Well, I got a little behind during Christmas. The house got new carpeting throughout and I've been busy lifting heavy furniture around and trying to stay ahead of the carpet layers. We used to be able to lift things around all day long, but now although we are still capable, we sure feel it more the next day and the next and the next. It takes a little longer to recuperate from strenuous activities. I watched Wynn out riding around on his snowblower this morning and was reminded of that first winter in Mink Creek. It must have been late August in 1983 and we were standing in the driveway together looking at our home and making big plans when Wynn said, "I want to see the worst. I want to know how bad a winter can get up here." Whoa, wrong wish!
   It started snowing on his birthday, September 23 and I don't think it quit until March and it was cold. We had frozen pipes, many times. We had snow blowing in through the single pane un-caulked windows. You could sit on the couch, watch your hair blow and get snow down your neck. The wood stove was working night and day but we just couldn't get warm. We had cut what we thought was enough firewood for the season and piled it in what seemed to be a convenient location in front of the tin shed. Ooops. We didn't realize that the slick tin roof would be dumping all of its snow collection right off onto our woodpile. It only took one big snowstorm and Wynn had to start mining for wood. As the winter progressed, he  actually tunnelled in and made a cave he could crawl around in and come out with an armload of wood. We had a propane down-draft furnace sitting in the middle of the kitchen propped up on legs made from Isomil baby formula cans and we nestled around it.
  Our 250 foot long driveway had to be shovelled by hand, since we couldn't afford to own any equipment and we turned into human snowplows. However, as the snow continued it soon became almost impossible to throw it high enough. We had snow walls on either side well over head height.
  We also had a chimney fire that first winter. The attic filled with smoke, it took the fire department forty minutes to respond, and we learned that we would have to be prepared to handle major incidents on our own.
  Mink Creek has been one long lesson in self-reliance. It's been good for us. The family learned how to be a real team and work together through so many challenges. We don't sit around and expect the government to "fix it" or wait until the county can come and help, or wonder why the local utilities don't get their act together. We realize that we are the resource and we've got wonderful neighbors who are also resourceful and willing to come to our aid. They've been here for us from that first winter when they came with loads of wood and a clean up crew after the chimney fire and we've responded when they needed help. Working together is what a Mink Creek kind of day is all about.