A Normal Spring Day

Here's a nice photo of a normal spring day in Dunsmuir over 90 years ago. Our building (1912) is visible on the left about the middle of the block. The California Theater hasn't been built yet and neither has the Dunsmuir State Bank building. Travelers Hotel building is there and the two storey building on the right which was the post office and doctors offices upstairs - I think - need to verify that and check dates of those buildings. Fascinating thing about this picture is the three ladies walking up the sidewalk on the right side of the street just about in the center of the photo. Who were they? Where were they going? Did they know they were being photographed?

We actually had a "normal" spring day yesterday. There were showers in the morning and it didn't get really warm but the sun was out and it was the most "normal" spring day yet. Snow is melting fast. We actually did put out the vegetable and flower seeds yesterday but I'm hedging my bet and still have the snow shovels and ice melter out. If all goes well we'll put them away this next week and replace them with fertilizers and garden hoses. I have the feeling that as the days warm up and spring starts to happen we're going to have a very busy time - but maybe that's just my eternal optimism talking. The rotten weather this past month has put our business down badly and we need some busy time.

First day of Spring?

Looking back in my weather records I can see that we've had more snow this March than any other at least since 1980. So far we've had 13 days of snow and two days of rain and it's only the 19th day of the month. Accumulation so far is approximately 28 to 30 inches but today is sunny and things are melting. Going to put the snowshovels away and get out the garden seeds this next week for sure.

Several people have asked about the old pictures. The one showing all the people standing around inside a store was taken in 1916. The business is Eherenman's Mercantile which our business evolved from. Jake Eherenman is the distinguished looking man on the extreme left. It's interesting to me to contrast that picture with the modern interior photo of our business below it. The snow scene was taken (I think) in the 1940s and is somewhat like what our current snow situation. It looks to be a bit deeper though and snow removal is better today so things aren't quite that bad.

Caught between seasons

Trying to put winter behind and move into spring - that's what March seems to be about. Rain and wet snow during the day and cold nights (15 degrees Friday night) has helped us to sell out of ice melter and now we probably won't be able to get more as the warehouse will mark it "out of season". Selling a few snow shovels too but by this late in the season most people either have a shovel or are just willing to wait it out. Electric heaters are hot (no pun intended) sellers and they also are "out of season" so as they sell out we can't get more. Air conditioners are probably very available though. It can't last forever. For the most part, business is slowed down as we just wait for spring. We watch the trees planted along the avenue in front of the store for the first sign of buds swelling and green growth starting, but so far - nothing. Weather is the main topic of conversation as customers come in. The vote is about ten to one: "I'm sick of winter" over "I like the snow". We watched the Nicholas Cage movie - The Weatherman - last night and his observation that weather is "just a bunch of wind blowing things around" (expletives deleted) seems pretty much right on. Guess we'll just wait it out.

Weather rules

So much for the theory about March. With about ten inches of fresh snow on the ground it's hard to believe that spring is almost here. Snow has been falling steadily since before daylight this morning and hasn't let up. The freeway is closed, streets are almost impassable and there is no break in sight according to the tv weather. It's hard to guess what will happen on a day like this. There will be some business in snow shovels and ordinary hardware things but enough to justify paying two people to staff the store? Probably not, but my deep rooted belief in being consistent tells me to be open and available. If the power doesn't go out (which it has been known to do on days like this) then we'll tough it out until 4:00, which is our closing time on Sunday.