Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 23 : Winter 2015 | Page 15

I spend the entire winter grumbling. Yes, it is true, I don’t like
winter. However, I can appreciate it. If you are like me and
don’t enjoy winter and can’t afford to or don’t wish to live in
Florida during the winter, there are ways to survive. One of
the easiest ways is to stop and absorb what is going on around
you; nature is astonishing. We are lucky enough to live in an
area of Maine with open fields, woods and wildlife. We can
see firsthand the marvelous works of nature in winter. The
birds are entertaining – chickadees politely taking turns at the
feeders, vibrant blue jays calling out, mourning doves with their
If you have time, you can grab a cup of coffee for sustenance, mates sunning themselves in the yard, snowbirds blending in
but more likely than not, you have to head out right away or with the drifts of snow. If you have birdfeeders you will most
you will be late for work. The more conscientious employees likely have an opportunity to watch the antics of a squirrel as
get up an hour earlier than usual so they have plenty of time he tries to get to outwit the roadblocks you have established to
to clear the yard and get to work on time. Some of us don’t thwart his attempts to steal the birdseed.
do that. After putting on boots, bulky coats, hats, scarves and
warm gloves or mittens, we head out, grumbling the entire In addition to these obvious wonders of nature, take time
time. This brings me to another reason for my distaste for to look closely at the snow itself. You may be rewarded. Like
winter, the clothes. I hate donning heavy, bulky clothes. I the unique geometric shapes of snowflakes, the snow itself
especially hate socks and boots. I want to get up, slip on my sometimes surprises me with its patterns. The wind swirls
flip-flops and head out the door. In addition, I don’t want to the snow into scallops across a field like the edges of a lace
wait for the car to warm up so the windshield does not frost tablecloth. Melting snow forms into cubes resembling a cave
over as I am driving down the road and I don’t want to grip the of stalagmites or a frozen city. The early morning fog freezes
steering wheel all the way to work hoping I don’t slide off the on trees painting a picture only seen in winter. It is beautiful.
It is inspiring. It is mystical. I hope you will take time to look
icy road.
past the cold and mess this winter and seek out the wonders of
I feel better now. I’ve released all that pent up angst about Aroostook County’s winter wonderland.
winter. But, I don’t want to leave you with the impression that
work. This means clearing the driveway and getting the car out
of the garage (if we are lucky enough to have a garage) so we
can get to work, hopefully on time. But clearing the driveway
isn’t as easy as it sounds. Many of us do not have a magic elf
who shows up at the crack of dawn with his plow-equipped
sled to rid our driveways of snow. There is still a large group of
us who tackle the job with snowblowers, and some poor souls
have only shovels as their tools. But, before you can even think
about heading out to the driveway you have to prep yourself.

Photo Copyright © 2015 Gene Cyr, Washburn northernmainepictures.com

WINTER 2015

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