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Sunday, March 2, 2014

For want of a new header, sanity may be lost


Some months from now it will be spring or summer, and this winter will be a memory, like childbirth. I know winters in my lifetime have been worse. In a box in a closet is a picture of snow plowed and shoveled from my drive, dwarfing my five feet and six inches attempting to reach the top of the heap. I was five foot six and forty years younger that winter.

I took Hamilton to church this morning. Two Sunday mornings I've declined. I made one of those decisions looking at my unplowed drive and road; the other we got up our hill to the county road. Now, I can drive this stuff, what with fifty five years’ practice, but the fishtail on the county road left me facing home again, and we came back down our road and skipped church.

Down into the valley, across the river, back up through pouring snow and slush my mental mantra this morning: it’s just thick rain! When I dropped him, Hamilton had instructions to tell Mike he owed me. Mike doesn't drive into and out of the valley of treachery to preach.

Yesterday was beautiful; we ran a lot of errands. Coming back from somewhere through the park I had to stop at the top of a blind hill to allow four deer to cross the road, single file. Their silly little rubber hooves make them look like prancers on ice and make me smile. Safely across I lifted my foot from the brake, and threw it down again. A dog burst from the wood, behind the deer. He stopped in the middle of the road and approached my car, all smiles and waggles. Saved! written all over his body.

His foolish little self was somewhere by my car, completely out of sight. I put the car in park, started up the emergency flashers, praying anyone cresting the other hill would see me. I called 911 and watched the dog simultaneously. A sturdy, biggish mix breed, more terrier, but with a flat heavy jowl, and so excited to see the car that would bail him out of the mistake of running after four deer.

I explained to the operator I would get the dog into my car and wait for a park ranger to come take him away. Then another car pulled up and stopped. The dog ran to it, and a man wrassled the dog into his car. I asked if it was his dog. No, but he was on the phone with a young lady on the trail down the hill. It was her dog, he would take it back to her. Then a ranger pulled up, put on emergency flashers, thank you God. Obviously enough people on the scene to rescue an enthusiastic young deer chaser from his mistake.


It’s March 2nd. I don’t care if people I know have shoveled snow in April. Or May or June. Yesterday I saw the bulbs sprouting in the garden and a happy young dog chasing deer. Today the bulbs are covered in three inches of falling snow. If it melts again, I will lie on my belly and take a new header picture of leaves sprouting.


From the web. My young man had bigger feet.

23 comments:

  1. Silly dog rescued from his folly....nice to hear of it.
    Snow is one of the many things I don't miss.

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  2. I'm glad the dog was saved. You are brave... driving on those roads... but as you said, you have been doing it a long time. Looking forward to that new header... and more evidence that Spring is not too far off.

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  3. My spring will be lived vacariously through blogs such as yours. With over two feet of snow on my front yard and roof and still below-zero temps, my crocus are at least two months from emerging. The large lilac bush in the back yard dependably blooms in mid-June, and I'll enjoy the scent wafting into the house. I know, I know, you don't care.....but do post pics of flowers emerging. I'll try not to whine.
    Cheers

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  4. I want the belly shot of new growth...no excuses..I need to know that the earth is still alive.
    Jane x

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  5. Didn't you hear? This winter will NEVER be over!!!

    I think I'm trying to wring what comfort I can out of the old line "Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed"...

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  6. Thank goodness we seem to have seen the end of the constant rain here in England and the weather is now more seasonal. There are daffodils and crocuses everywhere. Beautiful! And hurrah! :)

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  7. Ah, the adventure of winter. We too had snow overnight but the bulbs were coming out in January.

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  8. I love that so many people were ready to save the dog. Heart warming.
    And yes, to the photo of new growth. Please.

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  9. Sights and sounds of spring.

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  10. Sounds to me like the deer and the dog won in this situation.... too often not the case when it comes to a combination of them... snow, ice and a motorized vehicle. You are a kind person... and I sure hope spring comes soon to Ohio.

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  11. Same here. Just as I'm getting ready to rejoice over green poking up out of my garden, we get dumped on by another storm of white. Yes, I've shoveled snow in May and seen killer frost late in June but hope SPRINGS when the dirt gets warm enough for bulbs to sprout. Hoping you and I have seen the end of the worst of this winter.

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  12. So good of you to care of the pup.

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  13. I'll change my snowy profile picture when the snow melts...

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  14. I'm glad dog rescuers were about.

    Love,
    Janie

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  15. I am sure it will be with joy when you get to change your blogger header to something less snow and more spring/summer. Glad the dog was safe, would hate to see any dog hurt, injured, or worse. Its been years since I drove on snow/ice, but I was always glad when I got to where I had to get to and back safe home again. It was always a challenge to get out there; I admire your efforts to try to do the best you can with what you have to work with!

    betty

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  16. Glad the dog was returned to his owner safely.
    Please put down a thick blanket before lying on your belly, that way if you can't get up again at least you can roll up in it for warmth while shouting for help.

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  17. I love the way you write. I imagine you telling the story to me over a hot cup of tea.

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  18. oh I know! sick of this winter. 1st week of March, new green sprouting everywhere and things blooming after three weeks of spring and last night we had a hard freeze. left my plumerias out because they were saying just a dip to 32. my poor iris in full bloom. the easter lilies starting to make buds. the ground orchids, after being fooled by last winter, waited til this week to send up blooms. all the new growth. all frozen.

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  19. What an adorable dog! Makes me want to adopt one. Lol.

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  20. Well dogs are sweet blokes.
    Merle......

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  21. I'm glad the dog will be going back to his owner. I'm also glad that the hope of spring is starting to sprout.

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