My eyes were still closed and I hadn’t stretched or moved in my warm snuggly bed. It was that delicious in-between moment I treasure. But I felt a small, warm breath next to my ear and heard David whisper, “Mommy, it’s shnowing!” I smiled before my eyes popped open. “It is?” I asked. “Show me, David!” His little grin appeared and he took my hand and led me to the window. Sure enough—it was shnowing.
It snowed slowly at first and caused Steadman Farms to look like a winter wonderland. It was pristine as it fell without any wind to cause drifts. After we went downstairs, Caleb told the boys, “Boots and saddles, boys! We’ve got cows and horses to feed and I need your help.” Every Steadman male squirmed as they put arms in sleeves, feet in boots, and hands in mittens. But they were dressed and I was looking forward to a 30-minute reprieve. The boys whooped and hollered as they ran out into the snow. I watched until the first snowball was thrown and turned to start breakfast. Then I hoped to put my feet up a few minutes.
Caleb was determined to teach the boys to love farming at a young age. So everything he did with them was a teachable moment and he made them do actual chores. We believed it was healthy for children to help support the family enterprise with age-appropriate hard work. Henry loved to fork hay to the animals and the twins took turns pouring water into troughs—and all over themselves. Caleb later told me that the twins teeth were chattering (mostly because they’d gotten themselves wet) and began asking to go to the house early. “Boys, we can’t go in until all the chores are done. And we have to stay together to make it through the snow and not fall,” Caleb told them. Henry replied, “I don’t care if I fall—I’d just make a snow angel on the ground!” And then they were all clammering, “Can we make snow angels?” The animals were all ok.
That was the last of the tame and gentle snow. By noon, the wind arrived and we were being pummeled by fierce snow. Frosty wouldn’t have stayed out in it! After lunch, Caleb told the boys, “It’s nap time, boys. You need some rest and Mom & I need to make some phone calls. So no getting up. If you can’t sleep, you can read a book. Give me a BIG hug before you go up.” Those boys loved books. I suspected each boy would read until their tired eyes drooped.
I could tell Caleb was getting nervous. We hadn’t had a storm like this in…well, ever. The first person Caleb called was Jake Leathers, the man who’d trained him in farming. Jake told him, “Caleb, we’ve done all we can to prepare. Now it’s in the good Lord’s hands. I suggest you make sure you’ve got enough firewood by the back door so it’s easy to get to. We just need to pray no pipes burst and no animals die.” Caleb put on his coat and went out to heed Jake’s advice. And while he was out, he checked on the animals. “So far, so good,” he told me when he came in.
Feet were pounding on the stairs as three little boys ran in squealing, “Can we build a snowman?” Caleb had to break the news, “Sorry guys! The snow is coming too hard and too fast. It’s not safe. I’m sure we’ll get to build a snowman soon, but not today.” Instead they helped their dad stoke the fire and Matthew asked, “Can we make popcorn in the fire bowl thingy?” So Matthew got to help with the first round of popcorn while the other boys helped me make hot chocolate for everyone. This was cozy. As I sat down, I thought, “I really must have overdone it yesterday racing from one grocery store to the next trying to find everything I needed.” My neck was tense and my back seemed to be having spasms. It felt good to sit down. I decided to take a hot bath later. The boys were tossing popcorn in the air to see how many dad could catch. He was pretty good at this game—he loved popcorn. We could see the snow, watch the roaring fire, enjoy the company of one another, and hear the eerie wind howl. And then…
The lights went out.
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