Chinook Wind

A warm Chinook Wind swept into our region a few days ago. The temperature rose above the freezing point; icicles turned into liquid drips and puddles of water now surround the cabin. The softening snow, a foot deep on the roof, slid off, rumbling like a mini-avalanche. Last year when we first experienced this event, we thought it was an earthquake. The whole cabin shook. Poor Yu-Ling. This time it happened in the middle of the night, waking us all up. Yu-Ling sought refuge under the bed. We went back to sleep. I can see bare ground and moss exposed beneath the trees. Yesterday’s high reached a balmy 43 degrees Fahrenheit. And the warmer weather has brought out the wildlife. We saw a lone wolf crossing the driveway, and a moose made his way across the field in the direction of ice-free Stronach Creek. The moose’s winter diet consists of twigs and bark of deciduous trees, such as the red osier dogwood and willow that grow along the streambed. In fact “moose” derives from the Algonquian’s name moz, which means “twig eater.”

But there is still plenty of snow… four-feet of snow doesn’t disappear overnight. Bob is busy making sourdough bread. It will go well with a bowl of homemade soup. It may look like March outside, but the forecast calls for lowering temperatures (down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit) and snow flurries. Winter is not over yet.
... P. L. Morningstar
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