Snow Day

We are finally getting some relief from the dry weather. Yesterday was fickle - a bit of sunshine in between rain showers, but not very cold. Today is slightly different. We awoke to a world of white and big, sloppy gobs of wet snow falling. I measured 1.5 in. this morning, and that amounted to .27 inch  of precipitation. Not a lot, but every bit helps.The temperature now is 33 degrees, so the snow has mostly turned to a very light rain. It doesn't matter what form it is falling in, we need the moisture. 

I have a critter of some sort living in my utility garage. I was out there on Friday to get my snow pole, and found scat on an old rug stored on top of some other stuff. It was right in front ot the window, so probably whatever it was decided to just hang out there in the sunshine - or maybe where he could watch for prey. We suspect it is a weasel, in which case, it may not be there long. They do like to feast on mice, voles,  and sometimes squirrels, and there were plenty of them around this fall - but after the supply is diminished, the weasel will likely move on. I haven't caught many mice or voles in my traps recently, so perhaps a weasel as a temporary "guest" is not an altogether bad thing.

I recall that we had a skunk in that shed one time. That was before we had the foundation repaired and there were plenty of spaces where animals could get in. Now it is a lot tighter, but obviously not altogether varmint-proof. I looked for any likely spot where something could gain entrance, but didn't find one. Nor did I see or hear anything in there, although I decided not to press my luck - if cornered, a weasel is a meal little critter, so I grabbed my snow pole and left. When the skunk got in there, we just left the door open and backed away so it could go on its way.

I expect you are wondering what a "snow pole" is. My snow pole is a four-foot length of PVC pipe marked off in inches. I put it over a stake driven into the ground in an open spot on level ground where I can see it (with binoculars) from the house.  It's not far from my solar light (the pole by the pond). I hadn't put it out for several years, but this seemed like a good time to get it going again so I will have an idea of how much snow is on the ground. It won't be exact with wind and drifting factored in, but close enough. 

For many years I actually went out in the field to measure about once every week or so so I could report it to CoCoRaHS, but it was a real hassle. I had to  wear snowshoes, climb over banks of snow to get to a level spot, and had to take a shovel, a four-inch diameter length of PVC tube to get a core sample, a container to hold the core snow so I could measure water content, and something thin and flat to slip under the tube once it hit the ground to keep the snow from sliding out before I got it into the container. Then once inside I had to wait for the snow to melt in order to measure it - or add measured amounts of hot water to hurry the process along - then subtract the amount of water I'd added --- you get the picture. Those measurements help scientists estimate spring runoff and flooding, and whatever else they do. Now I just report the daily stuff, but with the snow pole out, I will be able to at least report the inches/feet of snow on the ground from time to time, just not the water content. Snow is snow - and measuring it isn't an exact science, by any means. But I'm happy to do what I can safely and comfortably to help in some small way. It actually felt pretty good to be scooping snow off the deck and measuring this morning - although I came in pretty well soaked. That snow is wet!!

Deer hunters were probably very happy this morning because now they can track deer. Whenever we have a snowstorm during hunting season I think about the hunters who have been lost in the woods over the years. There have been several in our area  - some made it out ok and I suppose those adventures get retold at deer camps every year, but others weren't as fortunate. A West Danville boy, Carleton Griggs and a boy from Walden got lost in the 1940s while deer hunting. The Walden boy's body was found several days later, but The Griggs boy's body wasn't found until the following spring. Hopefully, with better equipment and cell phones, hunters can find their way out of the woods better these days. It's really easy to get turned around in a snowy woods when you can't see any landmarks in the distance. Happy hunting, but do be careful!