Had a “ruff” go of it

Jeb, Clem and Gus

​From frigid to foggy, travel along the trail was tricky at times. We were slipping and sliding away for days at a time. 

​A packed down path was helpful sometimes, but other times was downright difficult. While we had snow earlier this winter, a more-than-generous amount fell on Jan. 25 and stuck around until Feb. 18.

Clem, Jeb, Earl and Milo heading home.

Earl stuck behind Gus

​Locally, my homestead received almost a foot of snow. The first few days of breaking a trail were exhausting for me. Jeb and Clem opened a little bit of the way but often strayed off course. Gus, the Saint Bernard, walked closely behind me letting me do all the path making work. He then decided I was going too slow and kept stepping on the back of my feet.

Earl

Milo

​Not-so-long-legged goats, Earl and Milo, definitely followed in my footsteps due to their limited clearance. However, Earl grew impatient some days. He, too, would step on my feet or try to eat the tabs on my boots.

Clem, Gus and Earl

​​Trying to remain upright on the snowpack took a toll on me physically.

​I would often pause and take breaks.

This agitated those who followed behind me. I would let them go around, only to have them block my path.

​Detouring around those creating blockades meant exerting extra efforts to wade through the deep snow. 

Sometimes it wasn’t me holding up the traffic. Gus often stopped to sniff something.

​This action meant that the goats were backed up on the trail. However, other days the tables were turned and the goats were in Gus’ path. 

Trail issues never seemed to bother the bloodhounds. Jeb had enough energy to wade through the chest deep snow every day.

Milo in front of Gus

Jeb and Clem

Jeb

Clem and Jeb

Jeb

​In fact, he managed to find two shed deer antlers in the snow. Clem also found one and then Jeb stole it. All found antlers were then transferred to the house and dog kennel where they occasionally get chewed on. 

​One of the bigger bucks that appeared on my trail cameras was down to one horn on Feb. 6 this year and I believed he lost it by the next week. Last year, he still had one horn on Feb. 23. 

​Trail camera photos showed that there was still a local 8-point holding onto his antlers on the last day of February. Later photos revealed that he continued to maintain his headgear until March 6. 

Meanwhile, the other bucks were hard to differentiate from the does. Posts on a WMU 2F Facebook groups said some bucks had already shed their antlers after rifle season.

​However, it should be noted that the wildlife management unit extends from Venango County all the way to the New York border. That included many different areas. 

Earl

​Nonetheless, warmer weather gave me a reprieve from slipping and sliding. By Feb. 18 the part of the trail that was on higher ground was clear of snow. It took until Feb. 19 for the rest of our path to be free from snow.

Earl

​I felt liberated for the first time in three weeks. It was like ankle weights had been taken off. I was able to travel wherever I wanted, not just on the beaten path. It was ironic how the snowpack affected my daily duties.

​No snow meant that gates and doors would open and close like they were supposed to. I was able to just walk around the house to fill the bird feeders and not have to be relegated to the cleared areas.    

Clem's good side.

​With the absence of the snowpack, Earl and Milo were overjoyed to be wandering off the trail to find some windfalls. Strong winter winds had felled some delicious evergreen branches.
As the snow disappeared, other things appeared. 
​
The dogs were thrilled that copious amounts of critter poop and dead things had been unveiled.

Red fox

Raccoon

Robin in the yard on March 7

Popping out of the ground during the last week of February were the chipmunks. This peaked a lot of canine interest. Trail cameras showed that raccoons and fox activity picked up as the snow melted away.

Overhead the honking of geese on the move could be heard. Robins made their presence known with their calls in late February and early March. ​

My bird feeder camera snapped some video of a returning red-winged blackbird on March 1.

​Information about spring arrivals on Seneca Rock Audubon Society's website listed that the birds have been seen as early as Feb. 10. 

The absence of snow wasn't necessarily all good news. Increased animal activity and no snowpack meant that the ticks were on the move in full force. Picking ticks off of the dogs was now back on the after-walk agenda.

​Ticks can survive freezing temperatures, but snow cover limits their movements. ​

Snowdrops. A deer tick can be seen on one of the center sprouts.

Pussy willow hybrid shrub

​With the warmup, I impatiently waited for things to green up. Facebook memories showed me that by Feb. 9, 2024, my snowdrop flowers were up and open. This year I didn’t catch a glimpse of them until Feb. 21.

​Last it was Feb. 28 for my first sighting of these spring flowers. After a few warmer days in March, I was surprised to seek catkins on a hybrid pussy willow shrub that I had purchased from a garden center years ago. 

Skunk cabbage

​Meanwhile, in the wetlands, skunk cabbages appeared the last week of February. They melted their way through the snow to bloom.
​
I hoped to take a life lesson from the wildflower to make my way through the snow until spring. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here.