I remember... "The Winter of 2014"

OK, I'll say it. I have the winter blues.

And I am normally not that person.

But this has been one CRAZY winter in Wisconsin - 40+days of subzero temperatures, and more snow than I can remember in recent history. It seems like every week the piles of snow are growing!

We had such a LONG stretch of dangerous cold in January that we started going stir crazy. Our new saying became "it's so cold, the air hurts". Cabin fever set in, as we were unable to be outside in the elements for more than a few minutes, due to the dangerously low temperatures and wind chills. I'm talking wind chills of -40, -60 even. It was crazy cold.

And then February came, and to add injury to insult, it just kept snowing....and snowing....and snowing. Groundhog day was a joke, because we all knew there was no way that animal was finding it's way out through the four feet of snow on the ground!

Earlier this week, we had temperatures in the upper 30s, and it was amazing. We were outside without coats, soaking up the sunshine and fresh air. It was beautiful.

And then...

THEN.

The weather man said "the storm coming our way could be the worst we've seen all winter". Seriously? After the winter we've had? THIS will be the worst?

Our moods were deflated like popped balloons. More snow. Blizzard winds. UGH.

Schools let out yesterday at noon, in preparation for the incoming storm. And sure enough, by about 3pm, we had freezing rain and sleet. It had begun. When we went to bed, the winds had picked up, and we had a dusting of snow. When we got up this morning, it was still snowing. While we didn't get the 12 inches originally forecast, we did get a nice cover of snow, and wind on top of it.

Around 12:30, our power went out. I have never been more thankful for that fireplace. The fire, even without the electric blower, was more than enough to keep the house warm. Thinking quickly, I realized that the hot water reservoir in my coffee maker would make one more hot pot of coffee without electricity, which I made, and put into a thermos. We hunkered down for the afternoon sans electricity, reading books, and playing games.

My answer to the power outage: A warm blanket, a cup of coffee, and magazines!

We played a family game of Heroscape, one of my son's favorites, that had been in storage downstairs for years!

We were without power for just over 3 hours. And after hopping on line this afternoon, I found out that our elementary school has roof damage from the heavy snow - cracked beams - closing the gymnasium/cafeteria.

It has been a CRAZY winter. One we will not soon forget. It will be one that we recount to future generations as "the winter of 2014".