Winter Warriors

The idea that Virginia and Maryland aren’t that different when it comes to weather is a joke.  Not even watching accuweather for a few months before we moved here could have prepared me for how much colder it is here.  The so-called 3-5 degree average difference sometimes runs more like ten because of where we are in the mountains.  But perhaps the biggest difference of all this winter is the way we get no breaks.  In Virginia, it gets cold, but the sun still shines.  Here, not so much.  Seeing sun for  more than two hours a day is cause for celebration and seeing sun on consecutive days is enough to make you think spring is here.  And those occasional days of 50 degree weather in Virginia?  Not happening here.  My friend called me one day and said it’s 57 and feels just amazing.  Our thermometer didn’t even register 40 and it wasn’t because we were a day ahead or behind the weather system either.  It’s just been cold.  And stayed cold.

On Friday, I walked out the door for a doctor’s appointment and seriously thought it felt like spring. The sun was shining and it was so warm!  I picked my way through the snow and ice, started the van, realized it was stuck and went in for help to push it out of the frozen snow.  As I backed onto the road I glanced at the thermometer.  32 degrees.  I think I’ve completely lost my mind.

The ground has been white more than brown which is actually very pretty and helps to compensate for the lack of sunshine.  And, of course, every few days, it snows again.  It’s so cold there have been snowy owl sightings near here.  I guess I’ll get worried when I hear someone is seeing penguins.

The boys think this winter is the most amazing thing ever.  They’ve gone ice skating numerous times and nothing makes them cheer like hearing there will be a game of hockey on the canal.  Liam even got to play goalie one afternoon using a broomstick to block the puck. It’s one of the most amazing things about camp staff … the kindness they show to children.  Camp even had a winter picnic after playing games on the canal one afternoon when it was oh, around 12 degrees outside.  I didn’t know people even do this kind of stuff!

One snowy day Adam and Liam decided to attempt building an igloo in the backyard.  Adam shoveled a huge pile of snow and then tried to dig out the inside.  Unfortunately it collapsed on him and Liam had to pull him out.

That night at chuckwagon they were talking about their afternoon and Chief Albert told them about the huge igloo he helped build one winter at Bald Eagle.  He offered to help them if they wanted to come over to camp to do it and the entire camp ended up helping during a lunch sharing time or two.  They rounded up five gallon buckets, filled them with snow, dumped them out and let them freeze overnight.  Then they stacked them sideways in a circle to build up the igloo.  It was big enough for an entire group of campers to sit in (although a little squished) and the groups took turns sleeping in it at night.

On Thursday night after party night, David took Adam and Liam over for a turn to sleep in the igloo.  I stayed home and drank hot chocolate and just soaked up the quiet and wished for some girlfriends.  But seriously, if I wouldn’t have been eight months pregnant and the idea of midnight bathroom trips so frigid I would totally have joined them.  Who ever gets to sleep in an igloo??

The Monday of the February homevisit is traditionally the day camp staff go skiing not far from here.  Last year Liam and I stayed home because he seemed too young to ski.  We thought we’d go this year, but baby changed those plans so he and I stayed home again.  The Friday prior, at 36 weeks, I found out I was dilated to three and baby could come anytime.  I was just a bit nervous about being alone so a friend offered to come out for the day and we were going to have fun working on a project for the boy’s new room downstairs.  Well, on Sunday it was clear that Monday was going to be yet another snow day with six to eight inches predicted.  Obviously, not a good time to take to the road across a mountain, unless your skiing.  Liam was as disappointed about not having a friend over as I was, so we planned a cozy, fun day for just the two of us.  With no one here to chauffeur in the event of an emergency, I was planning to stay parked on the couch with my feet up.  I’ve been having timeable contractions since before Christmas.  So much so that the doctor sent my records along down to Virginia just in case.  David wasn’t sure which vehicle to take because of the snow.  The tires on the van are terrible, but the brake light is on in the Escape for some odd reason so it didn’t seem like a great idea to drive it either.  He finally opted for the van; leaving me with the lesser of two non-great options.  I figured it was a no-brainer.  If I go into labor I can’t drive anyway.  I’ll just call 9-1-1.  No problem.  I really was so glad he was going.  He’s worked pretty much six days a week since July, except for a few days off over Christmas and he needed the time off.  Adam needed some fun dad-time desperately.  I just hoped for the best of both worlds!

