mumma yaga

 February 25,2025 The long cold has ended and today we are seeing temperatures of 7 or 8 above! Dripping everywhere and a pale, but warm sun! It was actually yesterday that the first hint happened. I heard a rumble like thunder. K said, "It's snow coming off the roof." I went in search of the avalanche: (The grid lines are the screen of the door!) I took this picture of  the woodshed, a week ago, after the winds drifted snow across. I dug a path through that afternoon. And I thought that was bad! So much for getting the last of the wood in! The wood that was on the porch is used up. October: This was a quarter of our supply. Now: Here is another avalanche in progress: This was at seven o'clock this morning: (a close-up of the overhang! two feet of it, coming off the narrow porch roof) The lead-in picture, at the top of the page, is from one pm., and this first overhang had fallen. This is the main section of the roof and if that snow all comes down we are trapped! He...

 February 19, 2025 For days we have watched, housebound, as the snow blew devils across the meadow.  ***** We have water! On day one, an unenthusiastic plumber came and then left us to find, dig out and open the well. On day three, our new landlord asked the former caretaker to come and have a look at the situation. Her husband knows a lot about water systems and she knows a lot about the vineyard. They started things rolling, re-checked all the things the plumber had checked, and brought a heater to put at the spot where they suspected the frozen piece of pipe was.  The fourth morning they opened the well and checked the pump, then turned on the system and we had running water again!  I was over the moon with relief and gratitude. I had asked the universe for good fortune, having no idea when things might get sorted, and the universe came through. We were blessed to receive kindness from so many: Rain brought buckets of water for the toilets, the farmers hiked to th...

 Snow dog! We woke up Wednesday morning to find the water was broken. Yes, the power was on, I had just reheated some of Tuesday's coffee. All the taps had no water. That meant that something was frozen or the pump in the well was gone. I didn't even know where the well was! The plumber came, checked the closet where all the equipment is, and left again.  Day 2, our neighbours, whom I have raised to angel status, trudged across the meadow, found, and dug out the well. They knew approximately where it was because they take off the overflow down to their barns. Husband and wife came to the door to let me know, and then the three of us (and Rocky) trudged back down and across to the well. The snow was two feet deep across most of the meadow, but fortunately the farmer, a la King Wenceslas, had made footprints which did not sink all the way down, so I managed. Rocky managed as well; I could not believe how he trampled along with us. I had expected to carry his limp, frozen body ou...