The snow all fell in one night, and Scott was up four or five times to push it off the tent with a broom... it made a surprisingly loud zipping sound as it slowly eased its way down the tarp...echoing in our canvas cave. It created a grateful feeling of warmth and safety, intensified by the awareness of so much wet and cold, hanging just above.
So we awoke to our winter wonderland and no water. Thankfully, we had advanced warning- everyone bathed the night before; dishes were done; and jars and pots were filled with water to ensure we would have our morning coffee. Not too shabby. I was feeling like a pretty accomplished homesteader.... But, it seems that this is actually just the way that Californians deal with temperatures below 32 degrees. Most people I spoke with had frozen pipes, or worse, burst water lines. Why aren't all pipes just insulated like in the Midwest? I lived through decades of arctic jet streams without once worrying that there would be no water, and here, it's going to be 26 degrees at night, and we all fill our bathtubs with water so we can flush the toilet tomorrow. Anyway, I could go on about the debilitating nature of ice and snow, that comes every year, but is always met with shock and a complete shut down of the county.... but I digress.That is all behind us now, and we are back to sunshine and 60 degrees for at least the next week. The snow has melted, school is out for Christmas, and we had our windows and doors delivered just in time!
Scott jumped right back into building mode, and the first three windows went in today. With two weeks off of work, who knows what could happen?!
So, lastly, I'd like to spread a little Christmas cheer with this video snippet. Here is to simple joys and the beauty of the world through a three year old's eyes....
(And yes, we managed to squeeze that tree into our tent! Merry Christmas!)
