On March 30th, we welcomed yet another snowstorm. This was the more typical March snow – heavy, wet, clinging to everything. Due to the hazardous driving conditions produced by such snow, many of the churches around cancelled their meetings. So we stayed home where we were joined by my two married brothers and their wives. In the afternoon, as we enjoyed lunch and a time of fellowship and games, we also watched the snow slowly creep its way off the roof. The rising temperatures outdoors gradually accelerated its progress and large chunks of the whole winter’s ice and snow accumulation began periodically falling off the edge of the roof. After a small avalanche fell, however, a problem was discovered…

The situation was quickly diagnosed as an emergency and several jumped in to assist in resolving the problem before more snow had time to come down.

Thankfully, nothing but the screen was really broken and the emergency team soon had the window back in place.  Boards were laid across it to prevent a reoccurance during subsequent avalanches.

Meanwhile, the photographers, deeming it safer to move out of avalanche range, made a few other discoveries…

The old sugar shack finally collapsed under the weight of all that snow and ice.

Oh, there’s a picnic table under there after all!

Snow is a lot of work, but it is also a lot of fun. The work done, activity quickly turned into a snowball fight. The advantages in this senario were rather one-sided…

The snowcovered roof not only was used as a vantage point in the snowball fight, but also became an interesting “playground” as the guys attempted to remove the rest of the ice/snow.

That was fun, but it created a little more work. It took me 45 minutes of shovelling to clear it all out! That was fun too, though.

To the work! to the work! we are servants of God,
Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;
With the balm of His counsel our stregth to renew,
Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.