Winter arrived late this year, but she came with snow-filled fury. Almost as dramatically as she entered, it appears she may be checking out. The past week has been above freezing almost every day, with rain and extensive melt. There is still a good deal of snow out there—probably at least a foot of hard-packed, rock solid base. As of today’s temperature plunge, everything is punchy and feels like you're walking on piles of broken pottery. Other areas are an ice luge, especially the down hill sections where melting snow flows into little streams. Our last run was midway through the warmup, and maneuvering the narrow, technical trails proved to be challenging with crummy footing. I imagine it's only gotten worse since then.
We really need just a few inches of snow to make things safer for both me and the dogs. We might get some tomorrow, but it doesn't look too promising. The extended forecast shows another warmup next week. This time, temperatures might climb into the 50's, which would be too warm to run this time of year. Luckily, mornings and evenings should remain cool enough to continue training. At this point, I'd accept a full meltdown, so we could at least get back to training with wheels. We're stuck in limbo right now and it's making me crazier than the dogs.
I have a list of spring projects waiting once the snow melts. The play yard fence took a beating this winter and several sections will need to be replaced. I'll be rotating the hens' enclosure and using the old space for a new garden plot. This means taking down the (now collapsed) fencing and putting in new posts so the chickens can leave the barn and return to the outdoors. Once the ground is thawed, I'll be tilling and cultivating in preparation for this year's crops. My seed order arrived today and I'll be starting them indoors in a few weeks. I learned last winter to start later, otherwise they'll outgrow their pots and die if I plant them outside too early.
As for the dogs, they're handling the down time pretty well. They have each other and the large play yard to run around in. Atlas has settled in without a hitch and has become just another celestial body in this large, hairy solar system that surrounds me every day. The snow has melted enough to reveal some of their favorite mud holes, a sure sign that spring is on its way. Despite a weird and emotionally challenging season (and, uh, year), we've hit the 300 mile mark and will hopefully continue to add miles for another month or two.
Time keeps marching forward and, somehow, it's already March again.
