If I had to guess, one of the least favorite things for most folks to deal with while on the phone is to be on hold. For one, you never how long it will be before you are taken off. Secondly, if you are holding like that, it is likely for an important reason, otherwise you would just hand up and try again. Lastly, while you are on hold, you cannot really do all that much. Sure with the phones of this age you can put the call on speaker and do some paper work, or other office type work, but you cannot leave the phone and go off and visit with friends, or head to the store or for a walk. You are pretty much chained to the phone and any documents involving the call.
I’d say having to wait for the snow to arrive in earnest this season is like being on hold. We do not know exactly when it will come, but know that it eventually will. That is a guarantee up here. The snow may not be as important as a call you are on hold for, but the desire to have both taken care of is likely equal in proportion. Also, without the snow, there are many things you want to do, but can’t. Sure you can go for walks, or do some other outside activities, but you have been able to do them since spring and are anxious to mix it up and add snowplay to your list of available activities. Also, the lack of snow is impacting businesses owned by my friends and that is disheartening to me. I realize that the weeks leading up to Christmas are typically not too busy, but any income to those businesses would be a nice shot in the arm, especially since the past 4-6 weeks have been very quiet.
Ever since moving up here, snow has been an important factor in getting me into the Christmas mood. Just last night Nora and I were cuddling on the couch, looking out the window and remarked on how it just did not seem like in two weeks, Christmas would be over! We still have bare ground! How can the two even exist at the same time!
With all that said, I am by no means depressed that the snow has not come yet. I feel as blessed as ever to live where I do. I know that a lot of snow will be falling between now and spring. More than anywhere else outside of the lake effect belts have seen in a season EVER. Those that are not as fortunate as I am to have the ease of clearing the snow have not had to struggle with that task either. The driving around has also been quiet easy, with the roads clear of any snow or ice. So there are some silver linings.
This past Friday, we experienced another silver lining. Friends of ours invited us to a bonfire Friday evening and as we sat and stood around the fire in the 30 degree air, looking out over the south end of the Keweenaw waterway and having joyful conversations with good friends, all I could think of was that this is something that is not likely to happen under those conditions at that time of the year very often or perhaps even ever again.
Other than the lack of snow, there really is not much to talk about. It was a quiet week as far as activities go. Nora and I have been moving towards the conclusion of our Christmas shopping. This Friday I will be driving down with my brother to pick up the last two items from the house of my brother who passed in July. Then we will head to my mom’s house to spend the night and then we will be bringing her up to the Keweenaw with us to be with us for Christmas. This will be the first time in over 60 years that she will not be in her own home for Christmas, but only one of her 3 children were able to make it down there and with the covid still going on, the Christmas gathering with my aunts and uncles and their children and grandchildren is not happening, so she would have been all alone for Christmas. Not gonna happen.
So we are all looking forward to having her up here for Christmas and wish the rest of my immediate family could have come as well, but they are not able to get away to the great white north.
The week’s weather was also very quiet. Of course it did not snow, but it also did not rain and each day was very similar to each other. The stand out was Wednesday, when we had sunshine all day and warmed into the low 40’s. I got a little bit of outside work done, but most of the work I need to get done is inside. It does look like we should get enough snow tonight and tomorrow to whiten the ground down here and add to the snow that is on the ground in the high country north and south of Houghton/Hancock. Not likely enough to play in, but it will be nice to be white down here and fresh white elsewhere!
So I guess that about covers it for this one. Hopefully the next time I write we will have picked up some snow and perhaps be looking at a nice big snow cycle to kick in!
Good Night from the Keweenaw..
–JD
