In a Two Horse Open Sleigh!

My grandparents, my Dad's parents, were ranchers.  They had a house in town and a large ranch a ways out of town. Over the years, they raised cattle (both dairy and beef) and sheep.  The house in town was on several acres so they sometimes had sheep there, as well as hogs. The sheep that came to the house in town were usually bum lambs that had to be hand fed. Back before my grandfather bought his first tractor, horses provided the power to pull the wagons and other equipment as needed. Once he bought his tractors, he kept the horses for several years. When I was a child they would sometimes hook up the horses to the wagons and take whoever was there visiting for wagon rides around the countryside.  It was particularly fun in the winter.  He had a wagon on sleigh runners; we would throw a bunch of haybales on to sit on, bring a bunch of warm blankets to wrap up in and stay warm, and then ride around the backroads all over the county.  It was a lot of fun, fond memories.

A while back, Brombeere learned of an outfit, a farm here in the state, that ran a side business of providing sleigh rides to whoever wanted to go. So we made a reservation and went with Himbeere and his friend.  It was a lot of fun.

We got there a little early.  When that happens they invite you to visit the barn and see the horses that are  not currently out pulling wagons. So we did.

After a while the wagon we were going to ride on got back from the ride that had gone out earlier in the day.  They typically had two wagons out at any given time, depending on how many groups were coming on that day.  So we got to see the horses and wagon we would be riding on.  

The wagon unloaded and then pulled into the barn so they could care for the horses, give them a rest and drink, check them out and make sure they were okay to go out again on the next ride.  That also gave them a chance to check the wagon and make sure it was also okay to go out again.  Then, after several minutes, they let everyone get in the wagon and they headed out.  

After a short trip across an open field, we entered some woods, where the rest of the ride would be.  The lady driving the wagon was very friendly, very helpful; she even offered to take a few pictures so we could have our whole group in a couple of shots.

They had a system of trails all around through the woods. It was very quiet, a very peaceful ride.

The wagon was quite comfortable, considering it was a wagon.

We had come prepared with warm coats and blankets for the ladies.  It was actually a very nice day for the ride.  In the woods there was pretty much no wind and it wasn't a really cold day anyway.  We had actually been a little worried that there might not be enough snow a few days leading up to the ride.

But it had snowed there at the farm a couple of days before we were there and the trails were in great shape.  It was a good ride.

Part way through the ride we stopped at a fire pit they had out in the trees.  If we'd wanted to, we could have brought some food and had a cook out over the fire.  

But we still stopped at the fire pit and just sat and visited there in the woods. 

Even though we had elected not to cook anything, the lady still built up the fire.  They kept it going all day so that any group that wanted to could enjoy it.  We had decided before hand to go into town after the ride and eat at one of the restaurants in town.

It also gave the horses the opportunity to take a rest.

They had a nice set up there in the woods.  We decided this would be a fun thing to do again and, next time we would definitely bring some lunch to cook over the fire, even if it was just marshmallows to roast.  It would be fun.  Especially since they provide the fire and all the stuff needed to cook and all we would need to bring was the food.

It was a very fun way to spend the afternoon.  The whole ride, including the stop at the fire pit, took almost an hour.  Nobody froze, nobody fell out of the wagon, and nobody got bit by a horse.  It was a very fun time.  We left definitely wanting to do it again.

An Afternoon Drive

It had been a while so we decided the other day we wanted to go for a drive.  I keep a list of interesting places around the state that I would some day like to visit. It's the closest thing I have to a "bucket list", I suppose.  Anyway, Brombeere said she didn't have any place in particular in mind, she just wanted to go for an afternoon drive so I picked a place and that's where we went. Actually, where I began, when picking the place, was picking one of the many "rustic roads" our state has designated.  I wanted to go to a new one, one I hadn't been to before.  And I wanted it to be along one.  To earn the designation Rustic Road, a road has to be at least two miles long, among other things.  I wanted one longer than that so I looked at the map and picked one that was long.  It just happened to also be in a state park I have had on my list for a while; two birds with one stone!

