Sleuthing in the Snow

Neither of us had time for words as we slogged downhill, shoulders hunched and heads bent against the continued blast of that evil wind which had blown drifts every which way, making progress a steady battle. Despite my discomfort, I was glad the weather kept Cyrus’s mouth shut. I wasn’t in the mood for any of those long-winded stories of his. The wind had built humps over bushes and other obstacles in its path and sometimes it was difficult to tell when we were on or off the street.

Though it’s common to see animal tracks—dogs, cats, rabbits and other creatures that have ventured out in search of food—in fresh-fallen snow, I noticed none as we plowed along. Even hungry beasts were holed up. Some birds flitted here and there in search of feed, but even they were in short supply. I discovered later Telegrapher Runyan’s story of livestock freezing in the fields was true. Some fortunate farmers out in the valley did succeed in getting their cattle into barns and other shelters. Those who didn’t suffered heavy losses.

February is usually the beginning of thaw-time in our area as the sun gets warmer, daylight extends and night shortens. That was definitely not the case this year. I figured if the groundhog had stayed out after looking for his shadow at the beginning of the month he was probably froze solid by now.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C96SBBT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i4