Blizzard

 

            We found ourselves trapped in a blizzard in the days leading up to Christmas. Genne’, who is here with her son, Ben, says it’s like being in a snow globe. Fortunately, no one is shaking it – at least, not yet. Genne’ is from Florida and Ben from Georgia, so all the snow was very appealing to them. Kim and I felt the appeal, too, though we will be dealing with snow for a long winter.

 

            We’ve been outside a couple of times. Not to drive, of course – that’s out of the question for a few days – but to shovel the path from the house to the garage, in case we are able to drive somewhere. Each time I shoveled it was about 6 inches deep, and I’ve learned that it’s better to do light loads several times rather than doing the heavy lifting. Our guy has plowed the road once so far (it was Friday afternoon when I wrote this), with one or two more in the next few days. I’m going to ask him to swing into our driveway next time, as that kind of work, with over a foot of snow so far – is a bit much for my 80-year-old heart.

 

            Meanwhile, we are enjoying the swirling snow, especially as it blows off the trees. We notice the wind patterns on the surface of the as yet unfrozen lake. This morning I caught a glimpse of our fox going by the house, and we’ve seen his tracks, sometimes following a rabbit. Snow is piling up on window sills, increasing the cozy factor, and Kim served us a little wine with the lunch she prepared for the four of us.

 

            Kim had her arthroscopic knee surgery on the Solstice. It was successful, though a bit more complicated that we anticipated. She is now walking, icing, resting, and elevating, and she has resumed taking care of me, though Genne’ cooked an excellent dinner, and Ben will be doing Saturday night. Christmas day will be a team effort. I am especially grateful to Genne’ for her generosity and medical expertise in taking care of her mother. The blizzard has sealed us in together, and that has warmed my appreciation.

 

            Also adding to the coziness factor was the loss of power on Christmas Eve. It was around dinner time, but Ben’s cooking was underway, and he finished by flashlight. We enjoyed a candle-light dinner and a nice fire in the fireplace. Power came on in time for us to wash the dishes.

 

            The blizzard was not all cozy. Genne’ and I decided, for some reason, that it was a good idea to go out in the car, even though our little dirt road had not been plowed recently and the sheriff told us to stay off the roads. We did well for about 50 yards, and then we found ourselves lying down to shovel snow out from in front of the tires and under the body of the stranded car. Finally, with Genne’ pushing and me driving, we worked the car free and were on our way to the store, which was, of course, closed. Genne’ said the whole adventure was “fun.” She and Ben also took several long walks in the snow and wind, over to the shore of Lake Michigan several miles away – also, I suppose, fun. My contribution to the fun was to make sure that fresh coffee was ready for their return. 

 

            The snow and wind continued for several days. Part of our “snow-globe” experience was the exclusion of the world outside of our bubble. Yes, wars and politics were still taking place, along with some lingering family issues, inflation and the destruction this storm was creating around the country, but we were transfixed by the blowing snow outside our windows. I was reminded of Samuel Johnson’s definition of wonder as “the effect of novelty on ignorance.”  We experienced wonder, and were happy to be ignorant.