Wait for it …

We woke up this morning to an amazing hoarfrost. Did you know that hoarfrost is caused when water vapour skips being a liquid and instead freezes directly into ice crystals? Everything was coated. The fences looked like they were all white barbed wire lines. Even the needles on the pine trees were coated with the tiniest of white barbs … like little icicles growing out at all angles. Very pretty. By later in the day though I, and the rest of the critters around our little place, were ready for the mist to rise. Sure enough, just at the end of my afternoon chores the sun started to burn its way through. (Very similar timing to yesterday.)

Had to laugh at Bella today. As I was working away I kept looking at where she was … over the hillside … and wondering what she was doing that required so much of her attention. When I came around I found that once again she is digging her way through the rolling hill! She knows I try to stop her from digging deep holes. So when I stopped to look at her she froze and idly tapped the ground with her front hoof. Then she heaved a big sigh, closed her eyes and decided she would just sleep until I was gone. The little dickens! I am going to have to keep a pile of sand/dirt on hand to keep filling up her handiwork!

(Picture from: http://lifehacker.com/5932126/estimate-the-time-of-sunset-with-your-hand)

I had been reading a book a few days ago that showed me how to estimate how much sunlight is left in a day by measuring with your fingers. Each finger represents fifteen minutes left before the sun goes below the horizon. You hold your hand up to the sun and align the bottom digit with the horizon. It was quarter to six and I found I could fit seven fingers in that space … What!? But that would mean the sun wouldn’t set until 7:30ish. Had to be wrong? When I came in and checked I was some happy to realize that in fact – the sun is setting that late. Between the sun and the choirs of birds in our woods I guess I am ready to accept that spring is truly on its way. Hurray!