powder

All photos Assiniboine Forest, Winnipeg, MB. February 12, 2010.

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Fresh snow today. Though we didn't opt for any of the deerpaths, we followed a two sets of deer footprints for much of our walk. They crisscrossed the path, dragged their heels, stamped their feet down nearly but not quite in the same spot.

I took a few minutes to try to imagine having four legs. Tried to imagine living outside all winter. All year. Remembered the terrible story about the deer mistakenly entering the senior's complex across the street, how it panicked and skittered down the ticking hallways until it was cornered and shot.

My camera stayed in my bag for much of the walk. We've had enough snow over the past month to cover the base of most trees and low-lying logs, but I didn't much mind.

The snow was fresh. And it was warm and settled under the trees.

Towards the end, I came across a couple of interesting trees and stopped. And I liked knowing that M was a few feet away, waiting, watching me take pictures or finding something of his own to shoot.

Mostly, I liked breaking my own snow.

Or, more appropriately, sharing the task with a coupla deer, reared as much on bedding plants as reclaimed swatches of tallgrass prairie.