The Inconvinces of Vermont Spring

The other day I posted on the things I love about Spring.  Today I will post on the top five inconveniences of Vermont spring.

 

1.  I am pretty sure the road is trying to eat my car.  I really wish I were joking about this one.  The frost heaves are large enough to eat a whole car and more people then I can count have had to take their cars to the shop to be fixed because of unfortunate encounters with potholes and frost heaves.  Every morning is an adventure as you try to dodge these monsters, while trying to avoid oncoming trafic at the same time.  Traving a road you do not know in the dark is not an option during the spring. 

 

2. The fluctuating temperatures will drive you mad.  One day it will be 40 and sunny and the next day you will wake up to -6. 

 

3. Failure to carry washer fluid in your car can and will result in you pulling over to the side of the road and dumpung the remaining water from your water bottle on your windshield.  I was lacking washer fluid for a day and half which resulted in carrying a bottle of windex in my car and spraying it on the windshield every time I stopped the car. 

 

4. Driving on dirt roads can be an adventure and may result in you having to call someone to dig you out.

 

5. On rainy days, allotting extra time for your drive into work is a must.  There is always a chance that one or all of the roads you use to get to work have been flooded or washed out.  

Change

 For generations, maple syrup in Vermont has been made using the same standards; all that changed this season.  This weekend was the Vermont Maple Open house weekend.  For us, this means traveling to one of the local sugar houses, sampling some fresh maple syrup, and eating sugar on snow(with a pickle, of course). 

During these visits, we will occasionally pick up a jug of maple syrup.  (We go through a lot of maple syrup in our house.)  This time I had forgotten that they changed the grading system to align with the international system that other states and countries use.  This created a problem for me, since I had no idea what I needed to purchase.  Then came the kind lady stocking the shelves who pointed me to the sampling table.  Little Man and I spent the next 5 minutes sampling maple sugar and thoughtfully considering which one we wanted.  Unfortunately, there was a mild disagreement in type and we ended up having to flip a coin.  In the end we walked away with Amber Color with Rich Taste. 

Then we headed off for a wonderfully sticky bowl of sugar on snow. 

Spring in Vermont

 Spring is typically the season I tell people is not a good time to visit Vermont.  With that said, there are many things I love about Vermont in the spring. 

 

For starters, I am a runner.  I love running on the muddy dirt roads.  After sliding around all winter, bundled up like and Eskimo with a head lamp, there is nothing better than the mud under your feet, the sun shining in your face and not having to be bundled up (although today I probably should have worn gloves) after a long winter. My shoes hate me by the end of spring, but I love every minute of it. 

Secondly, there is nothing like spring snow.  This is the season where several of my students are out "sick".  As a teenager, I loved the transition from ski goggles to sunglasses on the slopes.  As a responsible adult, I love throwing my snowshoes in the back of the car and tromping around in the woods with Little Man after school.  It is warm enough that we shed the shells of our jackets, I ditch the snow pants, and the birds are singing as the sun shines though the trees.  You still have that winter beauty, but at a bearable temperature that invites you to enjoy the day. 

 

Then of course, we have the famed Vermont Maple Syrup.  There are not many native Vermonters that use the fake stuff and there is a reason for that.  The real stuff is so much better.  Not only that, during Vermont Maple Open House Weekend, most of the places you visit serve sugar on snow.  Boiled maple sugar, poured onto snow or shaved ice creating a taffy like substance that is wonderful.  It makes suffering though the winter a distant memory. 

Then of course you have the spring seedlings.  The excitement of planning what is going to go into the garden in a few short months.  This year we even have a competition going as to who's seedlings are going to grow into productive thriving plants.  Mine are going to win of course. 

Lastly we have the spring blooms that poke their way through the snow.  I know they are out there, we just can't see them yet under the two feel of snow that is still on the ground.  OK maybe there is still a little bit on winter lingering around this year. 

Sometimes Things Are Better Left Alone

There are times that things are so good that they are better left alone.  I have walked past the Squirrel Stash table at the Farmers Market many times without stopping.  Today was not that day.  Andy wanted to try the pecans and I walked away with a 4oz bag of cashews.  Let's just say that by 1:00 the cashews were gone.  I could say I had help; I shared 4 of them with Little Man, but really I ate the whole darn bag. I should have just kept walking.

Task 6: Lake Morey

There are times in my life that I am so incredibly glad that I did not bag an activity all together; this was one of those times.  I have been wanting to check out the Nordic skate path on Lake Morey for a long time and this year I determined that it was going on my list of things to accomplish this year.  Lake Morey has a 4.5 mile skate trail around the lake that one of the local resorts maintains.  It is free and you can access it from several different points (we chose the resort). 