I couldn’t sleep that night and ended up on the recliner half the night.  At three I heard the ice start pinging against the window.  I knew the snow wasn’t far behind.

David kissed me goodbye in the morning and I was about to drift back off to sleep when I heard thumping footsteps on the front porch and he and Adam burst back in through the front door.  Startled, I walked out to investigate and discovered they’d slid off the road into the ditch less than a half mile from the house.  Did this deter them?  Not in the least.  They just called the rest of the group to come push them out and were on their merry way.  It was one of those moments where you really want to say, “Are you sure this is a good idea to go?” but you don’t.  You just beg God to bring him back safely when you kiss him goodbye again.  And then, because you’re not really good at keeping your mouth shut, you say, “Please, please be careful.”

Liam was up like a lark a few minutes later, way too ready to “start our cozy day.”  An hour and a half later, the power went out.  So there we were.  No power.  No water.  A bum vehicle.  Six to eight inches of fresh fluffy snow.  No phone.  And because the cell phone booster is powered, not even a cell phone.  I can’t call consistently, but the booster at least lets me text.  I felt very, very vulnerable.  Luckily, most of the cozy things Liam and I were going to do were still doable.  My projects weren’t.  I found it interesting that power affects adults so much more than children.  And luckily David’s laptop was fully charged so we watched a movie to help pass the time.  We read stories and he practiced his reading and piano, wrote a letter to his cousin, and I took a nap while he played jockey.  I brought snow inside to melt so we could paint later and have water to wash the brushes because Liam is always begging to paint.  Oddly, he had no interest in painting that day.  Because we had no water, we stuck pop cans in the snow to chill.  Liam said we were just like pioneers because we didn’t have any water in the house so we just drank pop. 😉

By some miracle, I was able to get some texts through in the morning if I tried resending them about twenty times.  David sent Grandpa Dolyn and Grandma Donna to check on me around noon.  He cleared the lane and the Escape and got it turned around in case I needed to go anywhere and tried to hook up one of those ancient phones that plugs directly into the wall, but it didn’t work.  Still, it felt like I could at least get out without wading through snow and I felt eternally grateful!  Liam and I traipsed outside for a little photoshoot in the snow.

And then, at 4:30, the lights blinked, blinked, blinked and suddenly everything roared to life.  Roared because, after that much silence, the refrigerator and coffee maker are incredibly loud. 🙂

On Wednesday, the power went out again thanks to another ice storm.  I was not happy.  We were on a crazy deadline to get finished painting and I wasn’t in the mood to have my plans deterred by yet another day without power.  David brought home a small generator so we could power up the construction lights in the basement and we started melting snow on the wood stove to wash brushes.  I finished the boy’s room about the time we heard the power would be out for several days, possibly a week.  Really?  I’d thought through washing out the brushes.  I hadn’t thought through the no shower after crawling around on a dirty basement floor process.  And how were we supposed to finish painting?  At 8:30, about the time David had moved the generator upstairs to hook up the frig, we got power.  I still think this was nothing shy of a miracle.

Miracles after meltdowns.  It’s the theme of these days.  After going to Harrisonburg to choose carpet and then finding out three days later it’s backordered for a month … a meltdown.  A few days later finding a carpet sample and hearing it can be installed on the 11th … a miracle.  Finding out you will be without power for days …. a meltdown.  Having it come back on at 8:30 that night … a miracle.  Thinking you will not possibly get finished painting and then having Becca show up two afternoons and helping you push through plus a few late nights … the miracle of finishing up what most has to be done pre-carpet.  Finding out about the broken theme for the website … meltdown and then working like mad and having it go live this week … miracle!  Finding out baby has shifted from sideways to completely posterior and the statistics say that instead of going imminently, you will now go late, have a much harder labor, and very difficult delivery …if you manage to deliver on your own at all.  It’s the current meltdown.  I am choosing to believe that God is going to miraculously take care of this one, too.  Choosing in my head.  My eyes haven’t quite caught up.  And I’m hoping for a bigger miracle than the fact that since she’s posterior, the contractions have stopped and I can sleep or that because I now won’t go into labor anytime soon we’ll nicely get the boys settled and the nursery set up.  I’m choosing to take I Corinthians 16:13-14 out of context, put it in my own words, and make them my mantra for this week.   Be watchful.  Be faithful.  Be brave.  Be strong. Meanwhile do everything with love.

Judging by the tone of my voice with the boys the last few days, the last sentence might be the hardest one of all.

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