Snow, snow, snow

The snow storm silently enveloped our world yesterday afternoon. At first barely noticeable, a few fluffy flakes floated out of the sky. Steadily the flakes fell with more urgency and pelted my face during our evening hike. Notice that I had the honor of three Labs accompanying me. We took care of K's boyfriend, another chocolate lab named JB, for a couple of days.Although JB is about 10 years older than R, he loves to play. While we all relaxed by the fire with the storm's fury outside, R and JB played.Then, JB joined K on her bed. They are a study in contrasts. K is petite Lab while JB is an elegantly long-legged Lab who moves like a small deer.
The world outdoors was starkly transformed overnight. Trees drooped with pillows of snow and boulders wore white cloaks. The snow muffled sound, and the forest seemed silent and still. I saw some large animal tracks on a hillside of boulders and pine trees but the snow had covered up the details. Both dogs sprinted toward the boulders like an animal had wandered among them recently.
Although the snow already measured about 18" deep, the dogs joyously porpoised through its powdery depths while I broke a cross-country ski trail.
R had to leap vertically to move forward!
Somehow, R found a stick in the depths of the snow, and it became the center of attention for about a mile. The duo both clamped it in their jaws of steel and sprinted through the snow like insanely happy dogs. I couldn't help but stop in my tracks to watch their antics!
The dogs arrived home happy and tired. A tired Lab is a good Lab!
The forecast says we'll get almost continuous snow until Thursday night, reaching a total of about 3' of snow. Watching the snow cascade out of the sky, I'm getting a niggling feeling that the forecast is underestimating our total. It's at least 2' already. I'm amazed that we still have power and internet - they usually fail in storms like this one.

Alas, although I loved being in the forest on my skis, it made my neck hurt and gave me a heinous headache by compressing nerves leaving my cervical spine. Based on my extensive experience, I knew that I had two treatment choices - pharmaceuticals or riding a bike. The snow bike wasn't an option because the snow on the trails wasn't packed yet. And, I didn't want to ride on the road with the possibility of a car sliding into me. So, I chose the indoor bike trainer, settled into a good spin, and read a book by a mountain lion researcher. Biking has magical healing power for my spine, and I finished my ride with my neck and head feeling almost normal.
Even though this snowstorm is definitely hampering my bike riding, it has magically transformed our world.