2023- the year of late frosts, the building of three construction projects, and the brown and mucky Christmas season, at least the first days. May brought on some lovely days for planting followed by nights of freezing temperatures. From the Sunday after muzzleloader season of 2022 to early winter of 2023, my husband and I, plus help from my in-laws and a multitude of friends and family, we accomplished building a 10′ x 10′ greenhouse, a second chicken coop, and the grandeur of any project we’ve ever completed- our 30′ x 40′ pole barn for our agriculture equipment. When I recognize all these projects, it brings the truth into perspective when comparing myself to other flower farmers, homesteaders, and homemakers. We accomplished A LOT last year. Not only that, but a long well-deserved rest is necessary before tackling goals for 2024.
With a Christmas season without snow for the northern Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, Christmas didn’t have the right feel to it this year. No snow covered trees and fields to keep one inside to rest and relax. Who am I kidding? We love going outside in the snow! Nevertheless, this Christmas season as we are both off from work, we took the time to keep up with the basics and the holidays, and we rested a good bit of the days with hunting, cross-stitching, and lots of good homemade food.
2024, well that started with some true, beautiful winter wonderland weather- SNOW, and not the kind that makes you bitter cold or wondering if we need a large snow plow on our truck. The soft snow that layers itself in the yard, the fluffy snow that dogs can run through grabbing a mouth full to enjoy, the decorative snow that weighs down the evergreen trees.
My husband woke up early to head out to hunt, nothing but excited to have a layer of snow to see the footprints of the deer and other trails to help find them if wounded. Early muzzleloader season 2023 was brown, and mucky. Rifle season 2023- ditto. Late flintlock season begins December 26, but the snow waited until 2024.
My hope is that 2024 brings a year of normal weather for the seasons. Snow for winter. Rain and sunshine for spring with an early last frost. Heat and thunderstorms for the summer months. A first fall frost the comes after flowers have dwindled down, but soon enough to turn the leaves to the stellar colors. It’s God’s Creation and it is inHis control. We just need to prayer for what is best for the weather and what we need, plus every day telling Him how beautiful His Creation is.
With the first snow for 2024, what better thing to do than grabbing a Bernie’s winter coat with a John Deere hoodie and slipping on a pair of muck boots to take two woofers outside into God’s Creation to enjoy the snow He provided us. Sometimes I have to say thanks to my dogs for begging to go outside multiple times a day.
Molly is an Aussie mix with long black fur, a bit of white on her chest, with white paws with speckles of black. Her favorite season is winter with snow. She zooms full-speed ahead through the snow with her mouth to the ground, scooping up her favorite winter time snack.
Bella is a German Shorthaired Pointer mix who can be particular about the weather until she sees she can go running through the backyard over full speed ahead. At the point, rain or snow, she does not care what she has to zoom through as long as she is moving. She points at the chickens, but only shortly because the loyal pup is off to follow me to another part of the yard. She checks on the dormant raspberry bushes every day in the garden before racing back across the yard to check underneath the evergreen trees by her fence.
In the woods, the dogs run through the winter wonderland. Our woods are my favorite part of these sweet aftermaths of snow storms. The oaks and maples without their leaves hold out their branches and twigs to catch the snow to create quite a beautiful landscape. The evergreen trees captures the snow with the needles, taking the weight, protecting the leaves underneath to have just a few spots of snow. If I was out hunting, that’s where I would have set up my camp chair. I’m sure the deer are thinking the same thing.
One time in these woods as we were coming back from a hunting spot further into the woods, the snow was piling up the same way as today. The deer were laying beneath some of the evergreen trees, but got up soon enough. It takes me back to thinking about God’s Creation. He provides shelter to the deer with the evergreens, as much as He provides beauty to a young, virtuous woman on a walk with her dogs.
The beauty of God’s Creation is there, we just have to enjoy it with whatever weather we are given. Seeing nature on a quiet late morning with some furry friends is wonderful. The dogs love it. I love it. And I believe God wants us to love being in His Creation. Here’s to a new year with new projects and goals that take us outdoors to provide movement to our bodies, fresh air for our lungs, and sunshine for our Vitamin D, but most importantly building a relationship with God through gardening, homesteading, hunting, and walks with four-legged friends.