creativeartworksblog

SnowDayProject-Etsy

I have always loved the LOOK of snow. I love seeing big, fat, flakes coming down like being in your own, personal snow globe. I enjoy being out in the yard for a few minutes, enjoying the spectacle of the snow, the way a blanket of it changes the look of everything, muffling sound. As much as I like to be in it, I love coming inside FROM it.

Arkansas does not do winter well. We have ICE. Thin ice. Thick ice. Black ice. Slick ice. TOO MUCH ICE. Usually we have ice and THEN the snow, making it almost impossible to drive safely. And even if YOU are able to move around safely, you get creamed by someone ELSE who CAN’T…

Our driveway is 650+ feet of ‘steep.’ When it’s icy, it’s very possible you can end up across the road, over the barbed wire fence, and in the pasture beyond. The ice brings down the trees on either side of our driveway, bending them over into the driveway, many times breaking them off. One winter in 2001, we were stuck up on the top of our ridge line for 14 days. No public power. No public water (thank goodness for our well). And days and days worth of chain-sawing before my husband and I could clear it enough to drive down.

We get ‘serious’ about getting ready for winter around here. We have our snow tires on the truck now (the first time we’ve taken them in to the experts to have them put on, rather than doing it ourselves.) We’ve unhooked and drained the irrigation systems in the yard. We’ve turned on the automatic electric heater in the well house. (Later we’ll light the propane-powered pilot light for more serious heat in there.) We’ve opened a couple of cabinets where our plumbing froze in the house once. (We now have an automatic electric heater in the cabinet in the utility room bathroom.) We’ve brought in wood for our wood-burning fireplace, we’ve lit the pilot light for the propane-powered heating system in the shop. We’ve drained our mower and other gasoline-powered things for the winter. The bed has our electric blanket on it and the heavier comforter. We have heat pads in our recliners and our nice throws to go over us. :0)

Since many times we’re stuck up here when the snow has melted elsewhere, we try to stay stocked up on food, water, and other supplies. We can’t get down the driveway, but no one could come UP, either, so we’re serious about having what we need to last a couple of weeks or so.

Another thing I really do like about winter is snow people. We don’t often get the good kind of snow – or enough – to create snowmen, but I LOVE seeing the creativity of people. We once caused trouble for my parents by creating a man and a woman who were a bit ‘too true to life and over-abundant in parts’ in their front yard. My husband still laughs like a loon over that. :0) Meanwhile, I collect pictures of snow people I think are wonderful, and I’ll share them with you through the season.

Jimmy Conover-Unsplash.com

We’ll enjoy our comfort foods, hot chocolate, snuggle-y sweaters, and a fire in the fireplace from time to time, not because we need the heat, but because we love the ‘feel’ of it. Happy winter!