Which season is it this week?

Is it winter, spring, or summer?  By the weather that we just experienced over the past weekend, you can pick any of the three and you would be right. Old Mother Nature sure has a way of keeping us guessing. Even though the temperature has dropped again, I will take the 40’s and 50’s at this time of the year.

 

Last week I wrote about the snowstorm that we experienced in 1965. I will always have that etched in my memory because it was one experience that I considered a once-in-a-lifetime event. I had a can truck route for Conger Creamery at the time. After that storm had let up, we went out and picked up milk from the farmers that we were able to reach. As I drove south of Conger on the gravel road, I started to run into drifting snow. I had no choice but to try and make my way through the drifts. There was a mile stretch of road that was almost all snow drifts. I would get a run for it and continue to go as far as I could before getting hung up. I then proceeded to shovel the truck out, so I could back up and try again. I would usually make it a little past the area that I’d just shoveled before I’d get stuck again. It was pretty cold out, but I was sweating like I’d just finished working out. As I got to the crossroad, I looked behind me to see a plow coming down the road towards me. I had already shoveled most of that section of road by the time he came along. I hope he appreciated that.

 

There were many farms that I couldn’t get to. One farm in particular was on a hill running east of the road I was on and there was no way to get to it. The power line poles were sticking about three feet out of the snow, which will tell you how deep it was. Some farmers hauled their milk to the end of their driveways on a sled. Others used their tractors to haul what they could. Others weren’t so lucky and had to pour milk down the drain because they had run out of cans to put the milk in.

 

After that little pause in the storm, it started all over again. By the time it had spent all of its fury on us, there were snowplows, road graders, cars and semis buried in the walls of snow that lined old highway #16. That was the sight that welcomed us when the plows had finally opened a trail on the highway, so we could get to work.

 

Until next time: If you are thinking about taking a camping trip this summer, now is the time to start planning.  It is important to reserve your spot early because some campsites have limited space, so the “early bird” has a better chance of securing a spot.

 

Please take the time to remember our troops that are serving now and those that have served before them. They are the reason that we have all of the Freedoms that we enjoy today.