Ah the winter storms. This year we are
hit with a triple whammy – ice over Christmas break that left thousands without
the soothing light of the season (not to mention unable to flush toilets or
make a pot of coffee). We got a short seemingly 10-minute break, enough time to
hear the panic on the news and head to the stores to stock up before the snow came, 20” in our strip of mid-Michigan.
Then the surge from up north, quaintly
called a Polar Vortex with arm loads
of sub-zero temperatures carried on 30-mile-an-hour winds. Yes, this is quite a
winter.
We have had our share of testy winters
especially back in the Crunchy Granola days. I remember one of the first in our
naivety, much like today’s blizzard, except then as newbies to the country life
we did not know about preparing for such events. We did not “put up” buckets of
water, or make sure we had batteries for the flashlights, or even baby aspirin
for a sick child. In a desperate moment staring at our long sloping driveway, Joel
strapped on his cross country skis and headed for the two mile trek to town. What
he found that time was the Sheriff breaking into the small grocery store for
other families who were also caught unprepared.
That
was also the winter our good farm neighbors gave us milk from the cows and eggs
from their chickens. We got the message.
In future winter storms, we took
advantage of the skills that helped us to survive. Still, an especially
difficult winter like this one gave us memories that we’d rather not have. A
vision of our children still haunts me. They stood with worried faces at the
big glass window staring out at us as Joel and I trudged through deep snow with
our ecstatic dog to cut more wood.
I remember canyons of snow roads and
weeks of school closings. The worst however, came later in those years, those
were the ice storms, Nature’s fantasy dreams that danced with the wind to
terrorize little country folk with massive tree branches crashing on the roof
and porches. One ice storm so badly bashed at our little house that we had to
get whatever saws were in the house to cut our way out. And of course there was
no power. We had not mastered the homesteaders “off-the-grid” goal, submitting
ourselves to the mercy of community electric services.
The 2013/2014 unusual series of winter
storms has served as a reminder of our dependence on each other, though I must
admit seriously asking Joel if we are witnessing a new ice age.
Thanks
for stopping by. I look forward to lots of visits with you in 2014. For a
humorous and sometimes thoughtful read, checkout A Homestead Decade, HowCrunchy Granola Changed My Life, Amazon Kindle, cheap $2.99.
Wishing
you a bountiful new year,
Love,
Helene
