“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” — Dorothea Lange

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week, it helps keep me inspired.

Sunday, 01/07/2024: Posted photo — Snow.

The first snow of the year happened overnight and throughout the day. When I went out to shovel in the morning, there was 10 inches of snow on the ground. When I went out later in the day, there was an additional 6.5 inches of snow on the ground. Although the photo shows what looks like heavy snow on the trees, the snow was light when I shoveled. It took me a few hours in the morning and not as long in the afternoon to clear the snow in our yard.

Monday, 01/08/2024: Posted photo — Snowshoe Hike.

What do you do when you have over a foot and a half of snow? Snowshoe on the mountain! My usual Monday night group did not schedule a hike for this week. The group I sometimes hike with on Tuesday nights, switched their night to Monday night to take advantage of the newly fallen snow.

We hiked over three miles on the mountain at a slow pace. There were a couple of trails that had to be broken in since no one else used them. I also had to fill in some “post holes” from people that hiked in the deep snow without using snowshoes. “Post-holing” is a term in winter hiking that refers to someone sinking their entire leg into new snow. It makes for exhaustive and agonizingly slow walking. It also can make the trail dangerous for anyone following you. It is why people wear snowshoes.

Tuesday, 01/09/2024: Posted photo — Snowshoes.

This was a great week to snowshoe. I went out today before the rain. We are expected to get heavy rains this evening. Tonight’s storm started out with light snow, then the heavy snow, then rain.

I was out shopping tonight, and the roads were not cleared. Driving was a little dangerous during the heavy snow.

Wednesday, 01/10/2024: Posted photo — Selfie.

The first week of my 52-week photo project is a self-portrait. This is a selfie I took the hiking trail this week. I needed a photo for today, so I am using this photo I took on Monday.

Thursday, 01/11/2024: Posted photo — Tracks in the Snow.

Here are some tracks in the snow. The tracks were made by either a squirrel or the rabbit that lives on our property. The animal traveled under the eves of my roof to stay out of the snow. Could someone help me identify the tracks please?

Friday, 01/12/2024: Post photo — Banana.

Information off the Chiquita banana website: Bananas are hailed as the best superfood because they have a good level of fiber and heart healthy fats. The fiber is also a special kind of fiber – soluble fiber – that drives down bad cholesterol and reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Bananas can aid digestion and help beat gastrointestinal issues (thanks to a helpful amount of soluble fiber) and their natural sugars that provide a long-lasting boost of energy.

I started eating bananas more to reduce my bad cholesterol and to help me with my weight loss.

Saturday, 01/13/2024: Post photo — Fire.

On a cold day like today, a nice warm fire in the wood stove feels great. The temperature in this area is dropping to below freezing so we like to keep a fire going in our wood stove. The room that the stove is in has brick wall and concrete floors under the rugs. When the fire gets going, we need to open up the doors and windows to cool down the house. The brick and the concrete hold the heat very well. The problem is when we start to feel chilly, the fire most likely has gone out.

That is all for now. Until next week, be safe.