Maybe.
But what about the winter of '60?
Now THAT was a winter to remember.
Was I there? No. I missed it by about 13 years.
But you bet I have heard about it.
My dad tells stories about the forts and tunnels he built with his brother, Uncle Dennis.
My mom remembers being out of school for a long time- a month was it? And going to school on Saturdays to make up for it.
My favorite part to imagine, though, is very Wendell Berry-ish. It's community at its very best. It's neighbors and family and helping and getting through. And it's just who I remember my Papa to be.
I "borrowed" this photo from my cousin Kathy, who lives on this same road.
Imagine a stretch of road, maybe a half-mile. In the mountains. Grandma had several brothers and sisters who lived along this road.
If I'm remembering the stories right, it sounds like there were around 100 inches of snow that winter.
Roads were impassable. There wasn't the hope of a snowplow coming through in a day or two. "Snowed in" had a different meaning.
So at some point, Papa and his brother-in-law left a car at the end of their road.
They would find out what essentials everyone needed and then make the snowy trek on foot to the end of the road.
I don't know how the car ride into town was. I'm guessing it was challenging. But I do know they did their best to get what everyone needed.
With the car parked once again at the end of the road, Papa and Uncle Raymond walked back through the snow and made the deliveries. I know they didn't do it for the thanks or for the promise of a pay-back later on. They did it because it was necessary and right and they could.
I'd bet the stories they had to tell later were a welcome bonus.
1 comment:
Such a nice story. Your kids probably won't forget this snow--or you won't anyway.
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