The road began at the top of the Black River State Forest and is 12 miles long.

This winter in our state there's been a lot of snow.  Unfortunately, it's usually been followed each time by warmer weather.  So we'd get a really nice, heavy snow fall.  It would stay cold for a week or so and then it would get warm, which would cause a lot of the snow to melt.

As we drove along the road you could see the effects of the heavy snow.  Not only would there be a lot, but it would also be heavier than normal, a little wetter than normal.  That makes good packing snow,  good snowman snow, good snowball snow.  But it can also be hard on trees and shrubbery.

So we saw lots of bent-over trees, lots of broken limbs.  A hard winter, some might call it.

But it was still a pretty drive.  It was an overcast day, it might have been prettier if the sun had been out, shinning bright in the winter sky.  But it was still a very pretty drive.  This forest was in what is referred to as the "driftless area", the leading edge of the ancient glacier that used to cover most of the state.  So in front of the glacier a lot of dirt got pushed around, resulting in today's hills found all over in the southwest part of the state.  It's a very pretty area.

We did find one parking area that had been plowed out, the parking area for the trailhead of a number of trails through the forest, used for hiking and cross country skiing in the winter.  So we stopped to look around.

We might have tried a picnic, there were, after all, some picnic tables, and we found a nearby water pump.

But the snow was a bit deep and the pump turned off, if not frozen.  So we decided to pass on the picnic.

Some of the small stream and ponds were frozen over.  Others were not; very picturesque.

Eventually we came to the end of the officially designated rustic road so we turned around and drove back along the road and through the forest.  It was a very nice drive, a good time together. The whole time we had only seen four or five other cars, we'd nearly had the park to ourselves.  We enjoyed the time very much.  It also left us feeling like we needed to come back when it was warmer; have that picnic, or maybe even go camping for a day or two.  Maybe even bring the bikes back and try one or two of the trails that were all covered with snow this time.  That could be a fun time.  But today, it was a good drive, that was all we were looking for.  But it was everything we were looking for.

Nailed It!

I'm sure you've seen them, memes on social media where someone was trying to reproduce something they saw and it didn't turn out quite right.

This is kind of like that.  I've tried numerous times in the past to get photos of snow flakes, I think they're beautiful.  But they're tiny, and they don't last long.  Conditions have to be just right to get any kind of picture at all, much less a real good one.  And yet, you see them now and then...

So this morning, as I walked out to the car to go to church, there on the side of the car was a single snow flake, all by itself.  And it looked to be pretty much intact. It's hard to tell because they're so tiny. And, because it was only 9 degrees, it was still there, just sitting there, not melting away super fast like they so often do.  So I took a picture of it.

I didn't really know how good it was until I looked at it a little later, up close.  All in all, I think it turned out fairly well.  The photography is okay, the flake itself was somewhat hammered, but it was hard to tell seeing it there, sticking to the side of the car, all tiny like snow flakes are.  But, even though the actual snow flake isn't a pristine sample, I thought the photo turned out pretty well.  At least, it's the best I've ever gotten.  So we'll keep trying and who knows, may some day ...

Tracks in the Snow

 It snows where we live.  One thing I like about that is seeing the tracks in the snow each time I leave the house.  Some tracks we make ourselves, each time we come and go, like the tire tracks the car leaves.

If we're slow clearing the driveway, or if there isn't enough snow to really need clearing away, or if we come and go a lot in a short time, the tire tracks can accumulate quite a bit.

More interesting, though, are the track people leave as they come and go.

Sometimes they're all crowded together and on top of each other.

Other times they'll be out by themselves.  Like these (above) are Brombeere, walking around in the driveway.

The tracks her Sunday shoes leave are pretty interesting.

I think these tracks (above) belong to Himbeere, he favors work boots.

These (above) are definitely Himbeere, a favorite pair of boots.

Often, mixed in with the adults, are little kid tracks.  They're fun.

They often play, you can see that they were playing in the snow and not just going from here to there.  Little kids play in the snow at any opportunity they get.

