streams during the summer months.

But it does mean a lot of tractor work and shoveling by hand to clear the snow from gates and doorways ... and to keep them clear.  I spent most of the day on Friday on the tractor, opening up the barnyards and digging out gates to the various corrals and to Widget's House.  I'm about to head back out this afternoon for another few hours in the tractor, doing it all over again, before evening chores.

All of our buildings have metal roofs, which are great for shedding snow quickly.  Otherwise we would be clearing them off by hand, too!

The other issue for us is having to keep an eye on the fences around the dog yards.  We have a couple of escape artists -- Travis is a repeat offender -- who take advantage of deep snow to launch themselves over the fence.  You can see here just how deep it's getting in places:

That's why, many years ago, we learned we had to add fence on top of the fence to keep those pesky escape artists in during winter.  That's Widget's House on the left, with a big sheet of snow about to slide off the roof. 

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A couple of folks asked in their blog comments about Dexter a) how he ended up at the shelter and b) what the "T" in his name stood for.  He was actually picked up as a stray, and as hard as that is to believe, it's even harder to understand why no one came to claim him.  Alayne says the "T" in his name stands for "the" as in Dexter The Dickens!

Comments

[ginger]

I know how Mt. suffers when you don't get much snow over the winter, so shall I say, "Looking good!" Great to see those pics! I don't envy you all the work that the abundant snow creates for you! Please be careful & take best care of yourselves & each other.
Warm hugs to all,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit

[Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin]

I can relate to Debbie's post. It is a reminder of Germany. That is the last time I experienced that kind of snow. I can't imagine living with it the way you all do. I will not even begin to tell you what our temps in TX were today. God bless you for the hard work & dedication you all endure each day. But, what a blessing you & all the animals will receive come Spring.

[Shirley * James/Portland, OR]

So glad we visit in May/June! tee hee

[Anita Maloney]

I was just wondering how hard it is for you get the post office or just off the ranch in this kind of weather?

[Debbie]

Wow...such beautiful photos...and so much work to be done! Amazing, absolutely amazing. Those pics remind me of Germany.