Those of us who live in the far North deal with the realities of Winter nearly half the year. It's just the way things are. A common joke where I live, when we drive through near-blizzards, is that the weather keeps the riff-raff out. The theory is that no pick pockets would hang around in sub zero weather and the lack of crime during my South Dakota childhood seems to verify this as truth.
I'm sure that there's plenty of crime in North Dakota today but generally it does take a bit of grit to face Winters here. Just today my menfolk were heading for a meeting. As I pondered the weather through my living room window, I thought that for sure the meeting would be called off. However the pair decided to take off and "If it's bad down the road a ways, well turn around and come back," and so it goes. They have not returned so I'm assuming that the meeting is being held with whomever can make it there.
You can try to plan things in the Winter here but of course the weather determines if you will attend or not. This past Friday we stayed home from a funeral in our extended family which was 3 hours away because of the minus 20 degree temperatures.
The coldest that we've had so far this Winter was minus 29 degrees with a wind chill factor of minus 51 degrees. In case you're not familiar with wind chill factors, I'll explain. It's colder when it's windy than when it's not so for people to be aware of the weather's true affects on you, the wind chill factor was created. So, although the temperature was ONLY 29 degrees below zero that morning, it was the same thing as if it was 51 degrees below 0 when the wind velocity was factored in. Now, even North Dakotans think THAT'S cold!!!
So, for people who drive diesels up here, it's a balancing act. Number 1 fuel will keep your diesel from gelling but it costs more. This means that one must ponder, when driving past the fuel station, if it will be warm enough not to gel up the diesel in your tank. One wonders, "Should I pay extra for Number 1 fuel"? One morning not too long ago I wished that Robert had as I was needed out on the road to tow the semi up to the shop to warm up the fuel filters in a bucket of hot water. Sometimes that's all that's needed.
For those of us who have livestock, Winter is a 4 letter word. Keeping the stock in water is a massive task. One time it took us all day to get the water fountains thawed. It can be dangerous, too, as the thirsty cattle push around their water source that you're trying to thaw for them. It truly is a 2 person job--1 to dump the hot water on the pipes and 1 to beat off the cattle. Hey, at least they're warm. ;)
Then, too, is the Vitamin D deficiency of which I recently wrote. PLEASE people, if you're feeling grumpy for weeks at a time, start supplementing with Vitamin D drops. The fact is that if you live where there are more dark hours than light hours every day, you are not getting enough Vitamin D. Thorne labs makes the drops that I use. You simply put 2 drops in water every morning and away you go--no depression, sunshine or not!
Speaking of the lack of sunshine, I found a poem which expresses what we Northerners go through after half a year of no sun exposure. It's a little bit funny but altogether true. Perhaps as you read it, if you're experiencing Summer right now, you'll pause to say thanks to God for His marvelous sunshine! If you're not, I hope that you'll feel better knowing that you're not alone. No matter where you live, I hope that you'll enjoy this ode to a suntan.
Ode to Tan
Tan, oh tan, Where art thou? See me so pale, I look pallid— almost sickly. When you were here, I looked at least ten pounds thinner, Remember summer— skin all a glimmer. No, I won't try to stir your sleep with a fake cream, I'll wait on you, dear, At least until spring.
Copyright © Kim Bond | Year Posted 2017
I can hear you thinking, "So, why would anyone live there?" Well, it's hard to explain but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I guess being free to be me, as this song in the following video says, is why.
I like that my neighbors leave me alone unless I truly need their help--then they drop everything and come to lend a hand. One day we discovered a fire in one of our neighbor's fields. We chased into their yard to tell them just as other neighbors came tearing down the road with water tanks to help put out the fire. Another neighbor came with his tractor and cultivator to tear up the soil around the farm so that the fire would run out of fuel before it reached their buildings.
The children and I filled water tanks for several hours while the men sprayed it out on the field. Everyone worked in the super hot day to save a neighbor's farmyard and it worked!!!! We cooperated, without holding a meeting first, and we saved the buildings from destruction. Afterwards, we all went home and got back to work not expecting nor receiving any payment for our help. Well, yes, the farmer and his wife thanked everyone hundreds of times but that was enough!
I like that people here have to work hard to get ready for Winter. From cutting firewood to canning green beans, people here know that the Winter will be hard, and they prepare. Like the squirrels collecting their acorns, people in the North lay up supplies and buy new gloves. Winter is harsh and everyone knows it and it pulls people together! I JUST LOVE THAT!!!
Winter doesn't last forever, though, and soon the calves drop and the seeds go in the ground. For us, it means the mad dash to get everyone's grain cleaned so that the seeds they plant are all good seeds with no weeds and no chaff.
I chose this video because of it's emphasis on agriculture. I've spent nearly my whole life in agriculture. I cannot imagine not being a part of Spring seeding which flows into keeping the fields clean of weeds and next comes haying season leading to harvest--the highlight of the whole year!! Sure it's lots of work but there's something about everyone pulling together to get the crop in before the next rain which might bring hail!! We're part of a team!
So Winter has come to mean to me, after a lifetime of rushing about through calving, seeding, haying, and harvest a time of rest. WINTER IS A TIME TO REST!! It's playing games with my farming/grain cleaning family on Sabbaths instead of laying exhausted trying to recover strength to do all that must be done in the next week.
Winter is hot chocolate and movies and snuggling under a warm blanket and preparing our taxes. Oops--that's another blog post. ;)
Keep warm everybody!
Dawn
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