Wednesday, February 29, 2012

2/29/2012

Every four years we get a bonus day on Feb. 29. It's called Leap Day.

This year it's aptly named. It represents a giant leap from three months of non-winter--December, January and all but one day of February--to the real thing.

As of noon on the 29th, it had been snowing steadily since midnight, and the weather folks said it would probably continue for the rest of the day.

The snow left our deck totally covered, and created nicely-rounded roofs on our bird feeders, making it hard for our feathered friends to access their food. So Chana, who is devoted to keeping the birds well fed, tiptoed out in her robe, cleared a path to the feeders and filled them. The birds were happy; the squirrels didn't get the message that they weren't welcome.

Our driveway is about 1,000 feet long, and the storm covered it with nearly 12 inches of beautiful--but heart attack-heavy--snow. No way to use the driveway, and I had no thought about anything resembling shoveling, but felt a short walk to the main road was called for.

It was more a trudge than a walk, but a perfect way to experience real winter.

The snow removal will come soon enough. For now, we'll relax and enjoy nature's Leap Day gift.

And it's obvious: March will come in like a lion.