Driving Through a Winter Wonderland

We had planned to spend the day in lovely productivity. Phil wanted to try digging several holes by hand, just to see if he could, and how long it would take. We also wanted to get our packages at the post office, bring our trash and recycling to the dump, order 250 cattle panels for our perimeter, and see the elaborate gingerbread houses that our friends the Rachel Bushes created.

The weather had other ideas. We woke to rain, which soon turned to wet snow. Phil would dig no holes this day. And lifting wet boxes and wet bags in cold wet weather also did not much appeal. I was feeling desperate for some progress, though. I walked the perimeter with Phil, admiring his machete work through the brambles. I enjoyed seeing the actual lay of the land. I felt like the child who doesn’t know where the boundary is around the playground, so she huddles in the middle. With proper boundaries, the entire area becomes available for play. I can’t wait for Phil to get the fence up!

We made it to the post office at 11:25, right before it closed for the weekend at 11:30. Sadly, the post office employee had just left. Our boxes will have to wait for pickup until the next time we can get to the post office during business hours. One of the prices to pay for rural life—deliveries can take a long time.

As we drove to Charlottesville, the scenery reminded me of a clichéd winter wonderland. Really? Are trees bedecked with ice and snow really this beautiful? Really?

Indeed. And cars really do go off the road. We weren’t one of them, thankfully, but it was sobering to see the several distressed vehicles.

Phil ordered cattle panels and got a nominal bulk discount, which we appreciated. They should be in in two or three weeks, and then he’ll have another large task ahead of him. He hopes he can get them all in place in about a week. I will remind you all that Phil is an optimist. Myself, the pessimist, wonders if we’ll get cows in 2010, or if we’ll have to wait until 2011. We’ll see.

Then we went to see the gingerbread creations on display downtown. Theirs were unbelievable. Rachel had made “Mistress Mouse’s House,” a stump complete with lichen, fallen leaves, mushrooms, a ladybug and snail, and moss. It had something like 8 or 10 batches of gingerbread in it. Her children had created an incredible tree house, precariously balanced and beautifully executed, with a licorice and pretzel “rope” ladder and small gingerbread squirrel balanced on the railing. Their entirely edible art had taken a week to create, and I hope it wins all the accolades it deserves. A joy to behold.

We treated the five children to lunch at Chipotle, and, despite their somewhat grubby faces, we enjoyed several compliments on their behavior and appearance.

By the time we drove home, the snow had turned back to rain, and washed all the winter wonderland away. All-in-all, a very nice day, and even a bit productive.