Today is the first day above sub-freezing temperatures in quite some time. The sun is bursting its brightness upon the rapidly fading snow while the woodland critters continue to make more frequent cameos, jubilantly cavorting about the property. All told, it’s a beautiful day. Technically, it’s still Winter here in the gorgeous Washington countryside, but in my mind Spring has officially sprung.
So concludes my first Winter buried amid fifteen feet of pure white snow. Actually, the tally, as of this writing, is only 57” since it started in November, but there’s no way I could pass up the Nick Cave reference. So how did I fare? What wild, frost-laden adventures were endured? What lessons learned? Settle in reader dearest and allow me to regale you with a chilly tale.
AND NOW FOR SOME STRAIGHT UP IRONY
I published the last Country Squire Chronicles article, “Exile in Hicksville“, on November 11th. My final sentence was, “I’ve got to roll as the snow is starting to come down. I’m sure this experience will result in much hilarity for the next installment.” If only I’d known. The snow that was beginning to fall, kept on falling. And falling. And falling. Over a foot, which isn’t necessarily massive per se, but it was enough to knock out the regional electrical service, including Fate Estate for a couple of days.
I awoke in the morning to the sound of my neighbor, who’s the local snow plow dude (which is a very nice perk), plowing our 900′ driveway. I figured it was time to get up and shower. However, when I turned it on, there was barely a trickle of water. My first thought was, “Oh shit, the water pump from the well froze out.” Then I went to turn on the light and it was evident what had happened. “No big whoop,” I thought, the electric company will have this sorted lickety-split. That, of course was not to be the case.
What occurred was that I went without any heat for 2 days and a night in sub-freezing temperatures, with no backup source. It turned out just fine and it was a great test of my investment in the premium (over) insulation of the place including the walls, windows, attic and crawl-space. We basically lost a whopping 11 degrees of heat with an average outside temperature of 22 degrees. Not bad at all! It did, however, make me realize that I need to keep stuff like the camp stove, flashlights and headlamps in a central, convenient place and have spare batteries around. I also need to get a small backup, non-electrical heat source for indoors like a Mr. Heater Buddy just to have on hand.
ICE, ICE, BABY!
I found that I really enjoy the snow, but ice – not so much. We unwittingly discovered an intriguing issue when it rained one fine cold day in the late afternoon and then froze by sunset, thereby transforming our driveway into a solid sheet of ice! Over time, I was able to get at it with some ice-melt and a pickax so we could get the cars out, but there are sections that never get any sunlight because of trees and that ended up being the most challenging issue. This was more of an inconvenience than anything, but dangerous for my daily walking routine. Before next Winter, I’m buying a snazzy flamethrower thingamajig made for this purpose, have more ice-melt on hand, and make sure I stay on top of keeping the driveway clear.
I did stay on top of keeping the snow away from the perimeter of the house and garage so we’d always have an unobstructed thoroughfare to get around the place. In fact, I found that I really enjoy shoveling snow. With my kick-ass, ergonomic SnowJoe shovel, I can zen-out playing in the powdery white dirt while getting in some sweet cardio.
GOT MY WHEELS A ROLLIN’
Without a doubt, the biggest thing I learned during my first Winter up here is the value of high-quality, ultra-premium snow/ice tires. I lived in Chicago one time and learned the hard way that regular, all-season tires just don’t cut it. So I made the investment in some Bridgestone Blizzaks and never looked back. The most ridiculous thing here is that the tires are worth more than the SUV they are on, but, wow, what a difference. You can feel the grip and they performed beautifully in every snow and ice situation I threw at them. From frozen-over forest service roads to clear, but chilly highways, they did an awesome job and provided a good deal of confidence.
I intentionally bought my ancient 1996 Ford Explorer for the initial Winter just to have something to get around in, experience things, and have a comprehensive understanding of what I legitimately require & want before simply rushing out to buy a new vehicle. That said, I now have a pretty good idea and plan to get a new AWD ride sometime this year. As Sam over at Financial Samurai says, it’s a great time for some revenge spending, so we’ll see what I end up with.
FROSTY FROLICKING
As an avid outdoorsman, I was really excited about all the wintry outdoor action and adventures. Unfortunately, like it did for pretty much everyone, COVID effectively fucked all of this up. I was eager to get in some snowshoeing, skiing, ice skating, ice-fishing and snowmobiling, but, alas, it was not to be. Sure I could have done some of that on my own, but for much of it I really needed my friends to show me the ropes and help me out. Since we were in lock-down, all I got was daily walks and a few solo hikes. Oh well, there’s always later this year.
Which brings me to my final realization. I really like the snow. It makes the natural beauty even more beautiful and the muffling effect brings forth a calming silence. It’s joyous to sit inside with a hot cup of coffee, snugged in while the giant flakes gently waft down from the sky. Another serendipitous benefit is that it covers up all of the work that needs to be done, thereby alleviating the daily stress of looming projects. It’s a singular form of tranquility.
That said, 12 weeks of it is more than enough. Actually 8 weeks would be ideal. At this point, I’m over it and looking forward to another Spring replete with its verdant greens and cold lakes full of hungry trout. It’s this changing of seasons that I’ve come to really embrace. Each is unique and offers its own charms and each is fleeting. It interjects a sense of motivation to go out and seize the day and take advantage of all there is knowing that in 90 days it will vanish for another year.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
How was your Winter? What do you like and dislike most about it? What are your thoughts and feelings around the changing of the seasons? As always, I’d love to hear from you.
