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The big kids finally got their first snow days of the year Tuesday and Wednesday. Every big storm previously hit on the weekend or late enough in the day to have the roads clear by morning. So they caught up on homework, Will also prepared for Scout University this weekend, and Maggie, Timmy, and I got lost in the woods. We could have followed our tracks back, but we kept plowing through on snowshoes and skis before ending up in a hay field at the far end of our road. Our reward was seeing the carcass of a calf that had been eaten by some predator, possibly the bald eagles I saw a few weeks back near that same spot. Yes, it was pretty gross, but Charlie was disappointed that he had declined to go with us when he heard Timmy tell all about it.
Yesterday afternoon Tim got home from work and climbed on the tractor to make some paths to the compost bin and down the hill for a really wide sled run. (Yes, those dark dots are two children climbing back up the hill)
This morning after the boys finished their schoolwork we all hit the slope for hopefully, the last day or two of sledding for the winter. After all, it is officially spring, even in Maine.
This week off from all school has been a real break for all of us, no getting kids out of bed at 6am, no homework, no piano lessons, no Scouts, no basketball, and no homeschool for the little boys. All the children did practice the piano, Will and Charlie served two funerals, and I sewed a great deal. I taught a free-motion machine quilting tutorial at quilt group on Monday night and checked out chicken coops here on Wednesday. I finished the quilt for the school's annual auction and worked on the group's calendar quilt for the town library.
We had enough
snow to sled, but now it is nothing but huge sheets of ice. I have
slipped and fallen on my back 3 times this week, including once while taking the vegetable scraps out to the compost pile, it must have been a sight to see eggshells and grapefruit rinds flying through the air. Skiing is out of the
question, I attempted it on Thursday, only to find myself careening out
of control across the hay fields toward the woods.
Mostly we have been doing a lot of reading, a lot of hanging out, and recharging our batteries for the last few weeks of winter. I can see the temptation of a tropical vacation, away from ice and snow, but then I would have missed seeing the bald eagle perched in a tree while running yesterday.
It has been a week since digging out from a blizzard and we woke up this morning to another snowstorm with lots more expected today. I am tempted to get out Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter to read aloud so the children can get some perspective.
Last Saturday, our power went out at 6am and the generator kicked on, only to stop working 20 minutes later. Apparently one part was bad and the whole housing was filled with blowing snow and ice, rendering it unable to start or operate. After watching the thermostats register progressively colder temps inside as the day wore on, since the wood boiler requires electricity to circulate the hot water to the radiators, we made reservations at a hotel, but with no way of getting there. Luckily the power was restored by mid afternoon. The winds were whipping the snow sideways and straight up so there were bare patches of ground right next to 5 foot drifts.
Sunday we went out and attempted to XC ski, but it is almost impossible in 3 feet of snow.
Tim made us a sled run through the hay fields with the tractor, leaving a large snowpile at the bottom. Maggie and I managed to catch air after a few attempts because we built up such speed. The boys also built elaborate snow caves and tunnels through the drifts.
We tried to get Tim to sled, but he wimped out, afraid of getting hurt or losing his glasses. I can't blame him, as I went over the hill yesterday morning I flipped completely upside down and landed smack on my back. I'll soon get some of the children out of bed so we can see how another few inches of snow softens the landing.
I moved to Maine for the natural beauty, the cheap land, and reliable snow, so after a bitterly cold 4 weeks without even a single flake falling, I'm just glad to see some snow covering the brown fields. The big kids didn't even get out of school early today, but Tim volunteered to fetch them so I could do what needed to be done to prepare for the forecasted 12-24 inches of white stuff tonight and tomorrow. So, here is my list:
Cancelled: the priest coming to dinner tonight, piano lesson for Charlie today, and Mary's birthday Mom and daughter day out.
Stocked: another 3 gallons of milk to bring our total in the fridge to 7 gallons, 1 huge pot of soup, pumpkin bread, chocolate glop, a couple of day's worth of firewood stacked in the furnace room.
Cleaned: the play room and school rooms, and swept the driveway area of the 2" of very light and dry snow that has fallen today.
Now everyone is here and we are able to sit in the warm comfort of our house and eat our simple dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup and watch the snow fall outside the windows.
Tim just left to go pick up Will from Camp Roosevelt, where the Boy Scouts worked on their Camping merit badge. Will and another boy planned to sleep outside to satisfy some sadistic requirement, why he couldn't have done this when we lived in a more hospitable climate I don't know, but I think the low was predicted at -2F. We have been through a cold snap with highs around 0F and lows some nights down to -15F. It took me a while to figure out that I should tuck in my shirt when running, the wind just snuck fright up underneath my jacket and shirt. My poor tummy was red with cold even after taking a hot shower. I found out that skin turns sort of rubbery when exposed to such bitter cold, my mittens had to stay on even if I was sweating, to protect my hands from frostbite.
I was so concerned that I bought the kitties a heating pad for their bed in the barn loft, finding them the next morning both curled in it, practically on top of one another in their quest to stay warm. Unfortunately, we haven't had any more snow and there isn't enough left from 2 weeks ago to ski or sled. So we have all the uncomfortable aspects of winter, but none of the perks. However, we are managing by spending lots of time quilting, knitting (Maggie's new hobby), and playing games. Before we know it the air will warm up, the grass will start growing, and the garden will be ready to plant peas. But for now we are huddled together for warmth and staying close by the fire.
I don't know if it is because we now live in a very cold climate or because the big kids now spend the majority of each day in overheated rooms with many other children, but my kids have been sick more this winter than any other. Just like a brand-new teacher has 10 times as many colds that first year teaching and develops immunity over time, my brood has been immersed in a germ-filled world for the first time and it seems that every week one of them is sick. Mary now has the flu, despite receiving the vaccine, and will stay home today.
In homeschooling the child just picks up where he left off and is usually able to do some small amount of work, even if it is just listening to Mommy read a biography aloud, but in away school, a sick day means making up missed work, which is sometimes a daunting task, especially when recovering from illness. With one of my feet in away school and the other in homeschooling, I don't know if I get to experience the best of both worlds or the worst.
Everyone know the fable of the industrious ant and the feckless grasshopper. When cold snows come, the ant is snug and well stocked, while the grasshopper begs for assistance. Now that the leaves are beginning to turn color and the roof shingles show a touch of frost in the morning, our larder is well stocked.
Starting in early summer and continuing through this week, I started blanching and freezing peas, beans, carrots, cauliflower, blueberries, tomatoes, and peppers. I dug up all the onions and potatoes and stored them in boxes down in the basement. Through the local homeschool group, I ordered 150 pounds of wheat flour to bake bread and cookies all winter, but now I must figure out how to to store it so it doesn't get eaten by rodents, bugs, or weevils.
For dinner last night I made a green bean and sausage soup in which 4 major ingredients: carrots, potatoes, beans, and onions all were grown in our garden. I don't know if it was healthier than soup made from store-bought items, but it sure did taste better to me.
