Jan 06 2009
Appreciate the Winter Freeze
Appreciate the Winter Freeze
Some winter days I find it very difficult to appreciate the benefits of living up here in the “great, white, North.” No…not Canada…but close. Montana. The Big Sky Country. Also home to many a “big frost.”
I recall a day when I was just four years old that I almost froze to death sitting in the car while my Dad tried to start it. It was 45 degrees below zero. I do remember sitting there in my little parka, when my Dad suddenly noticed me and asked if I was okay and then shook me a couple of times before picking me up and rushing me into the house in a panic. I only know that it was 45 degrees below zero because this family story was told many times over as I got older…usually winter time stories. I survived that big frost, and many more after that.
The other day I remarked that I was thinking it would be nice to get away to somewhere “warm” during the winter months. You may have heard of the expression, “snowbird.” My wife told me that I might just as well plan on going by myself, and then reminded me of a couple of things we do enjoy about living in “cold country.”
First of all, the hard winter freeze serves to kill the insects. We don’t like bugs and have to fight mosquitoes, spiders and yellow jackets every summer. Living in Montana means we don’t have the large variety of species to contend with as the warmer climates, but those we do have are (1) hardy, and (2) fearless.
The second thing we appreciate about living in “cold country” is the renewal of seasons. Autumn has a definite smell to it, plus the wonderful colors of the foliage. Winter brings snow and a cleansing feeling that we don’t feel during those years when we receive too little snow. The pure whiteness of new snow has a beauty unmatched in nature. Spring also has a definite scent to it that comes with the renewal of plant life and spring rains. It’s that ozone smell that I like. Calving season for livestock and wildlife reminds us of the circle of life. When I was in my twenties….I fell in love every single springtime…and always with a different girl. Oops.
Summer in Montana is hot and dry. Wildfire season, but also the wonderful smell of the forest, the dry grass, the evergreens, the dry air and the scents carried by the wind. Oh…yeah…the wind. We have wind in Montana. Lots of it. Some day the eastern half of the State will be covered with acres and acres of windpower farms.
But for now…we are just appreciating winter and the deep freeze. For now. I am already looking forward to spring, because a little freeze goes a long way.
