October Snow

I woke up to snow blowing around Sunday morning. It didn't sick on the ground at my place, but accumulated in other places nearby. Cars coming from 20 miles north were covered in inches of snow. We were just below the snow line. 100 – 200 feet higher elevation got lots of ground cover. It will warm up enough in a few days to melt most of it.

Back when I was kid, might have been the winter of 68/69, snow started falling in October. It never melted and kept piling up all winter. My dad and my uncle were at their hunting camp when the snow started coming down. They had to shovel 3 foot deep snow for a ¼ mile to get to the main logging road. That had not been plowed either, but some logging trucks had broken trail the 9 miles into town. It was a tough trip in a Plymouth sedan.

Life in the North Country can get interesting. I'm sure my kids remember Halloween costumes that had to fit over snowsuits.

My lovely wife and I have been snowbirds for quite a few years now. Nothing like October snow to remind us why. Some years we'd hit the road before now. Not this year. We are sticking it out. Usually we'd be gone by early January at the latest. I'm starting to question our resolve for staying here through the winter.

I don't feel like doing much outside when the wind is howling and there's a mix of snow and rain. Nothing you do outside in those conditions is going to be fun. I'd much rather get colder temperatures and light fluffy snow. Not too cold, but cold enough to keep everything from turning into mush.

On the bright side, I'm feeling pretty healthy yet. With my damaged lungs I'd often start a hacking cough in early October and it would last until May. That's on of the main reasons we'd head south. Warm moist Florida sea air would soon quiet the cough. Over the years my damaged lungs have improved somewhat. It's a slow process.

Well, this little taste of snow is a wake up call. This week I'll be shopping for new snow tires for the car, getting the old tank filled, and piling up more firewood. So it goes.

-Sixbears