While we do seem to get one final big storm in March (or even early April), this one just seems bigger, even though I know it isn’t. About 12-14 inches or so of freshly fallen snow and it’s still coming, though it has slowed considerably and will stop sometime this evening. The goats could almost walk over the fence that should be about 5 feet tall but is, because of the snow, only about 2 1/2 – 3. My foot sank into the snow this morning and sunk in up to my knee, and I still didn’t hit ground. So I really have no idea how deep it is out there.
The below 0 windchills are also back. I really had to double check my calendar to make sure that it is March and not January. The snowshoes are welcome during my morning chores of bringing water and fresh hay to the goats, and bringing a couple of arms full of wood inside for the wood stove. And these days I’m very grateful for that wood stove, and the extra firewood my husband and son put up this past fall.
Because of our unusually busy days this year, we’ve chosen to skip the maple syrup season. While I’m grateful for the time I’m not spending collecting and boiling off sap, I do miss the process, and I know that we’ll miss the homemade syrup this year. There’s a lot to be said for the seasonal rhythm that the maple tapping brings. It’s a lovely way to transition from winter to spring. Without it this winter really does seem to be lasting much longer than usual.
But soon. Soon the warmer air will arrive, melting this snow and bringing a flurry of activity of clean up and garden preparations. And soon some seeds will be poked into the ground, but until then this last snow gives us a chance to finish up some inside winter projects that might otherwise have been put off. And the extra time spent together is welcome, as is the extra hush that the blanket of snow brings.