Awakening

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Yesterday morning, I considered blissfully the snow that had fallen for 24 hours and would continue for 12 hours more. When snowing began on the east side of town where I live, its drops resembled “heavy rain”, snowlike but not sticking. On the opposite side of town near the Cascade Mountains snow accumulated and by mid-afternoon folks saw lots of white stuff. On my “desert side” of town, in late afternoon the heavy-looking rain finally became real snow and fell all night. Early in the morning when I awakened and began writing, the pretty world through windows looked inviting.

Friends in farther north communities described how their places were snowed-in, and snow two- or three-feet deep forced them to find ways to escape their houses and shovel away before they could force open a door. Well, they were miles up the road and way north, maybe not a highly unusual situation.

Well, I found on sauntering outside snow very deep, nearly reaching my knees, difficult to wade through, and still falling heavily. I re-entered the house, pulled on tallest boots (reaching my knees) and strapped on cleats. I began walking downhill to the barn, carrying boom-sticks as walking aids. Wading through deep accumulations brings a sense of losing balance.

Mostly that day, I snow-fought as heavy snowing continued so that flattening the existing two feet seemed endless. I figured that if two feet more fell, this effort beat waiting and then having to work through four feet. These long winter months, with little physical exercise, I now was moving a heavy snowblower through deep snow, up and down a long driveway. That was the beginning, for I also needed a walkable uphill-downhill path from house-to-barn.

Snowing continued until late afternoon when for a moment the sun even came out. Finally, I could walk through snow, only ankle-deep, to feed the large animals. On returning to the house and thankful my labors were done, I found myself locked out! The shed with a spare key has a combination lock, it was frozen shut. A neighbor with a key to my house was home! My boomsticks helped me down the now-easier driveway, balanced me while wading the roadway’s deep snow before reaching my neighbor’s cleared driveway, and finally, supported my trip home with a key to my warm house.

In reality, I didn’t consider beauty, peacefulness, privacy, or reading and listening to music while sitting beside a window. The realities were my horses–hungry, frosty, covered in icicles, and my cat–now grounded!–who captured an unlucky bird. And so much hard work! At day’s end little of me remained except going to bed. Falling asleep, I wondered what on earth ever made me decide to leave Southern California.

According to the local newspaper, yesterday’s snowfall set an area record. It predicts that that tomorrow will bring new snow, it’ll fall another two days.

Dear Readers, Stay warm & cozy, March will be a cold story, too. Diana