By BECKY NELSON
Bramblings
Every time you turn on the television or radio news, all you hear is reporting about the partial government shutdown. The longest shutdown in the history of the nation, the shutdown is using government agencies and federal workers as political pawns as the mess drags on and nothing gets solved.
We have impasses at the farm. We have times when no decisions get made and projects get tabled, but we can’t shut down. Animals need tending. Crops need nurturing. Work must be done. People must be paid. The looming snowstorm has us far from shutting down. We have taken almost all week preparing for the snow and everything to do with it.
The biggest challenge if we have more than a foot of snow, and up to two feet have been predicted, is getting to everything maple. This time of year we spend a tremendous amount of time in the woods, readying the maple tubing and lines that carry sap from the woods to the sugarhouse and cutting and splitting wood that we couldn’t schedule into our farm processes earlier in the year. We use the wood to fire our evaporator in the sugaring process. Slogging through feet of snow to dig out downed trees and then hauling it back to the farm for splitting and stacking is near to impossible in the snow. I guess it’s our fault for not finding the time to do the necessary woods work earlier in the year, but having a diversified agricultural venture and limited dollars and staff, we have to put off some tasks. Part of the limitations this time of year is snow, as we hold a snowplowing and sanding route to dig other folks out of their winter messes. Sometimes that leaves us in a pickle at the farm.
This has actually been a pretty mild and snow-free winter so far, which can lead to complacency and make storm cleanup an urgent affair. We only had a few inches on the ground earlier in the week, and though cold, the weather has not been horrible for working outside. We have had tough days with wind and ice, and the trees in said maple orchard have suffered with some downing in the wind and others losing branches that have taken out some maple tubing, but for the most part, the weather hasn’t been as frightful as it could be.
This weekend’s storm is posed to be a big ‘un. This will set all sorts of plans back a couple of weeks as we perform clean up and dig out projects instead. Roofs will need to be cleaned off to get the weight off structures. Drives to the barn will need to be dug out and cleaned up so we can get to hay if needed for customers or for our critters at the store. Paths will need to be shoveled. Winter will need to be dealt with. I pray we don’t get the freezing rain, as that will make farm life even more challenging and will threaten more tree damage. Keeping up with heavy storms and getting to things before the snow gets too deep and damage is done is always a challenge. As good farm stewards, you have to be timely with your plowing, shoveling, roof-clearing, and path-making so property and animals and people are safe.
Winter is nothing new. We deal with it in one way or another every year. The challenges come with managing time, getting things done and saving our sanity and energy with long hours spent in plow trucks and difficulties if we have to deal with power outages. But snow can be fun, too. A trip to the woodlot or adjacent snowmobile trails with a machine can make for a beautiful day visiting areas we wouldn’t otherwise see. On our snowmobile trips we have seen icy waterfalls, icy structures in overhangs and caves, panoramic views of areas we just don’t see everyday and some fun, to boot. And boots you must have to keep out the cold and wet.
This snow will be great for kids who want to get outside to play with sleds and toboggans and all manner of fun snow activities. For those older folks who are done with the fun stuff, it can still be beautiful, watching it swirl and blow and cover our beautiful area with a beautiful blanket of white.
We will be buttoning up things that need to be done to deal with this weekend’s snow or will already be plowing and shoveling and prepping for clean-up as you read this. But there will be no shutdown if we disagree on a plan. Not here. My thoughts go out to all directly affected by the government shutdown as I shovel snow and watch the beauty of the drifting snowflakes. I hope those with the power to make things change can hurry up and sit down to discuss their differences and solve their disagreements like stewards to take care of those in their care before the political snow drifts too deeply and more damage is done.
Becky Nelson is co-owner of Beaver Pond Farm in Newport. You can reach her at [email protected].
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