Farewell to Winter

Spring has arrived, but before I go barreling into this new season, I’d like to pause & bid adieu to our very first winter spent in this house. The following is a synopsis of that time. .

Mid November, we took trips to Amish country in search of a wood stove (I’m always up for a visit to Lehman’s). Using all the savings I had since I was a teen, we were able to purchase one in Salem. The installation took days & involved getting the original 400 pound cast iron one out of the way first. Thank you Uncle Fritz.

To our joy, we were finally able to use our new stove, but that involved wheelbarrowing wood down the hill and around the house to do so. We worked on weekends to cut fallen trees and stack the wood outside of the front door on pallets. Sometimes it was peaceful, being outside with a beautiful blanket of snow layering the countryside. Other times it was muddy & slushy, cold rain of which was not enjoyable at all. Nonetheless, we worked at it to grow those stacks of wood. Gavin would swing that ax for hours, I’d collect the pieces & cart them down. We’d pile them around the wood burner, taking a step back at the end of it all and feeling proud of the sight before us.

We didn’t burn everyday, but we did when we could. I had a new favorite spot in the house, a cozy chair right by the fire, the best place to read. Lucky the cat and I could curl up there and nestle in for hours. I read Unleash the Giant Within by Tony Robbins on Christmas break there.

I experienced my first holiday season working for The Salvation Army. Gavin had his first plow route at work, which had him getting a phone call anytime between 11:00 pm – 3:00 am. Every time his phone rang, he’d answer, “Okay, I’ll be right in” and start getting ready. As I curled up further under the blankets, I wondered how he was able to do that so many nights. I felt thankful for the man that he is.

I learned that the road leading to our house that’s filled with rolling hills does not get plowed as it should. One afternoon, I ignored the forecast and decided to meet up with a friend. The drive home was the scariest ride of my life on those hills. The ditch was littered with cars that had slid off the road. I walked in the front door and had never been more thankful to make it home safe in my little Honda.

For Christmas, we were able to pick out our very first tree from my parent’s lot. It felt so special to be able to cut one from there after all those years of seeing them grow.

Gavin & I decided to make it a tradition to go to Petitti’s and pick out a couple special ornaments each year. For being the man’s man that he is, he gets more excited than a kid in a candy shop when we’re in there. “I’m in the holiday spirit!” he proclaimed, holding up glass ornaments in his hands, grinning. “Wanna get both?”

Though it wasn’t all happy. We had a scare with my brother, Matt having to go to the hospital in December. He was there for a week. I drove up to visit him, Christmas lights packed in my bag to surprise him. Growing up, some of my very best memories are of him and I decorating the plastic log cabin play house in the basement. We’d barely make it past Halloween before we started digging for the lights.

His room was dark, with the curtains drawn. It was difficult to see my big brother laying there like that. I pulled out the stand of lights and began wrapping them around his bed frame, both of us laughing. It brought a little joy to the moment, just like old times. I was able to bring him home later that day, just in time for Christmas.

The house was cold when there wasn’t a fire to sit by. We kept the thermostat at 55 to save on propane. It climbed to 60 for a couple hours in the morning before work & when we got home. I snuggled up by wearing a scarf most days, and sometimes a hat. The worst was getting out of the shower and walking upstairs in a towel, but we made it work. We got through our first winter together in this house. And I’m happy to say it’s feeling more like home with each passing day.