Got up this morning and found a new 4 inches of snow on the ground and it looks so peaceful. All the time we lived in Bakersfield, CA I think it snowed once and that was a very freak storm. It put down about 8 inches in one night and the town almost closed down. Bakersfield is known for the heat not the cold.
I remember, (yep it is going to be one of those blogs), back in 1948 and 1949 the storms were so bad in Teton Valley that we could not drive on country roads for over three months. We had to be careful walking near the power lines because the snow was so deep that they would be hidden and one could get shocked. We would go to school in a horse drawn covered sleigh which had a pot belly stove to keep us warm. When the roads were finally cleared we could stand on the top of the banks and look down on those big old cats, rotary plows and other machinery trying to clear the roads. There are pictures of the train trying to get to our valley and it had a great big rotary plow on the front. Men would have to shovel the snow down into the rotary because it could not reach the top well enough.
I love blizzards. I used to stand and watch the wind blow the snow. It seemed to have a soothing effect on me. Oft times I would go out to the shed where the cattle were and make me a bed out of straw right next to one of the cows and just lay there enjoying her warmth and listening to the wind howl while watching the snow blow. Ah, those were the good old days. We don't get snow like we used to.
As kids we would saddle the horse, put on the skis and let him pull us up and down the road. We would take our skis and hike up the hills so we could slide back down them. Kids today have it too easy. I loved to put on my snowshoes and go up the canyon. It was always so peaceful and quiet.
Later, when snow machines started taking over it didn't matter if the roads were closed or not. Everyone was in town. School would be closed but that didn't mean we had to stay home. Of course there is always a down side to things. After every real good snow there is usually a real good cold snap. Temperatures would plummet to minus 30 degrees and that does not make for enjoyable cow milking. They seem to object to cold hands on a warm udder. Hmmmmmmmm.
Now that I am older and don't have to work in the snow and cold I am enjoying it more. A good bowl of popcorn, a good movie while Cheryl is cooking some goodies, oh yeah that is the life. If there is snow to be shoveled I get Cheryl to do it and I instruct her on the proper procedure from the window. (I wish) Have a nice day everyone.
1 comment:
Takes me back to me childhood in good ole Sask. Some years the snow was plowed so high it was over the tree tops. We would make forts all in the branches and come spring, could not believe we had spent so much time in the tunnels we had made up there!
I loved being in the barn with cows and goats also. Was so fun to squirt milk into the cats open and waiting mouths! You get pretty good aim after a while. What I wouldn't give to be in a cozy barn full of animals.
Wish my kids could experience something close to what I did. But no, hubby says we must stay in the city. *sniff*
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