Our First Winter | Unser erste Winter
a haiku/ein Haiku
Our first winter here
brought the most snow in ten years.
We shovel daily.
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Der erste Winter
war kalt und verschneit,
aber war es so schön.
Our first winter here at Mulin Sura was quite impressive. I've lived in Europe long enough to have gotten used to more severe winters (than those in Encinitas), but I have not ever lived in the countryside. In the city, you don't have to shovel your own path home. This season brought the most snow they've had in ten years, so we were not the only ones impressed. Looking out on the blankets of snow each morning, I was comforted by the beautiful winter wonderland that surrounded us. It didn't encourage us to go outside, though. The snowfall was twice Lucky's height, so he had significant difficult maneuvering his way around the yard. At first, he loved frolicking through the snow, but that fun quickly subsided. Once we'd picked up the mail from the box at the end of the bridge, Lucky happily ran back into the house.
Due to the heavy snowfall, Pascal couldn't drive all the way up to the house, or even to the creek. First he had to shovel or plow the snow off the bridge and in front of the garage to get through. This was rough for him, coming home after a long day of work only to plow the snow for an hour before dinner. Therefore, I learned how to use the plow myself. It's a small one, which you walk. It requires some muscle. After the first time I plowed the bridge, my hands were sore. But I got used to it, and when it works smoothly it's quite fun! Pascal was so relieved to come home from work and drive straight into the garage.
The amount of snow was not always manageable. Some weekends, Pascal was up by 7.00 to start shoveling. The weight on our back patio and on the roofs weren't safe. Sometimes guests shoveled for about an hour before breakfast, which we were grateful for, especially as it continued to snow throughout the whole day. Still, it was gorgeous. A true winter wonderland.