It’s been quiet here on the blog. And life has been pleasingly quiet too. The quiet by choice and the forced quiet of a very long winter. We were away on vacation in November on the east coast when the first really bad storm of the season hit. From afar, feeling completely helpless, we worried about the endless days without power back home (there was a malfunction with our generator). We relied on gracious neighbors to check on the homestead, and in the end, 58 hours later, the power was back on and thankfully everything was okay. Although, we did have quite the snowy mess to clean up when we came home and our trail system was trashed.
Being in Jacobsville, the “banana belt” of the Keweenaw, we always see a bit less snow than our neighboring communities, but without a doubt this has been the snowiest winter in our now almost decade of winters here. The current snowfall total for the Keweenaw winter season 25-26 is 347.75″ – this is not a typo. Spring equinox has come and gone so now we are officially in “Sprinter” (Spring/Winter), that sometimes long drawn out season where we wait for signs of life. Where are they? Somewhere under all that snow probably. I was recently in Wisconsin and heard my favorite harbinger of spring, the sandhill cranes! They are on the route, but probably also awaiting change to move further north (good idea friends, keep waiting). I saw a robin a few weeks ago (what a mistake that guy made), and I heard one on our snowy walk yesterday morning.
Here’s a snapshot of what Sprinter currently looks like. A lot of snow has melted, but more is being added. Video I recorded yesterday – March 31st, 2026.
On my meditation app the other day, I read the quote of the day and it reasonated with the hope I’ve been holding on to: “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Audrey Hepburn is quoted as saying this. I couldn’t imagine beautiful, fashionable Hepburn working a garden, but it turns out she kept a large garden with fruit trees, vegetables and flowers at her Swiss home. She even hosted a documentary series called Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn (1993). Now, I doubt she visited homesteader’s gardens in this show, but any appreciation for any type of gardening, big or small, formal or informal, is alright with me! Let’s just grow things!
Today’s quote also resonated with me, it’s what winter is all about for the homesteader and their land. “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” Ovid said this. Ovid was a Roman poet born in 43 BCE (actually he was a lawyer first but he quit that business and followed his dreams).
This guy was from 2,200 years ago and he knew what’s up! Perhaps resting was as hard-to-grasp concept back then just as it is in today’s society? Maybe that’s why he quit his job and made a name for himself by pursing his passion of writing. Both the land and a person needs rest to renew their strength. Not a new concept (as it seems we treat it these days when it comes to self-care) but I do know that this basic behavior can be the hardest to allow into our lives.
Winters can be challenging (mentally and physically) here, so we have learned ways to cope with the long period of rest. Reading, games, snow sports, new recipes, time with friends, and getting the heck outta Dodge! (Look that one up for another quick history lesson.)
Delphi, Greece – February 2026.
For those of you who see Spring, yahoo! Celebrate that by going on a hike! For those of your who are still buried under snow, hang in there, something is yet to come – eventually!
Peace, love, and nature,
-L
whiteskywoods.com 