Dirtkids

It happens in the blink of an eye…nothing transforms the landscape quite like the first major snowfall. I’m at our cabin as a precaution…so I got to witness the transformation first hand. Our cabin, built in the 50′s, was only recently modernized to include some insulation, siding, double-pane windows, etc. by the previous owner. The only heat sources are a small propane wall heater and a wood burning stove. The quality of work from the previous owner, although not up to Tom’s lofty standards, was good enough to sell us on the place. We’ve since seen pictures of it before the work was done…clearly this was a summer-only, seasonal cabin. Anyway, I digress…

The first major storm of the season was predicted to hit California this past weekend and promised to be unusually cold. I’m skeptical of weather forecasts like most but usually when nastiest is predicted the forecasters aren’t far off. Rather than join Tom in Bishop, I came here to warm the house up. Last winter, before we plumbed in low point drains for the water lines, we had a crack in the shower valve which eventually resulted in us remodeling the bathroom. Although we can drain the water now, we also have concern for appliances and a TV…how will they be affected by extreme cold? More than once last winter it was literally 32 degrees inside the cabin when we arrived. So as the pictures reflect (I really digressed!)…what was a snow-free landscape on Saturday transformed…

There is something so peaceful about the snow. Sound is dampened. The dusting of snow hanging on all the trees in the forest…the site of mountain tops slightly covered…watching dogs bury their faces in the snow like it’s the best thing they’ve ever done…all of it is what makes winter beautiful and distinct from the other seasons.

Final digression: It was a good thing I came…it was down to 5 degrees last night…and we’ll be looking at installing a heating system!