January 31, 2013
Snow horses are a mainstay of winter, but only visit when the snow sticks properly. Tasha called it sugar snow, as it often falls around the time sap runs in the sugar maples. It sticks to all the branches of the trees and collects in great heights upon tops of fence posts and birdfeeders.
If the kind of snow good for making snow horses had fallen earlier in the day, afternoon tea visitors would hear Tasha’s memories of her childhood and her children’s childhood, of the great and beautiful winters, and the distinct privilege sugar snow brought to outdoor activities. Every now and then the proper snow comes along, and the delight children experience from what can be created by such snow is no less profound today than it was in the past.
From the back of Tasha's 1986 book Seasons of Delight.
Even the dogs seem to dwell on the excitement of sugar snow. It is nearly April now and there is still two to three feet of snow on the ground, but it is good for the gardens. Warmer weather is close by, and soon the snow horses will be gone.
Ellie Tudor enjoying her snow horse, Bowie.