It’s now February 1st and I have decided to resume my story into the reasons I continue to live in a four season climate. Each season truly has something different to offer and I suppose each brings certain challenges. But every season gifts far more than any hardship it creates. And what is that hardship anyway? Something that nature brought that we find unacceptable because it hinders our human condition in some manner? To better connect to nature might occur when we better accept the weather itself. I try to work my plans around the weather as much as possible. Being retired helps as commuting to work is no longer a weekly requirement. Winter always brought challenges to my commuting but my career choice was my choice just as living here became my choice. These days my choices are driven by different things.

Its funny to me the avenues that I allow myself to travel at times when considering writing projects. Any number of things can prompt a deep dive into some particular subject. I call these events or thoughts “triggers”. Driving home the other day really pulled a trigger on my observations of winter. Needing to plow snow the next day really pulled the triggers! Like holding a double barreled shotgun with two triggers and pulling them both at once! What a recoil! Things really took a dive after that as I more closely examined my relationship with winter. And when I realized that sometimes over the years that I had sometimes been ultra critical of winter, when the actual burdens were mine to bear by my choices. Is all this too obvious perhaps? And not worthy of a closer examination?At this moment I am not even sure that I can tell this story in any logical manner. Let me take a stab at it regardless.

How best to tell a tale of winter than starting at its conclusion? We rarely think about winter during the warmer months. It might come up in conversation at times though but never dominates any given moment. As spring arrives winter begins to fade and the long stretch of milder weather coming fills us our hearts with happy possibilities! With spring arriving in March, we are usually well into maple syrup season. I never think of syrup season as winter although the first weeks typically and technically are still. As winter departs we pack away the heavy coats, gloves, and all the many pieces of attire that were necessary for several months. Mine go into big plastic totes that are quite rodent proof. I place them out of the way and forget about them. Things like snowshoes, micro spikes, and all the accessories of winter hobbies also get stashed away. It always amazes me the amount of things that I own just for my winter pursuits! I will get into this subject a little further into this post. I think it’s the winter hobbies that have really prompted my interest in writing about all this to some degree. Call it an attempt at positivity!

If we fast forward past the warm days of spring,summer, and early autumn we will ultimately arrive at a some random day in October or November when the temperatures will reinforce that winter is approaching. There may be a heavy morning frost where the mud stiffens up a bit. Or maybe some stinging snowflakes driven by a brisk wind from the north. But often it’s a trigger of one type or another that really makes us think. There’s nothing like digging out those carefully stored totes with our winter gear to get us thinking. The lessening daylight also jogs our memories at times. I think that’s an important reason why the prospect of winter can make us question our decisions. A quick look at a calendar reminds us that outdoor projects and things that require warmer weather aren’t going to be feasible much longer. There is a ticking time clock in motion. And possibly imagined alarms sounding if we are way behind schedule with something. Winter can cripple a construction project with frosty precision. Everything slows down then.Everything takes longer. This was my reality many times over the years if I was on outside projects. No wonder I became conditioned! But even at home we may feel a sense of some sort of impending doom. Sure it sounds a little over the top and overly dramatic! But if you burn firewood and don’t have it all ready? Not good! Haven’t sawed that pile of logs into lumber? Haven’t started that cabin addition yet? These were some of my concerns last fall as I continued to work at the Methane project into November a little. Winter was coming! So I believe that many of us here in the north country twinge a little at the prospect of it all.

And then just like that we arrive at winter solstice on the calendar. But this time we will have taken care of many necessary tasks at the last minute. We took advantage of mild days and gambled on getting things done. Xmas is close and we use the darker days to slow down some hopefully. Our gear is ready and sometimes new items are purchased. Snow brushes find their way into the vehicles. Snow shovels come out of storage and find their way next to porch doors.Snow comes at times but often leaves just as quickly. We ease in with practiced hands.Things change then in some strange fashion. I view the coming season with an almost calm demeanor. What didn’t get done may need to wait until spring. Or maybe even summer. What’s the use of being negative about it now? Winter has sealed the deal after all. Why fight it?

