"The spring will come..."

Thursday afternoon Chris needed to go to Staples to buy something for work. I went along for a ride, just to get out of the house. The weather forecasters said we should expect rain with a few inches of snow starting that evening. Sure enough, heavy rain started just about the time we headed out. There was some snow mixed in, but as we got closer to the coast it was all rain. We poked around Staples for a few minutes, then headed home. About half way there we saw a vehicle coming towards us with several inches of snow on it, and the rain turned into huge, wet flakes. By the time we turned onto our road there was quite an accumulation of slushy snow, and the road was what Mainers refer to as "greasy." Chris drove very slowly, and we were relieved to pull into our driveway. 

Several chickens were under the picnic table, wet and miserable looking. They had been out scratching around in the rain, and when the snow started they took shelter there. We flushed them out and towards the coop, they were not enthused about being in the snow. Two went under the coop and refused to come out. One went in the duck house and also wouldn't budge, so I left her there for a sleep over with her friends. Chris laid on his belly in the snow and tried to poke the hens under the coop out. Bravo tried to help.

I got the other animals all fed and situated for the night, and we went inside for a bit, hoping the hens would smarten up and get in the coop. A nasty wind was whipping up and the wet snow was coming down at a rapid pace.

A hot shower seemed like a great idea, we were both wet and cold. Chris went upstairs first, and called down suggesting that I should fill up some water jugs because with this weather we could expect to lose power. I did as he advised, and topped up the goat and donkeys water tubs while I was at it. I went out to check on the birds again, and only one remained, sodden and forlorn, under the coop. A well placed poke with a long stick was finally the incentive she needed to vacate her questionable digs and head up the icy ramp to join the flock. Triumphant,I locked the door and headed in for my turn under the hot water.

We settled in for the evening, warm and safe, the spring storm raging outside. The lights blinked and then went out. We lit a few candles and read by the flickering light for a while, then went to bed early, falling asleep listening to the wind whistling under the eves.

It was still snowing when I woke up, and I was surprised to see a plow truck, crusted in snow, stalled in the road in front of our house.

We were still without electricity, but the wood stove kept the house reasonably warm.

The goat kids peered out at a world that looked very different than the one they had played in the day before.

The wild birds waited in line for me to fill the feeders. 

The ducks explored the yard, looking unhappy. 

Bravo doesn't mind the snow at all. 

 Flirt prefers to stay inside, as close to the wood stove as possible.

 For the next 40+ hours we all spent a lot of time near the stove. I made a pot of chicken Florentine soup, finished a book I was reading, started and finished another, and began a third.

Puttering around, I redecorated a couple of shelves.

I boiled water to wash dishes, made frequent trips out to check on the animals, and we both fretted a bit. The world is odd enough on Covid lockdown, having no electricity made us feed edgy. The house is weirdly quiet when the background sounds we hardly notice go silent. No quiet ticking of the baseboard heaters, no hum of the furnace in the basement. The refrigerator does not purr in the kitchen, no water rushes in the pipes behind the walls.

We were happy to see crews of tree cutters driving up and down the road. The heavy snow sent many trees crashing down onto wires. Contractors for Central Maine Power were out in force, and we were glad.

Our moods elevated considerably when the power returned. On her death bed, the last words my aunt Mary Lou spoke were, "The spring will come..." and it will. This last gasp of winter storm will make it seem that much sweeter.