Snowplay: Abby Hearts Winter

We had a half dozen decent snowstorms during the winter of 2020-21, though nothing near the amount of snowfall we should have gotten and needed. Damn La Nina…. Unfortunately, as we speak we’re in the midst of another La Nina year (the “double dip”) that has brought us drier and warmer temperatures than usual. I’m scared for our forest.

But anyways, those occasions when it did snow, Abbs and I made sure to get out and enjoy it because she LOVED snow. Prior to the beginning February she and I would still be doing 4-5 mile hikes a day despite it being her 13th year, but even as midwinter arrived and her capacity decreased the occasions of cold weather and snowdrifts would reinvigorate her, returning her to a playful state akin to her 9th and 10th years (which were very, VERY active – like, way beyond my abilities).

It was a pleasure to watch her be so happy, frolicking in the powder. Watching her define joy.

Since she and I developed a solid system of communication regarding her new limits I took her pretty far out and let her go crazy as long as she wanted. Her reduced speed meant I’d be waiting for her to catch up many times but an end-of-season investment in the the previous year of fleece-lined tights meant I was quite comfortable not moving at my usual speed, even when temperatures fell below single digits (Fahrenheit). Thus, those snow days ended up being incredibly happy times for both of us – and still cause many wonderful memories to surface nearly a year later. It’s honestly been difficult to review all these photos but the fact is she and I had some wonderfully happy days during these snow events — and I won’t forget them.