It’s interesting how the continued cold weather is impacting my mood. I’m a Vermonter through and through. I like the four seasons, and by mid-October, I am truly looking forward to cold weather and snow. I never look forward to ice, but the cold and snow, absolutely. Somehow, this winter has seemed long. We’ve had snow on the ground pretty consistently for the last three months, with one amazing week when it all melted away and you could almost feel spring coming. But it’s the ice that has been the true problem. We had several ice storms in January that coated everything in a thick layer of ice, making moving outside treacherous. Keep in mind, our alpacas, bees and chickens all live down the hill from our house, and so getting to them and back (and walking the dog!) was a daily event complete with ice grippers on our boots. Then the ice finally melted, and even with the cold, it was better for mobility.

Then last week we got a bunch more snow, and as the top layer of it melted, then froze, we are back to skating down the hill, trying not to fall, all the while seeing the chickens and alpacas also struggling to keep their footing.

Sigh, I know spring in coming. Soon we all will be done sugaring as the nights get too warm, then we will see the first signs of green emerging — and I can’t wait!