Country Snapshots: Avalanche & Bears!

Last week, a very blustery winter day!

Here in the northeast, a few warm 50 degree days get us excited for spring.  I've started seeing the first buckets being hung on sugar maples, starting to collect sap for syrup, and it makes me want to go up in our loft and search for our own buckets.  I called a sheep-shearer to make an appointment to get our boys sheared in a few weeks, as I just don't feel confident enough yet to do it myself.  And I started my tomato and pepper seeds under the grow lights in the cellar.

The result of giant sheets of snow slipping off the barn roof.

This warmer weather is also bringing a lot of melting.  Over the past two weeks we have continued to get snow and it has piled up to three feet... including on the roofs.  It makes me nervous when it starts getting that deep and I start thinking about getting out the roof rake, although it's a job I truly hate.  Then, yesterday, I heard a HUGE crash that shook the house.  My heart skipped a beat as I rushed to the window, fearing the barn collapsed.  I was so relieved to only see a giant mountain of snow in the driveway.

Our big barn is old (from the 1800's) but sturdy and has been well-maintained.  The aluminum (or tin?) roof is over 100 years old.  Many of the homes and barns in the area have this unique type of roof.  The story told by my grandpa was that a metal roof tile peddler came through this area and sold tiles to many of the locals.  A metal roof will last indefinitely if maintained and periodically painted with a special paint.  On warm February days, it also causes the snow build-up to slip off in a big, barn-size sheet.  The crash can be alarming!  And dangerous, to say the least.  We avoid walking next to the barn and don't park the cars near it.

Yeller's old doghouse.  He was one of my Dad's golden retrievers.
Yeller was a rescue dog and a really wonderful companion.

Some photos from the night camera over the past few months... a pretty doe, a big fox, and bear buns!  (A mom black bear and her two cubs.  I've seen quite a few bears in the past two years.)

I pass this farm on my way over the mountain to the feed store.  Such a pretty old farm.  I'm a sucker for old barns - there's something stoic about them.

Hope you enjoyed this week in country snapshots!  Visit my Pinterest page for more photos!

Cheers!  -Katie

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