The winter of 2015 is going to be remembered for quite some time. This winter is now listed in the top ten snowfall records with more snow to come. We have had only one day above freezing in the past three weeks and the 10 day forecast shows no relief. Everywhere you go, the first thing you hear is the weather. I am not sure if my current winter blues, which is in full force, is the result of the weather, or all the weather discussions. In Stow, I continue to burn firewood and pellets at a heavy pace, and supplies are dwindling.
On a positive note, my official list of procrastinated projects is moving right along. The tilting weather station mast I started five years ago is now finished and installed. I am almost finished rebuilding my original pellet stove and repairing my desktop beer dispenser. I have cleaned out the old server room, and have been cleaning up. Worry not though, my procrastination list is long and impressive. I won’t get kicked out of the club anytime soon.
The one with the worst cast of winter blues has to be my Devon Rex, Teddy. With his fine fur insufficient to protect him from the bitter cold. He spends endless hours staring at the white that surrounds and covers his beloved yard where he likes to spend hours searching for butterflies, mice, and birds on our daily summer walks. This morning, the roadway to the farmhouse in Stow was down to bare road. Teddy was so excited that he insisted upon walking the full length of the road in search of a sprig of grass or crawling insect until he could no longer stand the cold and fled inside. I have planted grass seeds in a window planter to try and cheer him up, but they have not yet sprouted so Teddy sits and pokes at the soil and seed, trying to figure out what I am up to. The wood and pellet stoves have become Teddy’s best friends. He cannot wait for this winter to end.
Neither can we all.
Glenn Skinner 