Snowbeing in the Wild – Photo: L. Weikel

Lonely Sentinel

Our walks of late have been upended and disturbed by a confluence of interrupters – from weather events to political storms, our routine was thrown into disarray. When we finally managed to coordinate ourselves and the elements, we were surprised to meet this lonely sentinel silently keeping watch over field and forest.

As can be seen, this was no well-orchestrated, grandly planned snowman, replete with stovetop hat, corncob pipe, and two eyes made out of coal. (Earworm!) No. This was a haphazard creation, clearly spontaneously inspired and hastily assembled.

But a presence nonetheless.

Works of Art

Some people go to great pains to create magnificent snow sculptures. You can always tell the ones who eschew the classics and go for the Pixar version of snow creations. They create true works of art.

They’re labors of love – love of the craft. Love of grand gestures and attention to detail. Love of whimsy and imagination. If you’re lucky enough to walk or drive by a yard that offers such a creation, it’s a rare treat. Most of us only see photos of the more epic creations, helping them ‘go viral’ by sharing them on social media.

The ‘traditionals’ are fun too, though. Especially when they sport clothing raided from the hall closet or features pilfered from the ‘fridge. It’s more common now than when I was growing up to see entire snow families created by their fleshy counterparts.

In the Midst of Nowhere

And so it was a rare treat to come upon this back-to-basics minimalist snowperson. Not only was this being obviously created spontaneously, a veritable ‘found object’ snow-sentinel, but it felt like a part of the wild. Field and forest can go about their business because it’s on its watch.

Most of the time Karl and I go out of our way to pick up any errant signs of humanity we may find along the roadside as we walk. We always carry a bag in which to stow the disappointing remnants unconscious humans leave in their wake.

But this creation, this lonely sentinel, while admittedly offering a taste of domestication within a half-feral environment (the fields are fenced and occasionally plowed, after all), felt like a sweet spot of overlap between ‘us’ and ‘them.’

Snowperson-in-the-Wild (closeup) – Photo: L. Weikel

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