To start out the winter, I had the perfect plan.  We would go when we were on that side of the state visiting  grandparents during the February break.  There were a few problems with this.  1. It was really cold and windy the day we were supposed to go. 2. The grandparent in question really did not want to go skating on a lake in the cold. 3. We had friends going to a museum near by that was warmer and the grandparent was willing to do.  Even though it feels as though winter will be here forever, the reality that the ice would soon be too thin to skate on and that I was not 100% sure I wanted to drive 90 minutes to skate on a frozen lake. Andy, determined to help me with my list, packed us all into the car and double checked the ice conditions.  As you can see by the happy face below, we were really glad he did. 

 Once we finally made it to the lake and got our skates on, Little Man quickly took off down the skate path.  As he zipped along the path, Andy and I got our workout in as we tried to keep up.  There were several other people on the path and it was a simply beautiful day.  Every now and then we could get Little Man to slow down to ask a question about the ice fishing shacks, a snowmobile crossing the ice, the crazy Nordic skates (which you can rent there if you want to try them), or something frozen in the ice.  It was an amazing day and we are thinking that next year we might spend a night at the actual resort and make a weekend of it.  In the end, I am really glad I did not bag this trip all together; it was worth every minute. 

Task 5: Alabama Book

 There are things on my to-do list that have needed to be finished for a while.  One of those things is a photo book from a trip we took to see family in Alabama almost 5 years ago.  The book holds several of my favorite pictures and also ones that bring back some wonderful memories.  We made the trip because it we knew it was going to be the only time Little Man would ever meet his great grandparents on my husband's side of the family(both passed away within months of the visit) and the pictures hold the only memories Little Man has of either of them.  This book, more so than others, was an extra special one.  I have posted some of my favorite pictures down below.                    





Little Man and an Unlce he adores

Little Man and his cousin

This one is more about my memories.  I think I spent the first two years of Little Man's life carrying him around in that Ergo Pack.  I never really used a stroller all that much (with the exception of running).  Little Man pretty much went from the pack to walking.  This happens to be one of my favorite pictures of him in the Ergo Pack.

Little Man and his Great Grandmother 

Little Man, Daddy, Grandman and Great Grandpa

Task 4: Smuggler's Notch in Winter

There is a road that runs through Smuggler's Notch that I love to travel in the summer, however, I have never taken advantage of it in the winter.  It is beautiful and often very busy in the summer, so I suspected it would be the same in the winter.  While we did not make it to the really cool sections (it was really windy and cold) it was in fact beautiful.  In addition to this it was also busy.  Every few minutes a person walking their dog, a back country skier, a group of ice climbers, cross-country skiers, back country hikers or other snowshoer would pass by.  Little Man even had a rescue dog come to his aid when he plopped down in the snow.  It was the perfect place for winter activity and busy even on a day when it was cold and windy.  I can't wait to return on a slightly warmer day and hopefully make it to the cool section where all the ice climbers were headed. 

 

Mt. Mansfield-February

 "You're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting,

So...get on your way!"

~Dr. Seuss

 

I have a mountain that waits for me every day.  I run in its shadows, snowshoe the side of it, run and hike its trails, and am constantly caught by its beauty.  The last day of February, I decided I was going to add a Mt. Mansfield label to my blog and write about my relationship with this amazing mountain.  

 The picture below does not reflect just how amazing it looked looming over the lake the day I took it.  It truly is a beautiful mountain, and being the largest in Vermont is never very far out of view in the area we live in.  This was crucial to my running in February.  On the days that the temperature was in the teens and single digits I used it to ignore the cold.  With every step I would tell myself that it is a beautiful day and I would have missed it had I remained inside.  Some days it was enough motivation to press on and others I have to admit I settled for a shorter run and mug of hot chocolate. Either way, if only for a bit I was able to enjoy its beauty throughout the winter months.  My beautiful mountain.

Vermont in Winter

 This is the time of year when so many people are done with winter weather; I am one of them.  However, I am not one of those people that would move away from winter.  At least not anymore.  When I was away, I missed it a ton, so when people ask why I live here (beyond the fact that it is beautiful); here is why I do like winter, and why I am willing to put up with the hassles (driving, cold, ice) of it. 

For starters, there is a certain amount of bragging rights that comes from being a New Englander.  By east coast standards we're hardcore up here in the north.  OK, maybe we are just crazy, but we have fun being crazy.

That brings me to my next point.  If you are going to live in the snow, you need to embrace it and dive right and attempt to pretend it is not cold.  Despite the bitter cold, it can be a lot of fun, and when it is gone, you miss it.



So there it is, why I love the cold climate with all the hassles included.  Just ask Andy, all of my bucket list places are cold climates (Alaska, Vancouver, Iceland).