Now It's Really Winter

Yesterday we got eight and a half inches of snow. That's the same as about twenty one and a half centimeters to all of you who are outside The United States. Up until now we've had a mild winter where I live. Now with this last snowfall winter is really here.

Winter was very easy before this, but now it looks a little more like it did last year. This big snowfall was probably inevitable. And who knows, we might get a lot more before winter is done. And I have to say that I still enjoy it! I've been waiting for this to happen, and now it's finally here!

I wanted to know if I'd still enjoy winter this year, even after we got a good amount of snow accumulation. I do. I really do! It may look bleak and cold in the pictures, but there is so much to see that you'll never be able to see at any other time of year! Just the animal tracks are worth it. We don't see the animals, but we see where they go!

In all honesty the snow on my short hiking trails is very deep right now, and it is very difficult to walk through without the proper equipment. I only use my boots with some ice cleats strapped to them. I usually won't slip and fall, but I'll still sink into the deep snow. Sharkbytes can tell you what you should really use for walking in the snow if you ask her nicely.

Nature Center

In just my boots the snow is difficult to wade through. I got tired very quickly as I slogged through these trails of my smallest nature park. The only solution was to walk a little bit slower and to step in the few footprints that were already there. I also took breaks frequently, but my ankles still ached from my trek through this deep white stuff. It was absolutely great! I loved it!

This last picture is the meadow area in the back of the park. This is the first time this year that it looked this white on the ground here. The tall grass grows in tight clumps back here, and in the winter it looks like small hills all over the meadow. It takes a lot of snow to cover those hills. This time it was enough to do it.

When I was a kid my state of Michigan was known as The Winter Wonderland. It seemed to slowly lose that nickname over the years as the winters slowly got milder. I remember one year that it was as warm as spring most of the winter while it was cold all around our state. It seems that in the past several years winter is making a comeback.

I loved those warm years, but I always missed our winter wonderland. Now that it's back I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can. Spring is not very far away, so I have to appreciate this while it's still here. This extra snow will make spring even better when it gets here. Spring, winter, I love them both. And then comes summer, and fall, and...