I’d never seen snow this dense in my life, but I came to the Northern Wood for the first time last November and there was a thick carpet of white fluff all over the yard and it has just kept coming since then.
It continued to fall every day, leading into weeks. It settled across the meadow, concealing the dried stalks and dead flowers left from last Summer.
I’ve moved into my house here only a few days ago, but I’ve met the western neighbour – a tall, tall woman named Barbie, who has the largest, yellowest teeth I’ve ever seen.
She waved to me from the fence line and I wandered over, my feet making squelching noises in the mud and snow around the overgrown weeds.
By the time I got the fence she was gently bouncing up and down on her heels as though she was already sick of waiting for me.
I introduced myself and she gamely told me her name and then warned me against walking the meadow until full snowfall. She said it was the ticks, but sometimes also fox and weasels would hide in the tall grasses, coyote too if they were hungry or bored enough.
I laughed because I’d thought she was joking about the bored coyotes… what would make a coyote bored?
But, she just raised her eyebrows, sucked air through those big, yellow teeth and walked away, throwing a wave over her shoulder.
I was left to make my way back across the muddy field, not better for the experience as far as I’m concerned.
I don’t think I’ll ever get these boots clean.