Hontz Resort
Shickshinny PA
2021

our Hannah Banana aka Bean ~ living her best life

a beautiful Hanoverian Percheron cross

The Hanoverian or Hannoveraner is a German breed or stud-book of warmblood sport horse. As with other German warmblood breeds, eligibility for registration depends on performance rather than ancestry.

Hanoverians are elegant, strong, and robust. They are bred to be willing and trainable, and have a strong back, powerful body, athletic movement, and strong limbs. Chestnut, bay, black, and gray are found the most often.

The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Huisne river valley in western France, part of the former Perche province, from which the breed takes its name. Usually gray or black in color, Percherons are well-muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work.

When winter arrives, the snowman is a symbol that expresses the season's spirit and brings joy in festivity. Just like the flower blossoms for spring or pumpkin carvings in autumn, the snowman is a very well-known seasonal figure that makes the winter season filled with lightheartedness.

Where did the idea of making snowmen come from, and who did it first?

Unfortunately, history is not rich in documents about the building of snowmen. However, Bob Eckstein, author of The History of the Snowman, has looked for artistic impressions of snowmen, and managed to trace the practice back to medieval times. The earliest evidence he could find was a rather shaky illustration of a snowman in a Book of Hours, dated 1380, from the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, in The Hague.

Today people use many different styles to build their snowmen. In Europe and North America snowmen are usually formed from three snowballs, while people in east Asia tend to favour two spheres. The world's largest snowman to date was in fact a snow-lady, built in Bethel, Maine, in the US, in 2008. Olympia Snowe, as she was known, stood just over 37 metres tall.

Whatever the shape and size of your snowman, the best kind of snow for it is moist snow, when it is close to melting point and fairly compact.

Unlike powdery snow, moist snow is sticky and rolls easily into large balls. Waiting for a sunny afternoon, a day or two after the snow has first fallen, gives you a good chance of finding the perfect snow. There is even a world day of snowman, celebrated on 18 January every year.


A carrot is typically used as a snowman's nose because it's readily available during winter, has a naturally pointed shape that resembles a nose, and is easily inserted into a snow sculpture, making it a convenient and visually fitting choice for creating a recognizable facial feature on a snowman; essentially, it's a practical and playful way to give the snowman a distinct face.

Why a carrot for a nose? It turns out, that is a global tradition and there are several theories why we use the vegetable. Snowmen were first built as fierce and cold characters, so a pointy nose made them appear harsh, like a witch with a pointed nose.

Sticks can be used for arms, and a face is traditionally made with stones or coal for eyes and a carrot for a nose. Some like to dress their snowmen in clothing such as a scarf or hat, while others prefer not to risk leaving supplies outdoors where they could easily be stolen or become stuck under melting ice.