Meet the Turkeys

I had heard them before, but today I met them - the Turkey family:

A big, beautiful tom and his lovely hen.

The driveway had melted off enough yesterday in the warm, sunny weather, that I was able to drive the Jeep to the top overnight (for the first time since Tuesday morning - yay!).  So I pulled out this morning to go to work, I swung around the switchback onto the lower part of the driveway, and there they were, standing in the middle of the drive, in the snow.  The tom wasn't happy to see me at all.  He puffed out all of his magnificent plumage, gobbled, and walked straight toward me as if he was going to take on the Jeep.

Sorry, dude, but you would lose that fight.  And you look too much like thanksgiving dinner for me to feel bad about it.

As I rolled the Jeep slowly toward him, he and his mate hopped with purpose off the side of the hill and out of sight.

After the storm... getting to work

So, I woke up this morning to the news that I would not, in fact, have a snow day.  Rats.  So disappointing.  Actually though, I ran out and measured the snow and found 10 inches, which was less than the 16-24 they were predicting.  So all in all it wasn't that bad.  I got ready and headed out to work at about 7:30am, and tried to capture some of the gorgeousness.  Snow was still falling lightly:

Of course, I was tromping through the snow to get to my jeep, and the snow was coming up to just below my knee, which would put it at about 14 inches.   The wind had been blowing pretty hard during the storm, so hard to tell what is drift and what is windblown.  I guess we got between 10-14 inches.

I then found my jeep at the bottom:

It cleaned up good, and because I parked a little uphill, I got a running start which helped me fourwheel it over the pile from the snowplow (which had already been by!).  I got to work just fine, on nicely plowed roads.

By late afternoon, it was gorgeous, sunny, and going on warm.  I got my Jeep nestled back into it's spot at the end of the driveway (only took a little knocking down of the snowplow pile with a shovel and a couple runs in 4WD in reverse to push in some tracks), and then snapped a few pics of the sparkling snow.  Complete with my footprints still around from the morning.

I love living here!

First blizzard

Snow was in the forecast for this evening, and the heavens did not disappoint.  I had planned to leave work at about 6, but reports said the snow was beginning to stick at 5:30, so I thought I better take off early.  Boy, am I glad i did.  It was snowing with a VENGEANCE.

I saw two snowplows on the drive home, which was reassuring, but I still laid first tracks up our road.  Visibility was so bad that I almost missed our driveway.  I parked the Jeep at the bottom of the driveway, backed up the hill just a car length or so, to let the plows through if they come.  By the time I walked up the hill, me and my bags were coated in the swirling snow.  We already had over an inch on the ground, and it was only coming down harder.  I snapped some pics before dark.

Now I'm all cozied up and the wind is howling outside. We've had a couple of power dips.  I hope it doesn't go out entirely -- I don't know how to power up the generator yet.  Really hoping for a snow day tomorrow.  If it's a snow day, I'm totally going to build a fire in the stove.  :o)

Wild Turkey?

I came out of the house to go to work pretty early - about 6:30am. I heard the gobbling of turkeys, lower on the hill behind the shed. I didn't see them, but it would seem we have wild turkeys.

Deer

We were finishing up moving in and we were surprised by a herd of 8 or 9 does all in their winter coats, grazing on the side of the hill North of the top of the driveway. They didn't seem to be bothered by our antics with the moving truck.

Moving Eve/Day

And the view:

Pine Hill: Established 17 March 2010

This family was established on 1 August 2009, at an elevation of 8367 feet above sea level.

We moved to Pine Hill on 17 March 2010, at an elevation of 7200 feet above sea level. Welcome to our lifetime of adventure!