Mountain Woman (for a Week)

We bought a cabin up in Big Bear at the end of June last year. It had been something my significant other has wanted to do for years and the real estate market cooperated with us. We spent the summer and into the fall sealing the driveway, caulking the places in the walls where the wind whistles in, scraping paint, filling the wood on the decks with putty, priming and painting. He even let someone else do something – trim the tree branches that hung over the roof and made the trees growing through the deck whack the house in the wind. The first snow came before we were completely done but our hatches were battened enough to get us through the winter.

We have a lovely view of the mountains and it’s wonderful to watch the storms blow over into Bear Valley. Weekends were fun but when the forecast called for a week of snow I decided to stay in the mountains for the week. I just want to watch the snow fall and hear the quiet. Now, I’m a southern California girl, a flatlander, used to some rain, glued to the TV when “Storm Watch” comes on. Dealing with snow is a little different. I felt I was moderately prepared because I lived in Boston for 10 years. I was there for the blizzard of ’78 watching a sweater-clad Dukakis reassure everyone on TV while I was off for the week the city was closed. It did concern me that friends and relatives thought I was crazy to stay. I’m not elderly or infirm– just clumsy. My significant other did not buy into the idea of me getting snow shoes. He said I’d go out and break a leg or something and there’d be no one around to save me.



So I bid my man and some great, but slightly concerned, guests (“You can still change your mind…”) goodbye and became an official mountain woman. I’m in a nice warm heated house with a hot tub for heaven’s sake! Two hours later the power went off! My cell phone and even my MP3 player were only half charged. Being semi prepared I have a battery powered radio to listen to the local station. I was relieved when the power came back on after only three hours and felt a little cocky, feeling sorry for the people the radio said would be without power for 5-11 hours. Lights went out again at 3:00. I got concerned calls from friends. Am I really that much of a pioneer woman…really?

My wheaten terrier and I went on a picture taking expedition all the way to the vacant lot next door. The snow accumulated to a whole 6 inches before the icy stuff started. Then I settled in with a book and watched the light fade. The snow was beautiful and I had a fire blazing – and luckily a fireplace for it to live in. Finally after another two hours, just before dark, the lights came back on – perfect timing. The heat is gas but controlled by electricity. It was beginning to get a little nippy. I did a little happy dance and put leftovers in the microwave!