Oh, my gosh! Getting the dreamy “white Christmas” was certainly a double edged sword. I guess the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for,” just may have proven its meaning.
My memories of 22” snowfalls do exist but remain, for the most part, in my childhood. I have found myself thinking about those folks who move to warmer climes for the winter months and have a greater appreciation for the benefits.
They say confession is good for the soul, so here goes. Good country girl that I am, I was not well prepared snowfall on Dec. 18 and 19. There was no firewood on the back stoop and no surplus of diesel fuel for the tractor. In addition, the rotary mower was still attached to the tractor.
I guess I thought I still had time to finish trimming the fields before switching the mower with the scraper blade.
A run down the driveway with the trusty tractor while the snow falls, is usually all that is necessary to keep open the lifeline to the outside world. However, despite efforts to warm the engine, the tractor would not start.
No problem, or so I thought, the all-wheel drive Subaru was certainly up to the job. About ¾ of the way down the lane, we hit a drift and seeming a bit stressed, the little car seemed to say, “Unless you want to walk home, you better turn me around now and head back to the house.” The message came through loud and clear, and I responded accordingly.
Fearing a loss of electrical power, the next task was undertaken immediately; transportation of firewood from the woodshed to the back porch was critical. The snow was getting deeper and the level of precipitation had the distinct appearance of a blizzard.
The drifts were knee deep, and I wondered why I ever thought this was fun!
After several laborious trips to and from and satisfied that there was plentiful fuel to keep the primary fireplace burning for hours, I retreated to the warmth of the house. I knew the road would have to be tackled again, but later.
I ventured out one more time on Saturday to see if the tractor would start, but again, no success.
Sunday morning I arose determined to resolve my predicament. Normally being confined by a half mile road of four foot drifts would have been a welcome relief, but I had tickets to a Christmas concert at the Kennedy Center on Monday. It would require a lot more than this challenge to cause me to cancel.
The tractor started this time and with the aid of the front end loader, the road was opened. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I hopped in the Subaru to test my work, but 30 minutes later I was in a snow bank and had to hoof it home.
Early Monday morning brought the generosity of my next door neighbor and his tractor.
The concert was great.
Until next time, be well.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
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