Winter

My first winter on the prairie, after I was married, was one that I will not forget anytime soon. (Actually, I have pictures and video to remind me.) The winter of 1996/1997, left us with a lot of snow. I remember being without power for 3 days and the blizzard blowing around outside left us housebound. Talk about going stir crazy.

One thing I learned during that time was that I had no trouble entertaining myself...playing the piano, reading, doing counted cross stitch, and playing games...I even survived the 3 days of solitude. Well, it wasn't actually solitude...my husband was stuck in the house too. I also learned something about him...he doesn't have anything to entertain himself...no interest in books, at all. If he can't work in the shop, he goes stir crazy. And a person can only sleep so much in 3 days.

At that time, we didn't have a generator to use. We had a back up fuel heater that wasn't fun to clean up afterwards. Once the kids came along, we decided to invest in a generator. At least we can have lights and some warmth. Cooking ends up being sandwiches at time, but we have fun.

There always seems to be snow. Lots of snow. That first winter left us with so much snow that I haven't seen that much since then. We could take the snowmobile and drive it up a snowbank. When we got to the top and got off, the tree tops were chest high. No lie. I probably should find the old pictures. Some of our little feed buildings were under snow too. It was unbelieveable.

So, yesterday, we once again had a snow storm. It snowed all morning and we lost power during the afternoon. Now we have a generator so it makes life a little easier. The temp was around 33 degrees too so it was "warm" by our standards. After cleaning the house all morning, the kids and I decided to go have some fun. We made a snow woman and then we went sledding down the back hill. The snow was the right consistency for snowballs too. We came in very wet and tired. Since we had no power, everything had to be hung up in the basement.

We have power again but we are still staying at home. The wind has come up, blowing snow across the road and the visibility is getting less. It really is no fun driving on ice when you can't see the ditch.

It's fun to be out and about with other people, but it's also nice to just stay home with family. Winter is a time to rest. When we have our blizzards, I feel like God is telling me to slow down and reconnect with family. I can take that time for crafts, playing games, playing the piano, reading and resting. God really does know my needs before I do.