I grew up in West Virginia, but I had barely turned twenty when I left the state and moved to England to live with Hubby #1. I really didn’t have much of an understanding of the weather here, other than big thunderstorms in the summer and sometimes snow in the winter. Since moving back here in 2014, I’ve come to appreciate the subtle nuances of our climate in the Mountain State.
The winter of 2014-15 was pretty remarkable as far as snow and arctic temperatures go. I know this because I was living in my camper on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River. That was one crazy season with lots of snow and double digit deep freezes that was so cold, my refrigerator stopped working in the camper. I made my escape one weekend…exactly six years ago now (has it BEEN that long?) and checked into the Historic Blennerhassett Hotel in downtown Parkersburg.
The winters since really haven’t been that bad. This is my fourth winter living here on the Ponderosa. We do what all people do who live out these country roads in preparation for winter storms. We make a run to Sam’s for some goods, we make sure we have batteries for the flashlights, and we charge up all of our electronics and chargers. Because, we are a heavily wooded state and trees fall down in storms.
Our major task since Friday has been starting the generator. Mr. FixIt dragged it up to the house from the building and tried to start it without luck. He tried again Saturday and Sunday. Sunday evening he got to the auto parts store in our little town just before they closed to buy a can of starter fluid. He spent the majority of yesterday hunched over the engine on the generator, cleaning it out and changing to fresh fuel. He pulled and pulled and pulled that starter cord and nothing.
I went out in the afternoon and helped him lift it up on a piece of plywood set across two sawhorses so he wouldn’t have to bend over so much. Finally, he was ready for me to help him put it back on the ground. It tried to start several times but just wouldn’t do it. Mr. FixIt had to take a break so I asked if I could try starting it. I made a small adjustment to the choke, pulled three times, and it started up just like it was brand new! Of course, the look on my husband’s face was priceless. lol
Like the majority of the country, we are in the path of a major ice storm. In all my years, I have never experienced this. My friend Kate has been sending out videos of the damage to her trees in Texas and it’s crazy how hard this storm is for them. It started raining lightly around 4:00 and just before dark, I could see icicles forming on the pergola out on the deck. I think the gutters are frozen because the water is running over them in several places. As it gets colder, we are going to be in one heck of a mess.
As I sat writing this, I didn’t hear the usual road traffic out front and it always surprises me how quiet it is without that droning in the background. I’m glad we are at a point in our lives where we don’t have to go anywhere. It always sits in the back of my mind that Mr. FixIt had his first stroke almost exactly one year ago. When I got up to come back to the bedroom to write last night, I looked at him and said, “You can’t get sick again…especially tonight.” He smiled and promised nothing would happen.
We can’t live in fear and worry about things that may never happen. So, as I walked down the hall, I just handed that particular weight to God and He’ll take care of it for me. He’s very good at that.
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“So be on your guard! You don’t know when your Lord will come. Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in.”
Matthew 24:42-43 CEV