Beginners. Snow keeps us busy. It needs to be moved and removed. If it is not moved, life becomes difficult. Cars, trucks and buses have difficulty driving along the streets and up the hills if there is too much snow. Around our house the snow builds up higher and higher. A few nights ago it snowed all night. It was silent, beautiful, and non-stop. When we woke up in the morning, we were quite surprised at the height of the white stuff. We felt surrounded. After my children went to school, I got out the snow blower to clear the driveway. Usually my husband does that. But, it really needed to be done. I carefully read the instructions and started up the motor. It was noisy, but fast and effective. The whole thing took me about one hour. When I had almost finished, I saw something infront of me. It was a deer. It was very close and looked quite calm. It was a female. It walked past and looked at me. Then it went on its way. What a beautiful surprise on a snowy day. Grammar notes. Regular verbs: to remove, to build (up), to snow, to clear, to finish, to look. Irregular verbs: to have, to become, to wake up, to feel, to do, to take, to go. Useful vocabulary: busy, difficult, up hill, higher, a few, snow blower, driveway, fast and effective. Advanced. Because the snowy Winter lasts for about four months here, animals who normally live in the surrounding mountains come down into town to find food. Food is scarce up in the hills for animals like the deer. It is plentiful for them, however, in the town. Hedges, bushes and other plants provide all the meals they need for the Winter, plus they have sheltered, wind-free gardens to bed down in. Us gardeners are generally not too happy about our prized plants being gobbled by these night time eaters, but, that's just how it is. Generations of deer have come and gone through this town. They are so plentiful that they actually become a nuissance. As we drive through the snowy neighborhoods, we have to keep a careful watch for deer families crossing the roads. Often, a little one will be found bounding along a side walk or hesitating right in the middle of the road. The other day, while I was snow blowing our driveway, a doe calmly walked right past me. She completely took me by surprise. She looked as comfortable in the neighborhood as I feel. Off she went, without even checking over her shoulder to see if I was following or could cause a threat. She knew better. I was the one caught off guard. Another magical occurance that comes with the season. Grammar notes. Useful vocabulary: snowy, normally, surrounding, scarce, plentiful, sheltered, a nuissance, a doe, a buck. Verb expressions: to bed down (reg), to be scarce (irreg), to gobble (reg), to keep watch (reg), to bound along (reg), to take by surprise (irreg), to know better (irreg).

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