Good Fences

Snow fences are a common feature of the landscape here, and around the beginning of December they start popping up everywhere, along the edges of roads and fields, around farm buildings, in parks and even a city yard or two. While these fences are not masterpieces of construction, they are fairly sturdy devices which serve a good purpose - they encourage snow to drift downwind and prevent it from piling up in all sorts of inconvenient places.

The best snow fences of all are living snow fences which are composed of trees, shrubs and (occasionally) corn stalks, and such fences are slowly becoming popular here, but there is still a long way to go. Most of the snow fences now in use are plastic or like this one, rustic constructions of wood and wire.

This is another one of those pattern "things". Cassie and I were out for a walk and found ourselves stopping suddenly, entranced by the pattern created in this chance meeting of fence, snow, sunshine and shadow.