The decision has been made to stay. And the reasons are many and rather familiar. I had often thought that someday I would follow the geese south and escape some of the cold season. But years pass and I have not. Why do I stay? I have stayed because my son is still here for one reason. And since I have decided to stay I build a schedule around winter. And here the answers to the question begin to add up. Hobbies take center stage suddenly and it becomes obvious why I stay.Let’s showcase a few of my activities these days. Out come the cross country skis and boots. It’s time for a glide along a groomed Adirondack trail perhaps. Not a big activity of mine but one I enjoy some. Out come the snowshoes! These get some serious use the past several winters. Excursions will be in the Adirondacks, near the farm, and down into the frozen Beaver Creek gorge.Snowshoes take me into some rugged places and I enjoy them immensely! Out came my snowboard,helmet, and boots recently for a late day assault on tiny Mt. Pisgah in Saranac Lake with Zane. The first time in two years but as fun as always. All this after volunteering at the Ice Palace build for Winter Carnival in Saranac Lake. I showed up with two ice saws for cutting blocks free. Year five for me volunteering and more fun then ever! A true winter event like no other.And there’s also been a little ice walking this season but it’s been rather tricky so far. Winter has brought the birds to my feeder and I love to watch for them each day. It’s also brought squirrels and possums to the feeder! They don’t bother me so I leave them alone. Rodents continue to plague us here and I stop their tiny tracks near the Airstream. Bad news when they get in but I am ready for them. The snow is the ultimate canvas for nature to paint upon. Enter the hobby of track identification!

We have gotten some decent snow accumulations now. Lots of fresh snow and I have been fortunate to have spotted a good selection of animal tracks. There have been fisher tracks near the barn twice now. Recently a weasel visited the sugar house. On a nature trek yesterday near Alexandria Bay, New York, we spotted the tracks of a mink, otter, and a weasel. Deer sign was plentiful in the snow. Reading tracks in the snow is like reading a book and trying in interpret the story. And speaking of ice, yesterday we had a wonderful moment standing high above the frozen expanse of Eel Bay in the St. Lawrence River. The mass of the ice that extended to the far horizons was something to behold. All that water frozen into a large mass. Covered with drifted snow below us as a north breeze nipped at our faces despite the warmth of the sun. Nightfall was coming and our shelter awaited us nearby. A room with a large tub to fill with hot water to bask away the winter chill before having a hot dinner after. This is a gift of winter. Hot water to soak a cold body. A hot drink with a hot meal. Not things we desire in summer. They come with winter and things make sense in those moments. The simple pleasures that satisfy our fragile bodies. Only winter can bring these things. Piercing chills and numbing stings to our faces. Frosty breath from exertion and exercise. The need to take shelter from the cold,dark nights where the mercury drops below zero. The warmth of another’s body close to you under heavy covers and the blissful passage into sleep in a warm room. All this does winter bring. And my sporadic ramblings weave and twist in all directions. For all I may question about why I stay? There are so many reasons why I do. And even if I dream of warmer days without the weight of heavy clothing upon me, I revel in the magic that appears as we truly embrace the winter days. Yes it will still challenge us. Yes we will feel cold and miserable at times perhaps after a hard day in the woods. Or curse the plowing of snow with our tired iron protesting it’s mechanical issues. Or find ourselves stuck behind slow traffic and snowplows as we speed about our winter business with our vehicles covered with salt and sand. And memories come from the recesses of my mind of much harder times then these. They were real and not figments of my imagination. Subzero times and record breaking snowfalls live there in my memories. I have not forgotten. For I was once a snowmobiler. And an avid ice fisherman. A winter trapper of furs. I learned to drive on a frozen lake. Winter has shaped my life here in the St. Law. Valley. And I know now more than ever why I stay. It would be hard to leave this behind forever. A piece of me would be lost. And I must ask what if? What if we were to take a short break from winter and then return? Could we still manage to find enough days for all we wish to do before the ice and snow disappeared? Today is February 2nd and winter is well underway now. There has been no ice fishing yet and little ice walking. But time remains. Isn’t it funny that when winter hits a certain point I begin to worry about what I might not do? A contradiction of sorts. And the origins of my Spin. For contradictions live in all seasons of nature. A great subject to ponder next to the wood stove on a cloudy, cold day. It is enough.✍️