Work gets done and that leaves tracks, too.  This (above) is from taking the trash out to the curb, along with all the other traffic in the driveway as people have moved around, doing stuff or going places.

And then there's the animals that leave tracks in the yard.  Our deck gets lots of foot prints from the dog going in and out.  The whole back yard is covered with his tracks.  Every time he goes out he "walks the perimeter", surveying his kingdom, stopping here and there to check out something.

But the ones I find most interesting are the wild animals, the little critters that come when no one is around, always looking for stuff to eat or just checking out the yard.

Around here it's usually squirrels that are always moving around.  And occasionally birds, though most of the birds around here go south for the winter and we don't see as many, in number or variety, as we see during the summer.

It's always fun to come out and see new tracks from all the wild animals that have been moving around in the yard.

We occasionally get bunnies, too.

Bunnies leave fun tracks, as they hop everywhere they go.

Sometimes bigger animals, too.  Or squirrels that will chase and play with each other, tearing up the snow.  We do get an occasional deer in the yard, too, but we seldom see their tracks.  They're far less common.  Neighborhood pets are far more common, but less interesting.  Still, it's always fun to open the garage door and see new tracks as we come and go.  Life is always happening, always on the go, always of interest, all around us, right here in our own yard.

Playing in the Snow

We got up this morning and saw that it had been snowing during the night.  More snow on top of the snow that has been falling all week.  January and later is, after all, when all the snow seems to fall the most in our average winters.  There's getting to be about a foot or more of snow in the yard now.

I really like how it looks early in the morning, before it begins to warm up.  The snow clings to the trees and everything else, and looks real pretty.

Its at its best early, before it warms up enough for the snow to start falling off.

One of the real nice things about this wonderful world Heavenly Father designed for us.  He thought of so many wonderful little details.

And, this morning, it wasn't even real early.  It was about 9:00 am when we got stirring enough.  The snow was still on the trees and everything and it was very nice.

So, of course, we had to go play in it.  First step was for everyone to get all bundled up so we can stay warm.

Pretty soon everyone was all ready and smiles, anxious to get out in the snow!

Even the dog seemed to enjoy being out, running in the snow.

Out by the fence the snow wasn't very deep, because the trees had blocked the ground a little.  But out in the middle of the yard the snow was almost up to his chest.  It was funny watching him bound through the snow before there were any trails made.

First order of business was to make some snow angels.  I'm not sure the kids had ever seen that before.  They were pretty surprised to see their grandmother flop down in the snow and start making wings.

Then their daddy flopped down in the snow.  That was an incredible sight to them.

None of the grandkids made snow angels but they were more than happy to try to bury their grandmother in the snow.

So only two snow angels got made this morning.  But that's okay.  It was still fun.

Then it was time to get started on the snowman.  Big X began rolling the first ball of snow.

With a little help, it didn't take long before it was big enough.  Then it needed a little shaping, getting it ready for the next ball of snow.

Work started on the second ball of snow right away.  Big X was in on this one, too.  With a little help from his brother and Dad, it was off to a good start.

Soon it was big enough so it was rolled over next to the first ball.  Then Schwartzbeere tried to lift it up on the first ball.  But it was pretty big.

Turned out to be a two person job.  But they got it up on top well enough.

While all that was going on the youngest was trying to help but the snow was too deep - she was having trouble moving around the yard.

But with a little help, she was able to get over by the snowman, where everything was happening anyway.  Happily, the snow by this time was all tromped down so that she could move around.  Much happier.

The top snow ball was rolled over.  It was a lot easier to get up where it belonged.

The business of packing around and shaping out the head got underway and the snowman was coming together pretty nicely.

This was up where the little kids had trouble reaching so the grownups did most of this work, which was fine.  Himbeere wanted the snowman to have a mow-hawk so he set to work making one.

This was careful business, it needed to be done just right.

But soon enough it was done.  Grandma fetched some big buttons to finish properly decorating the snowman, since we didn't have any coal.  We also didn't have a big carrot so a button was used for the nose, too.  And then it was done!  A very fine snowman, indeed!