I am so looking forward to spring! It has been a cold long winter here in the North Woods of Maine. We still have snow on the ground but some has melted away leaving patches of withered dead grass showing.
Smidgen and Lovey Dovey, our two white doves, have been out foraging for nesting materials, grabbing long blades of withered grass to take back to their nest. Bill looked inside their little coop that's mounted on the side of the tractor barn and reports that their nest is not very organized. I guess that's their way. Robins build beautiful tightly woven nests in the spruce trees around the yard and the phoebe that built the little nest on the top of the grapevine wreath on the back porch builds a sturdy tidy nest too. But the doves, Bill says, work on a helter skelter method but I guess it makes them happy because there are two little eggs right in the middle of all the grassy chaos.
The snow has been heavy and deep this winter! We've had quite a few big storms. Below are some pictures I took at the end of February to give you an idea of what it's like.
This is the view from our bathroom window. The snow comes right off the metal roof and piles up against the house. It gets scary when its this deep. I actually have to stick my broom out the window and move it to the side so we can see out. All the snow banks are as high as that one to left of the chicken coop.
This is our old plow truck that Bill left parked on the edge of the yard near one our little outbuildings. Good thing we have another newer plow truck, huh?The snow drifts really deep here in this part of the yard- sometimes 5 or 6 feet deep! You can't walk in the unplowed areas unless you have on snowshoes. You really need them here at the Haven. We have several pairs.
As you can see from this picture we would be in real trouble without the plow truck! Our driveway out to the Gallison Road is 1400 feet long. In the spring, summer and fall it's lovely walk. In the winter it can be an unplowable HELL! The northwest wind plugs it full of drifted snow that often the 4wheel drive plow truck can't move. That's when we hire a guy with a bucket loader to dig us out. We get snowbound! People always remark how well I paint spruce trees. They are everywhere here! I always loved Christmas...wish it were year round and with all the fir trees here in Northern Maine it almost is! I love our little Jeep.....it's a necessity living way in here like we do! It handles great in the snow! I actually love going out in the middle of a snowstorm to go to town in it. The short wheel base makes it handle like a dream in the snow. And we use it to pull the plow truck out of some of the messes Bill gets in when he "cowboys" it up a little too much plowing the driveway. He buries the truck so bad that often the snow is right up over the hood. He toots the horn (because he's stuck so bad, he can't open the truck doors) and I come to the rescue with the trusty little Jeep. I hook a chain on the bumper and pull him out. Winter is a lot of work up here.
This is the mouth of the driveway as I head out to town. As the winter progresses it often narrows down to the point that you can't open the doors of the Jeep if you stop so then we have to hire some heavy equipment to come in and widen it for us
That's our sign coming in the driveway from the Gallison Road. I can barely touch the top of the sign in the summer so it gives you an idea of how deep the snow is and how high the snowbanks are.
The snow builds up on the deck so I can't open my studio door in the winter. We cover it over with plastic and I only use it in the good months.
Well that's why I am so excited about spring! Of course, at the slow rate the snow is melting, the Easter Bunny will have to be a snowshoe hare!
