March in Vermont

Below are excerpts from Ellen’s journal. She has kept her Walden Hill Journal going since we moved from Illinois. We hope you enjoy reading them for a vicarious experience of Vermont.

Mar. 1, 2005 Town Meeting Day. March is roaring in like a lion, bringing a major snow dump on day one. We’ll need to get out early to snowblow in order to be on time for the 10:00 Town Meeting call. Got back from the meeting about 4:30. We were just in time to continue shoveling stairs and snowblowing the drives in the remaining daylight. It looks like about 9 to 12 inches have fallen so far with more snow expected overnight. All proposed budgets passed but the school board faced an attempt to amend to a lower budget. The vote was close after considerable discussion. The rescue squad was granted a new $12,000 appropriation after promising last year not to ask for additional funds. Free ambulance and rescue service is a fine ideal but with insurance companies able to pay some of the cost, not billing doesn’t make sense. Evidently central billing agencies are available and once again the very competent volunteer rescue squad promised to look into it. The only item that didn’t pass was the Masons asking for a ten-year moratorium on paying property taxes. That generated some very thoughtful discussion. All-in-all it was an enlightening and well-spent day. The Pope library ham and baked bean lunch was a deliciously welcome midday break and a great chance to socialize.

Mar. 4, 2005 The morning sun is sporting two faint sundog columns. We’re emerging from a two-day snow storm, just a temporary lull it seems before more of the same comes our way. My false February hopes of an early end to frigid temps and mounds of snow have been firmly buried by a locked-in wintery landscape. We’ve finally caught up with our initial sparseness of snow with at least 3 feet on the ground now. Huge snow banks declare that winter has a firm foot on the ground. Longer days and a higher arc of the sun are our only indications of moving towards spring. A larger than usual March woodpile reminds us that a few mild weeks in February gave us a midwinter breather and naive hopes for a waning winter.

Mar. 8, 2005 Today is what meteorologist Mark Breen has officially labeled a “wild weather day”. Precipitation is falling in the form of rain, sleet and snow, changing as an Arctic front comes roaring down from the north. Predictions are anywhere from an accumulation of 1 to 14 inches depending on where in the state you happen to be. And guess where we are! Our little northeastern part of the state is in the 14” zone. At least our temperature is at 20° bringing us real snow to cover whatever icy stuff may have fallen before the thermometer dropped. I’ve got reservations to leave for Florida in a couple of days. It’s not an attempt to escape winter but a necessity to help my 82 year old mother as she copes with my 90 year old father who underwent emergency surgery yesterday. Of course the warm weather and sunshine are always a welcome change in March. Hal Borland philosophizing about March winds says, “March is no picnic, or even a time for one, but it isn’t blowing December our way. It is blowing us right into April, and May, and summer.”

Mar. 9, 2005 We’re finally seeing some sunshine in between clouds of swirling snow. Chickadees are puffed up to counteract the cold and force of the wind. One lone redpoll has been working to keep his balance on the feeder perches. The rest of his flock must have literally blown away. Jeff has a major job in store for him, clearing the drives and I need to see if I can find some stairs to shovel. Tomorrow promises to be calmer. Considering the small commuter planes that Independence Air flies, I’ll be happy to have the March winds at rest for the day. Whew, we just finished clearing the snow. Jeff was out for over an hour with the snowblower, slowly plowing through 3 foot drifts. It’s great igloo building snow. I shoveled out snow blocks, layer by layer until I uncovered the stairs. We certainly got our aerobic exercise for the day. Along with our RFD mail we had a box full of snow thanks to the over active wind.

Mar. 10, 2005 6:30 AM and the sun has crested the trees, rising almost midway between its furthest winter point over Franconia Notch and summer’s northern most point by the large poplars. The town plow is just returning from its first pass, clearing and sanding the road. Our thermometer stands at a chilly minus 5°. It’s time to put my daily Hal Borland nature essays away for a while. On his farm in CT, Borland began observing definite signs of spring by early March. That’s just too contrary for what Mother nature dishes out for me to observe in our NE corner of Vermont. It’s better to accept that it’s still winter and not go looking for signs of spring until next month. Meanwhile it’s a clear, calm morning, the wind having finally blown itself out. Should be good flying weather to DC and finally Florida. I’m anxious to get a firsthand view of how dad is recovering from his emergency surgery and be there to lend some moral support and a helping hand to mom.

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Apr. 4, 2005 I’m finally home from Florida after an extended stay. A heart attack in recovery and the complications of pneumonia were more than Dad’s 90-year-old body could handle. After a brief few days in hospice, Dad peacefully passed away. Mom is having a very difficult time coping with the sudden loss of her devoted spouse of 63 years, but the family is helping as best we can. For me, the soothing beauty of Vermont slowly awakening from its long winter’s nap is just the ticket for healing my weary soul.