By Allen Hamrick
Well, it would seem that winter weather is here again mimicking lasts year’s event around this same time. In the latter part of January, the sun didn’t shine for about a week in any direction, and we were buried under a few inches of snow. This time, however, not only did the snow hit but ice and sleet as well with the temperatures dropping into single digits making it nearly impossible to travel. The power went down in some areas as linemen from all over worked around the clock to restore the much needed lights and heat. Road crews got busy and have done a good job clearing roads making it possible to get out and get to work or find the necessities in the already ravaged shelves of grocery stores. Bottled water is worth a gold nugget and popcorn has become a Sunday dinner. Many people relish the thoughts of staying in after preparing themselves to withstand the harsh elements of winter – the food is stored, wood split and piled to dry and the water supply prepared for sub zero temps. Others put it off and are scrambling for food, water and some form of heat, some scratching for wood under a foot of snow. Schools have traded the noise of chattering students for an Alaska mountain kind of quiet. It seems that there are no 50 degree melting temperatures on the docket in the near future as more bad weather is projected. What do we do?
It’s winter, and we really haven’t had a truly harsh winter for quite some time. Let’s not forget this past summer’s drought and how the yellow jackets were in force in biblical proportions. Something had to happen, the earth around us needed a drink and the yellow jackets needed their wings clipped, hence a bitter winter. It’s unhandy, to say the least, but necessary in the broad scheme of things. We are human, after all, and winter being the coldest and darkest season of the year with short days and long nights takes our sanity to the brink of cracking. We grab shovels in an attempt to stand against the snow but it just keeps coming; we cringe as the lights flicker and blankets become extra layers of clothing. The 15 year old heat pump groans under the pressures of the cold and the wood pile you thought would get you through a winter is nearly gone. Old man winter blows his icy breath and freezes the rivers, streams and driveways. Winter will either get to your inner essence with its icy grip or draw out the will to survive and your adventurous nature.
Winter is a time of dormancy, life and death hinged upon the degree of the day. Beauty is abundant yet inside that beauty lays a breakdown of misfortune ready at the gate to take its toll on the unprepared. Back yards become filled with sleds and inner tubes, and screaming people, aged kids to adults, are where winter finds its home. When the brutal snow squalls blister the skin, humankind suddenly allows the white powder to take control and we cheat death on slopes and mountain tops as our will is tossed to the wind. When the brakes are let go, there is no assurance of a slow stop and a good time around the fire place.
Winter 2025 has been a daily struggle against the bitter cold for the most part, whether it’s getting back and forth to the job or just waiting wrapped in a blanket for the next oak to drop on the lines and take away the only heat you have. As rough as it is for us, most will weather the storm and come out on the other side of it. Yet, with all its brutality and unyielding attempts to keep us wondering about tomorrow, it is a time when opportunity knocks. We are always on the move and seldom have the time to take stock of who, what, why, where and when spring, summer and fall return.
The spring thaw will return in 2025, we hope, but until then, batten down the hatches and drag out a good book; winter’s just getting started. We have to slow down and get our bearings for the up and coming year, and winter is the time to do it. Troubles will come, and sometimes they last, but there are always men and women that have our six when the lines hit the ground and the roads get icy. Winter brings out the best of people and the worst, but through it all, winter is here for a reason. Whether you enjoy it or hate it, use it for what it is designed for. After all, it’s only 63 days or 9 weeks, whichever number gives you more hope, until the spring equinox on March 20, 2025.