BECAUSE EVERYONE SHOULD HEAR THIS SONG AT LEAST ONCE
Ooh, great song! And even better shot of your beautiful surroundings! That is stunning, but I don’t know that I could take it for 12 weeks. 8 weeks is even pushing it, but reading your plans for the winter (ice skating, snowshoeing, etc.) actually made me excited about your winter! Overall, it sounds like you fared well, despite your challenges. Well done! Here’s to a better winter next year (hopefully things return to normal by then).
Hi Katie and thanks for the comment. It’s not too bad. It only actually snowed more than 1” less than 10 days in 4 months, so pretty tame. Still 8 weeks of full winter would be ideal.
Yep, hopefully this year I can get in all the great outdoor snow stuff if/when things revert back to a pre-Covid normal.
I finally got up to Big Bear last weekend for the first time. Very little snow overall. Although the trails were very icy. Kind of like your driveway. Seems like the snow melted and froze over with the shade. Very slow walking/hiking.
Glad you’re enjoying the snow up there. I’ve always liked the snow too, though I’ve never lived in it. One of my goals is a Winter in Maine at some point but the wife hasn’t signed onto that one yet… hahahaha. Maybe never. But that’s what bizarre dreams are for… haha.
Besides that winter has been chill down South. Not much rain this year as usual. Gonna be another dry one this summer most likely.
I’m happy it’s all working out. It’s great to hear these tales and looking forward to some verdant green picks coming up in Spring!
Thanks for the comment Q-Fi. Yeah, the winter here was fairly tame as well. I’m on my Zoom game call every week with my So Cal pals and, like you, have given the same report of little rain. Hopefully, it won’t be a repeat of last year’s fire season down there.
I was definitely surprised by how much I enjoyed the snow, but know full well it would suck-ass to have to commute to work in it daily like I did in Chicago. Definitely looking forward to Spring – my absolute favorite season so the next installment will, hopefully, be a good one.
We had another mostly wussy winter here in the DC region which means a higher likelihood of a huge blizzard next year. They come every 5-7 years. I still might head up to the Daks or NH to go ice climbing one more time, but there’s already 60+ degree temps in our forecast here so we’re probably done. Kudos to you for embracing winter. It puzzles me how so many people complain about winter but choose to live in Minnesota or Wisconsin or a place like that. I mean c’mon folks, you knew the score going in….
Ice climbing? Now that sounds adventurous and daring! Yeah, it’s warm out here now. Snow’s nearly gone and got the shorts on. We’ll see what the next one brings.
Agreed on being stymied by peeps who hate snow but choose to live in it. I’ve never quite got my head around those who complain about a life they’ve chosen. C’est la vie!
An older coworker of mine gave me a CD (a CD!) copy of “Murder Ballads” approximately 15 years ago, and I’ve been a fan of Nick Cave’s ever since. Good stuff. We did a few days of no power, and also no (well) water, back in August when a few major storm cells knocked down some trees in our area. Man it sucked, but at least we weren’t going to freeze. Glad to hear your insulation work has paid off. I sold my Blizzaks as we just moved south to Virginia, but we’ve actually seen quite a bit of ice in the last month, so I’m slightly questioning that move.
Hey Adam and thanks for stopping by and hope you and the family are near settled into the new digs. Murder Ballads is an unimpeachable album, every song is a winner and “The Curse of Millhaven” is somewhere in my Top 10 Cave tunes.
Yeah, having zero experience/knowledge of winter tires, my research pointed my to the Blizzaks and, man, totally impressive. I’m now a lifelong customer.
Is that photo near where you live?? Looks gorgeous out there. Did you renovate the house or build it? Smart move with the insulation. You can never go wrong with more insulation for both comfort and money saving. No plans for a snowmobile haha? That’d be awesome to shoot around in during the snow months.
I like visiting the snow, but not sure I could live it in…at least not if I were still working. Retired, I might be able to do it. Might make for some good reading by the fire. But when I hit FI we’re probably going to settle somewhere tropical, at least in our first few years while the kids are still with us. I enjoy these country living stories, keep it up.
Hey Noel and thanks for the comment as always. Yep, the pic is from somewhere in the vicinity. We built the place hence being able to do all the efficient energy stuff like the insulation.
While I don’t have a snowmobile, my friends do and there are 100s of miles of trails out here. Sadly, it didn’t happen, but hopefully later this year. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the snow and it’s generally pretty light where we’re at compared to say, Green Bay, WI or Fairbanks, AK where it’d be too much. Particularly if I had to commute in it.
that’s one kick ass song i had not heard before. i guess ol’ nick took some time to get off the needle before that album.
i’ll bet this winter was a real departure from the concrete sunshine jungle of so cal. that sucks when the power goes out. i think i would get a carbon monoxide detector if i was going to light one of those portable propane heaters inside. what did you do for super-insulation? that industrial spray foam polyurethane stuff? if we ever build our retirement house we’ll do something similar. you’ll get out there next year for those winter activities i’m sure.
buffalo was mild this year with only 71 inches of total snow for the season. i think only shoveled 2-3 times. i’m glad i didn’t have a 900 ft. driveway to contend with! i’ll tell you one thing i’ve learned for great contrast: winter in the country is 100x better than winter in the city.
Yeah, the song’s off 2001’s “No More Shall We Part” and Nick had just got clean before writing it. My favorite Winter tune ever.
Yes, I splurged on the industrial open cell spray-in insulation, premium double pane windows, and 2 layers of R50 in the roof and floor. It really was only a few grand more, but the place is ultra energy efficient. The little propane heater would be just for a single room should the power go out for a long-time and, yes, they do require some ventilation.
Having now spent a Winter here and in a Chicago – you’re right – the country winter beats the city one hands down!