A Drift of Snowbies

Snowby gazing lying on his back, gazing up at the stars.

Snowby lists to starboard.

Snowby with no head.

When I started writing this, I wondered if there happened to be a measure word for groups of snowmen like “a murder of crows” or “a tuxedo of penguins”.   Most of these interesting words are terms of venery – or words used by hunters.  Since no one hunts snowmen, there isn’t a ready made word for gatherings of them.  Drift actually refers to groups of pigs, but I thought it was particularly appropriate for snowmen.

This drift occurred Saturday.  After I walked the boys for the last time, I sneaked outside and had fun building the biggest snowballs I could manage.  I had two snowbies (snowbys?) facing the road and another lying on its back gazing at the stars.  By morning when I could get pictures of them, one was listing seriously to starboard, and the other had lost its head completely.  (It is a shame because under its head is a lovely hydrangea hat that I had given it.)

I found out later that the neighbors had fun speculating about the supine snowby that appeared overnight.  Did he fall over, or was he just lazy?

That yellow snow? Don't ask.

That yellow snow?  Don’t ask.

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Snowby II

 

Snowman shaped like a terrier.

Whee!  We got lucky and had more packing snow this week.  I couldn’t resist, and I built another Snowby (Snow + Toby).  Note the cinnamon swirl tummy and the heart on his chest.  It was actually a leaf that had been caught up in the snow – but how convenient!

When I was a kid, I didn’t get to build snowmen.  Now that I am old, I take great joy in them.  My boys like sharing in the activity but in more of a destructive role.  I have to keep Toby far, far away from my creations because he will tear up snow balls as fast as I can roll them.

Bitey sitting next to "surrendering" snowman.

“Aack!”

Puppy Geordie used to wait until I had the snowman assembled before he would destroy it.  I had to build snowmen with their arms in surrender posture so they were high enough that Geordie couldn’t reach them.

Toby attacks his snowmen by peeing on them.  I am pretty sure this Snowby is disgusted with us and is going to leave for the North Pole this weekend.

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The Snowby

 

Cairn terrier pup standing in snow.

This is The Usurper.  He has outgrown his green sweater, but he has a green flower attached to his collar so you can still recognize him.  It turns out this little puppy enjoys snow more than most anything in life….except maybe tennis balls.

A Snow Toby that looks more like Winnie the Poo than intended.

Toby and I played for hours out in the snow.  I tried to build a Snow Toby, but it came out looking more like Winnie the Poo or Mickey Mouse.  (My audience is divided on that one.)  It was a nearly impossible task because Toby tore up each snow ball as fast as I could roll it.

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