I live on a farm ... — family

We have Canadian geese in our area year round. In late winter, however, they start arriving from other areas and the population becomes enormous ... from what I have heard. That time is upon us, and the geese are beginning to fill our skies each evening and early morning. Last week one evening my husband told me a gaggle had arrived in our cornfield. Another evening, in the middle of a conversation he cocked his ear toward the window and said, "Do you hear that?" I stopped taling and heard a roaring sound outside I had never heard before. We...

Last night we stood on the bank of the river and watched as it changed from a lovely, snow blanketed frozen passageway back to moving, rushing, breathing thing of life. Today it is suddenly all river again. It happened so quickly, so precisely  we could see the rapid progression as it was occurring. Today, though there are a few stubborn patches of snow in our neighbor's field and a bit out in the corn field,  all around our house and barn the snow is completely gone. The weekend before last one of our gutters broke off of the house, taking...

Our snow pack is rapidly melting away now, and I'm cool with that. This winter has been completely, wonderfully enjoyable for me. My husband is quite pleased with the amount of snow and cold we received ... he had been a bit worried when real winter was late in arriving. Evidently last year was very sparse in the snow department, and snow is an ever important factor in the seasonal comings and goings that keep the locally grown agriculture in good form, that keep the swamps full of water and the river flowing at a vigorous and healthy level. Last...

Monday of this week our area was the coldest in the U.S. I have been thoroughly enjoying my first western up north in western New York; the snow has come regularly, it has stayed ever since it started, and it hasn't reached the inevitably unattractive between spring and summer. It is so strange still to speak with my son or my sister in California, with me talking about snow and zero degree temperatures, and them telling me in return about eighty degree weather and balmy skies ... each of us happy to be where we are. We have a large...

I thought I heard a baby bird chirping outside my upstairs office window, but I was wrong. It is a windy, blustery day and there must be a piece of metal scraping or something that is making the little sound. Many birds are out and about these days, however. We continue to get more snow, but there are warmer days in between when some melting occurs so the birds are getting ready for spring. It was very noticable when, one snowy morning as I walked around shooting photos, I heard birds singing everywhere. For weeks, no birds calling, then suddenly...