With the influx of warm and cold days, it’s difficult to put a day on when the season actually changes.
We feel it in the air, of course, but always hope it’s temporary. At some point in November, we begin to accept that winter is crawling in, and warm sunny days will be but a memory.
Winter is coming, we try to warn. Yet some just grumble and mumble, dismissed as an event of Nature out of their control. “I hate snow!” they proclaim, and prepare in ways that fit the norms of society; snow tires on the car, coats and boots for the kids, propane for heaters. Snow blowers for the sidewalks? Check.
Not enough give pause to the bigger picture of prepping for winter, or invest in things like food or food storage means, water that doesn’t freeze, or heating outside a grid or system that is reliant on electricity. Many struggle with the idea that utilities are not a basic right, and are subject to failure beyond a company’s control. These services are billed, not prepaid, and do not come with guarantees.
We have taken for granted luxuries our ancestors didn’t have. I am lucky enough to remember my grandpa cutting firewood, and watching him use the old coal burning stove. I watched him ration out the more expensive fuel, balancing the fire with free materials provided by his property. I asked questions, listened to stories, and learned from my grandparent’s stories.
It hasn’t snowed here yet and the days are still mild, but we all know winter is around the corner. We’ve had several days of frost overnight, and the first snow may fall at any time. We can be sure that Nature will disrupt our environments and routines, just as they are already being disrupted by the political climate. Grids are weak, support systems failing, and we have no control over what comes next.
I’ve mentioned many times the necessity of preparing for the shift that’s coming. I just hope we’re all focused on the right preparation.
A snow dusted field in front of a late November sunset. Picture from 2023.