We are waiting for our first snow storm of the season. The prediction is for rain with an additional one inch of snow. That much needed moisture will be very welcome. Living in a banana belt is great, but it also brings drought and wildfire concerns.
As I drove home today I saw that Bob had covered the bee hive for the winter. Our weather stripping is finished, new windows installed, the tomatoes are ripening in the basement and his motorcycle is stored in a shed close by since we often have mild winter weather that allows for some afternoon winter bike rides.
As I drove my car into the garage I was filled with a feeling of safety that I used to experience as a child when I saw the wood pile ready for the long winter, the basement stocked with my mother's jars of jellies, pickled fish and other preserves from our garden and lake, and the meat from rabbits and deer harvested in the fall by my father and brothers.
Our winters in northern Minnesota in the 30's and 40's were harsher than the weather today. The snow was deep, sufficient for making snow forts and wonderful, wandering tunnels. Storms would last for several days, cutting us off from the town which was a mile away. My parents stocked our shelves and wood sheds before the storms engulfed us. They were always prepared and I always had the sense of security that came from their preparedness.
I never completely got over the instinct to stash away more than we need. Bob says I am like a squirrel, and since now we live with few major storms and within a block of the grocery store, it is unnecessary for me to hoard more than we need. I guess I never will completely get over the need to prepare for the worst. I learned it well from my parents. I do think I am buying less at one time, but I hope I never lose that feeling of security I get when I see the bees tuckled in for the winter.
(Note) I use the word "tuckled" to differentiate from the expression when my mother
"tucked me in" for the night.
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