Winter is going full force in New England. The snow is piling up. Yesterday we had about 8″ and overnight there was another 6″ or so. That was fine. It was the freezing rain that really made the conditions bad. That’s what we had all day to day.

When I went to the barn to feed this evening, the horses were covered in icicles. Freedom’s blanket was so stiff with ice that he crinkled when he walked and they all had icicles dangling from their manes.

It was the layer of ice on top of the snow that got me into trouble. I was walking to the second barn using my normal route (it was problem free last night). however, the combination of drifting snow and snow pushed by the plow had made the snow deeper than I realized. I took  a step, broke through the icy crust and fell forward, putting out my gloveless hands as I went down (I know, stupid me for taking my gloves off!).

I found myself on my knees with my arms fully encased in snow. The problem was, I had no way to move as there was still several feet of snow underneath me. I was suspended in the snow, in a snowbank, out of site and it was 21 degrees out. At first I thought it was funny. When I figured out that I was stuck, it rapidly became less funny. I was due to pick up my daughter in 15 minutes. I calculated how long it would be before they realized I was missing. Too long. Same for how long it would take before anyone drove by my snowbank.

Moving very carefully I was eventually able to get my legs underneath my body and managed to stand. It probably only took 5 minutes but it felt like an eternity. I sunk almost to the top of my thighs. I had snow up my sleeves and down my boots. I was beyond cold. I still had two horses to feed. I sure hope they appreciated my efforts!