Sure, the weather can be brutal – but it brings us together

Have you ever noticed how weather can bring people together? It seems to be the common denominator we all have despite our differences. It is the one subject you can discuss with anyone without fear of stepping on toes.

It doesn’t matter if the weather is beautiful or truly terrible; we’re all in it together. You can greet a good friend or a total stranger with comments about the weather.

Here in rural eastern Pierce County, the weather can take on prime importance, such as the recent ice storm with its widespread damage and power outages. It is not uncommon to check on your neighbors during times such as this. People come together to help each other.

Neighbors who rarely see each other except for mutual nods as they are driving by come together to help clear fallen trees, sand steep hills or offer help with snowbound vehicles. Mothers gather up children at bus stops and closing schools, keeping neighbor children safe at home along with their own, until parents get home from work.

My husband and I built our home on steep, forested land in the foothills of the Cascades. We share our little mountain with about two dozen families. Because we maintain our own private roads, it is our responsibility to keep these roads accessible. There is no such thing as calling public utilities to come and take care of things such as fallen trees, landslides or flooding.

When the weather turns cold and snowy, it is a challenge to navigate our steep, hillside road. Four-wheel drives and chains are the only way to go. Because we have lived here so long, we are familiar with everything Mother Nature has to offer. Hubby good-naturedly has helped many a neighbor out of ditches along this steep hillside.

We call him the ditch whisperer. He can coax even the most stubborn vehicle back onto the road, much to the distressed driver’s relief. I don’t know how he does it. He claims it’s all in the motion. After shoveling a little dirt under the back wheels, he rocks the vehicle back and forth with just the right amount of gas at just the right time and out the vehicle jumps. Literally. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

Bad weather can make an ordinary person a hero. Someone who never in their wildest dreams thought in the morning when they woke up that later in the day they would be jumping into cold, swift water to rescue someone trapped in their vehicle, turns into an instant hero.

Power-line workers putting in long hours in severe weather to restore electricity so we can be safe and warm are also heroes in my book. But for the rest of us, simply taking time to check on an elderly neighbor in a power outage can be considered just as heroic.

After our recent ice storm, hearing the comforting sounds of chain saws makes me know all is right with the world once again. Generous neighbors worked with neighbors to clear the way, to help the single gal next door, the elderly neighbor down the street. Several of my neighbors own small tractors. These generous men think nothing of going out on a cold and snowy day to make sure the road is plowed, sanded and safe for everyone. They are our very own unsung heroes.

So whether we like it or not, weather has the power to bring us all together and give us a chance to get to know our neighbors. Or at least give us all something to talk about.

Karen Frost, one of six reader columnists whose work appears on this page, is the mother of four grown children. She lives in Buckley with her husband and assorted pets. She blogs at beatriceeuphemievintagecottage style.blogspot.com. Email her at karensfrost@msn.com.