Slippery Out There

This morning I headed out to check on my papers at 5:30 a.m. and it was clear as a bell out there. The papers had not been delivered so I headed back inside and was just getting comfortable on the couch when I saw the lights of the delivery person's vehicle.

I headed back out to greet the guy and get the papers and it was just starting to snow. The delivery man said this was the first snow he has seen all night and thankfully he only had about an hour to go and his day (night) was finished.

I took the papers inside and sorted them out for carrying and was back outside in about 10 minutes. Was the snow ever coming down. The nice part was there was no wind whatsoever but visibility was sure limited with the snow. Within a couple houses I was completely covered in snow as it was sticking to the fur on my hat. It didn't stick on my jacket or gloves too much, just mainly my hat.

As I trudged off delivering the papers I quickly found out that it was darn right slippery under this new blanket of snow. I was being extra careful throughout the hour walk and yet I slipped and fell 3 times. Thankfully I didn't fall hard or awkwardly and came through with no injuries. Fresh in my mind was the fact that it was only last week that the son Craig was out shovelling a bit of snow on his driveway and he slipped and broke his wrist/arm. Of course he now gets a holiday for about 3 weeks from work, but I'm sure it isn't much of a holiday with your main arm immobilized in a splint/cast.

After I finished delivering the papers to the far south end of town I was on my way home and just enjoying the peacefulness of the town with the snow still coming down heavily. The coyotes in the area must have sensed my thoughts as they started to howl over on the north west end of town. I haven't heard them for awhile now, so I was wondering where they had gotten to. Not that I'm crazy about having them around when I'm out in the morning with no one else around. I know a couple times I felt like they were following me in the trees at the edge of town. I've only come face to face with one of the pack when we both decided to turn onto the road at the same time. We were about 30 feet apart and we both saw each other at about the same time. Both of us looked to see which was the best way to run. Thankfully the coyote headed the opposite direction that I was going to go. I was out on the far edge of town (actually the last house in town) and of course no one else was out and about at the time. The old hairs on the back of my neck were standing out for sure.

But it is sort of special when they decide to howl and the sound carries for miles in the quietness of the morning. Just as long as they stay away from my particular place in town when I'm out and about by myself :)