Ice

Just as the girls often find things of interest on our runs and walks in the forest, sometimes I, too, am pleasantly surprised by a find. The mornings here have remained cold, below freezing, so the puddles formed by the melting snow freeze overnight, creating elaborate and beautiful patterns surrounded by the tire-churned mud. My preference is snow, but the mud displays the footprints of the forest creatures nearly as well: we see coyote, wolf, deer, elk, even turkey prints.

Sometimes I find things of value. Today is was two dollar bills, encased in an icy puddle after the snow had melted away. I chipped them out and carried them home. Last year, I found a Fossil brand women's watch with a nice silver metal face and band. It was too small for me, so it became a nice gift for a friend's daughter. I silently thank the snowmobilers for these finds. It's one of the very few things I thank them for.

The girls enjoy finding bones and horse poop; I prefer frozen treasures of a more material sort. Finders keepers.