Bramblings: Dreaming of a white winter

By BECKY NELSON
The Christmas song of “dreaming of a white Christmas” has faded, so now I am dreaming of a white winter. It was nice to see snow falling last week with the birds and squirrels all gathered at the snowy feeders when the recent winter storms swept into the area. The birds haven’t had to come to the feeders much, with the woods and fields wide open with plenty of seeds and nuts to pick. I am not fond of winter ice and rain, and my heart was happy to see the white stuff, even though short lived. There is a little bit of snow left, though many patches of green are showing up in the fields. This has been a very difficult year for any of us reliant on cold winter weather with the lack of cold weather and accompanying dearth of snow felt in our plans and our wallets. Those who haven’t had to pay for snowplowing are probably pretty happy, but many are suffering.

Any businesses reliant on snow to sell products…snowmobiles, skis, snowshoes, winter gear, parts and accessories from clothing retailers to motor sports outlets, have taken a hit in the wallet. Ski areas are struggling. Hardware stores have sold fewer bags of salt and fewer shovels and snowblowers h the ave left showrooms. Fellow plow route holders like ourselves are taking a hit. Here at the farm and in many small businesses in the agriculture, construction and landscaping business rely on the limited snowplowing and sanding dollars to hold us through the very slow months. The dollars, like the snowstorms, have been few and far between this winter for these folks. Loggers and landowners reliant on a wood harvest this year have been out of luck. The warm spring last year, the soggy summer and equally wet fall and now the warm winter with unfrozen ground have made it almost impossible to work in the woods. How local loggers are going to stay in business, I just do not know, and landowners who have postponed logging jobs (yet are reliant on the income) may be thinking of putting their land to new use.

Not just those of us reliant on the income from snow are upset. Lots of snowmobiles sit in garages and carports unused this year. Downhill skis and snowboards haven’t left storage in some cases, and cross country skis and snowshoes continue to gather dust as trails have had barely enough snow this winter to cover the leaf litter of the fall. Ice fishermen and those reliant on the sales of bait and tackle must be hurting. It has been so warm that repeated warnings have told us to stay off the ice for fear of falling in and potentially losing life. Passing by local bodies of water, it is hard to see lake and pond freezes that will hold fishermen above the water. Like two years ago, we are encountering another very warm winter.

It has been good for completing some early spring work, however. We have been gathering firewood for the maple arch and are about to start maple orchard repairs next week. We have built a new pumphouse for a third vacuum pump for our sap collection system. I have been working to prune the raspberry patch that we didn’t get to this fall, and may start on the apple trees if the temperatures stay relatively mild, trying to get a jump on the task that usually crosses into late maple season and early planting season. We repaired some fences that usually aren’t even looked at until the snowpack is gone as snowpack hasn’t been an issue.

I am concerned about the upcoming maple syrup harvest. If the weather stays mild, and doesn’t cooperate during the season, maple may be in short supply…a huge hit to all local maple producers. Like always, we need to wait and see what happens, but things don’t bode so well right now.

Though wallets be thinner for many of us this mild winter, others have enjoyed not having to shovel, scrape, salt, sand, struggle and slip through the winter. With lots of openings for plow drivers and road maintenance crews around, the lack of snow has been a good thing. With the weather pattern being almost identical just two years ago, I think we may be glimpsing the future. It doesn’t bode well for those of us reliant on snowy, cold winters. We will need to do a lot of adapting, habit turning and career changing if patterns continue. There is still time to have plenty of winter. We have another wet and rainy storm predicted for this weekend, but temperatures are predicted to be in the twenties next week. Here’s to hoping the ground freezes up tight, the flakes begin to fly and we who are reliant on winter will get our wishes and hopes fulfilled. Even if you hate the stuff, keep dreaming of a white winter.

— Becky and her husband own Beaver Pond Farm in Newport, family owned and operated since 1780. She can be reached at [email protected].