11.21.23 Tuesday

Snowfall:  48.0" (4 feet)

Mouse Trapline Tally:  6 

(Total to-date for this year!)

Hello again!  The last week and a half have been challenging, to say the least...Are you ready for a story? Here goes...

So remember me telling you that Kevin would be home the weekend of 11/18? Well, in the two weeks that he was gone down south to visit family, we got bombed with FOUR FEET of snow!  I did my best to at least keep a path to the woodshed, the generator shed, and the outhouse, but it was all I could do to keep up with it!  Usually, Kevin will run the snow machine all around and pack things down.  But I'm still pretty green on the machine and wasn't comfortable doing that while he wasn't here.  So I used the snow blower and good old-fashioned shoveling to make my paths.

I decided the Friday before he was coming home on the train Saturday, that I should probably start breaking trail down to the tracks to make it easier for everyone.  Here's the top of the trail from the house looking down...

It looked pretty daunting, to say the least!  And Nova, being the full-blooded Malamute that she is, SHOULD have been the one to break the trail, but she wanted no part of it and decided to stay on the porch and watch me!

I put on my snow shoes and took off...

I had no regular ski poles so I decided to use a shovel and a broom...They were both consistently buried up to the tops of the sticks!

I made it down to the spring where we get our water...

...and decided that was enough for the day.  What a workout!

Here's the view looking back up the hill from the spring...

The next day? Crunchtime!  I decided to leave Nova at the house this time...

(that's her favorite Tigger baby..😀)

...and headed down toward the tracks.  I made it about five minutes before the train arrived...

Here's looking back up the trail from the tracks...

So Kevin got off the train (I was so glad to see him!) and sunk up to his hips!  He was stunned at how much snow had fallen since he'd been gone!  Now we had to work our way back up the hill...  I didn't get any pictures because we were in full-blown work mode trying not to collapse up the hill.  Imagine the picture....I'm leading the way wearing snowshoes, using a shovel as a ski pole, pulling a sled with his baggage in it (how much did it weigh, anyhow??) He's bringing up the rear with snow shoes that keep falling off and using the broom to push the sled from the back...I wish I could have seen how comical we looked!  It took us 30 minutes to go the 1/8 mile to the house but we made it! Can you say 'time for a Bailey's cocktail' anyone??

So he's been home for a few days now and has managed to get us plowed out, for the most part.  We were able to get Ruby (my four-wheeler) shoved into the woodshed (couldn't make it to the barn with her) 

and get the Skandic snow machine parked at the back door.  

The next big adventure? Heading to town to pick up our new snow machines!  Like I said, I'm pretty green on one but how hard can it be, right?  Just balance like you're sitting on an exercise ball and try not to tip it over, right?  Pray to God that you don't meet anyone else on the trail because there are lots of places that it's not wide enough for two people to pass, right?  I told him I don't want to practice on the other end, it will make me too nervous....let's just get on and I'll figure it out on the trail!  Living life out loud with our arms wide open!  

Stay tuned!  😎