WINTER WAS A LONG TIME GOING
Winter was a long time going this year. Snow, ice and wind that blew everything sideways all seemed never-ending. For the first time since we had moved into our cabin Stan could not get up the driveway in his big four-wheel drive truck. He got close to the top of the driveway where his wheels began to spin and his upward movement stopped completely.
In 10* weather and even colder wind chill, he trekked back down the hill and had me call George, our 82 year old neighbor to come and help pull him the rest of the way up to the road. George was more than happy to help and it didn’t take long for him to have Stan up on flat ground.
For four days after that Stan had to park up top by our mailbox and make the walk up and down the hill as he went to work and came home again. He had used the plow on the front of our Kawasaki T-Rex to shovel the snow but then we got freezing rain on top and it became a skating rink clear to the top of the road. I hardly left the cabin for several weeks, and when I did it was just with Stan driving and me riding shot-gun. I like snow but I hate to drive in it.
Daily I fed the deer, the squirrels, the birds and made sure they had plenty to carry them through the frozen days of winter. They would be waiting for me as I scurried out, bundled from head to toe, and filled all the feeders.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity the weather turned warmer and the driveway ice melted away to reveal the gravel beneath. We finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt like we had made it through one of our worst winters in the past few years. But then… the rain started.
In a matter of hours we went from being snowed in to being flooded in. The skies opened havoc, the creek rose and the roads soon were under water. Stan had to go the long way around to get to work. He had to cling to higher ground and go up and over the long way adding a considerable amount of time to his commute. It took three days for the creek to crest and then go back within it’s banks.
We have finally been blessed with a week of warmer, drier weather and we were so ready for it. This coming Sunday we set the clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time. Spring officially begins in a matter of days and after that we will usher in summer once again.
I am already planning my planting, laying out my vegetables and herbs in my mind and counting the number of jars, bands and lids I will need to purchase before harvest. We have finally made it safely through the cold, dark days, but believe me when I say…winter was a long time going.
