Here in the Northeast we’ve been hit with a couple of snowstorms recently. Last weekend’s left us with thigh-high amounts. This makes it very difficult for Nessie, my mid-size “blended breed” (read: mutt) to romp. So she winds up looking like a dolphin, springing up excitedly above her 14″ height to advance herself in the powdery snow.
Over time, the snow changes quality, however, and now, a few days later, it is no longer powdery but has a creme brulee-like crust on top, making it more like a landmine for her. The sun-glazed snow will support her weight for a while, but then .. oops! … she’ll break through and is left with one or two legs buried. So where yesterday she plowed ahead fearlessly despite great effort in the snows that dwarf her, today she has become a bit unsure and timid, waiting for the crystalline ground to crack open and catch her off-guard.
So, instead of wandering off-leash in the back between woods and creek like we usually do, I snapped on her leash and we took the wide and easy road on her walk this morning. Snowplowed and well-traveled, the road was a bit more sure, a bit less scary, a lot less work, but not as free, not as much fun and certainly not as beautiful.
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