Newcomer Blues

This post is for the folks that having moved here, into the wonderful rural land of the Inland Empire, (Including North Idaho) That didn't bargain for a real Winter. It kind of reminds me of the old saw,"Caveat Emptor," which loosely translated, means buyer beware. About every ten years, we have a real old fashioned winter, of the old days. This is shaping up to be one of those Times.

I have lived here through several tough winters. It appears to me, that when extraordinary weather occurs, weather that is maybe every ten or so years, people come unglued. Hey, This is North Idaho, people. An area that, in the Winter, can reach up and bite you in the butt. This isn't about the average years, nor is it about Government dropping the ball.

Several years ago, I spoke with a resident of Blackwell Hill. He told me that oil deliveries had stopped , and he ran out of fuel. He was forced to burn wood furniture in the fireplace to survive. Back then, in 1968-69, neither Kootenai County, nor Coeur d'Alene City, had any spare funds to buy snow removal equipment. It was a given, that if a bad Winter occurred, it was up to the individuals and neighborhoods to cope with.

We have rapidly expanded the population in our area, to the extent that people that have migrated to this fair land, expect the same services that were prevalent in the place they left. Unfortunately, we are primarily a rural area. Just a few miles, or even a few blocks outside of Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls, you get rural. Rural areas do not develop tax dollars necessary to maintain a perfect winter snow collection service. You want Los Angeles, we don't have it. We do, however, have a bunch of nice things that L.A. doesn't have, like a better place to raise your kids, neighbors that given a chance will help you out when you need it, that sort of thing.

Bottom line, you wanted the rural experience, now is when the other side of the coin appears. Enjoy. I am. As a matter of fact, I probably am the only resident of Bayview, that never actually saw the moose, that has now been named, Baywinkle. He's still here, and doesn't seem to mind if you are around, unless, of course, you do something that startles him, in which case, he will probably stomp you to death just to make sure you aren't a troublemaker.

1949-50 ... 1968-69 ... 1992-93 ... 1996-97 ... The present time. If this Winter turns out to be like it can, add this one to the above list. It happens when you live above 2000 feet at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Get prepared, or , the other opportunity, is to go back from whence you came. Oh, and would you mind leaving your snow shovel behind?