I love this recent post on Flickr by the fine folks at Monkey River Town.
Yeah, that’s a grain scoop in his trunk :-).
While we lack the grain scoop, our van does has a substantial permanent winter kit, including a snow shovel (small and plastic, I’m afraid), sleeping bag, quilt, and two containers with emergency stuff (water, food, candle, etc.). Happily we’ve never needed any of it, but it’s not the kind of thing you want to leave to chance around here. Several years ago a local women slid into the ditch in a major storm, with several of her kids in the van. It was nearly a day before they were found, and two of the kids lost a toe or finger due to frostbite. Global warming is reducing that risk, but I don’t have my banana plantation in quite yet.
After almost no winter to speak of all year, we’re in the midst of the first really serious winter storm of the season. Several inches of snow have fallen, and sadly Sub-Evil Boy’s trip to the regional science fair was cancelled as a result. They’ve also had to cancel tonight’s Performing Arts Event (Tlen-Huicani) at the University. The group was supposed to fly into the Twin Cities today, and then drive the three hours to get to our happy village, and that just ain’t a happy option in this weather.
