By Bob Spiwak
It’s Monday, Dec. 7 — a day, said President Franklin Roosevelt, that will live in infamy. This of course in reference to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. I remember that day for a variety of reasons, primarily because it gave the United States a legitimate reason to declare war not only on Japan but also in the European theater. Historians still argue whether the president and war staff deliberately put the fleet at risk in order to hasten our entrance in the both wars, or if was just a happenstance attack that fate played into our hands. There were a great number of Americans who were pacifists, including some in Congress. It is a special day of remembrance for me because family members, close and distant, died in both theaters.
Wars aside, it is a mushy, messy day here in West Boesel. The state plows have done their usual great job keeping the highway open after two heavy storms, which is right now being augmented by rain to add to the slop. Where we live is probably, as we’ve have stated before, the lowest piece of road between Winthrop and Mazama. This morning’s fog was limited to this area, going to and coming from the Mazama Store. As we are now in a delightful warm spell, we might be ill-prepared for another burst of cold that would ice things up, not only roads but also on snow-packed paths that have been shoveled. Be especially careful driving and walking — you don’t want Santa to put a broken hip or leg in your stocking.
Our usual statistics from Harts Pass have been truncated because for about three weeks there has been no reading from Harts Pass as to the depth of snow up there. We plan to find out if this will be winter-long or just an instrumental aberration. What is still being recorded is the snow/water content, which goes hand-in-hand with the depth but, as I look at it, is far important come the spring melt. I checked this last Thursday and the snow/water was at 120 percent of average. This morning it was 134 percent, a leap of 14 percent in less than four days.
There were power outages all around the valley Sunday morning. The clock stopped at 5:13 a.m. and power was restored here about 8 a.m. The loss and return of electricity varied: Many were still destitute of juice at 10 a.m. I feel for the folks who have to be climbing poles and manipulating tools in this weather, and thanks go out from us all, I’m sure.
The Mazama Store will, as usual, host Christmas at the Very End of the Road on Sunday, Dec. 20. For those unfamiliar, this celebration also includes a small gift bazaar open to local vendors. Right now we have no idea what a table will cost but will have the information in next week’s column. If you’re in a hurry, the store’s phone is 996-2855.
We got a copy of a letter that Snow-Time services sent to their clients. For those not in the know, this is the primary private snow-plowing operation in the upper valley. Owned by the Buzzard family, they ask forbearance if they arrive later than you might like and ask that driveways be cleared of any debris that can damage equipment — branches, rocks, gravel. The letter notes that along with the above, the heavy, wet snow slows down blower operation, and breakages take longer to repair. So please be patient.
This is spoken from experience of 30 years or so, and even with that I have so far managed to put the tractor in the ditch, and suffered an ice clog blocking the chute of the blower. So far, no busted shear-pins. Hoorah!
