Snow? Yes, snow.

In rural Vermont, transplants like myself learn to either plan for the seasons or move to Burlington. I'm still here, but finding I have a lot left to learn about getting ready for winter.

Yesterday, I hucked 1.5 cords of seasoned wood into my basement with the help of the farmer who cut it for me. We were working against time, as we knew the rain was coming and wood is only valuable if it's DRY. We covered up the rest with gigantic blue tarps that make my tired old place look just this side of unkempt. Only 5.5 more cords of wood left to haul and stack. For those of you who do not have the handy dandy Guide to Country Living at your finger tips, a cord of wood measures 128 cubic feet, or 4 ft wide, 4 ft high and 8 ft long. Yes, it is a whole lot of wood. It felt good to be physical though, even if my back ached and i found muscles in my arms i didn't know existed.

My manual labor isn't limited to wood though. I borrowed a machete from my friend down the road to wack down the knotweed that has taken over a patch in the backyard and hope to plant a few more hyacinths, tulips and alliums before the ground freezes. What is left of my vegetable patch from a year ago, needs to be mowed down, seasoned with compost, manure and ash, then tilled under before being put to "bed" for the winter. Not sure i'll get to that in time, but hope springs eternal.

Tonight we experience our first actual snowfall of the season. The cold, icy rain will soon turn to fluffy puffs of snow, covering 3 inches by dawn tomorrow. Even as i type this, I can see in the pool of light from my neighbor's porch lamp that the falling water is more slush than liquid now. In about 15 hours, another 2 to 3 inches will coat the banks of the road, the green lawns of the village and the rusty metal roofs of our homes. Winter, at least here in Vermont, is finally here.