​Lady amaryllis flourished her brilliant red petals in the morning sun, like a dancer answering the call of the music. Beside her, her daughter listened, too, and joined her in the dance.​

It was an eventful week here in northeast Wisconsin, as Blizzard Elsa ended up being one for the record books. We snagged the number two spot for heaviest snowfall in a single storm (since they've been keeping track), with the Green Bay tally at 26.6 inches, making it the snowiest in 138 years. It was also extremely windy, so quite a few folks were commenting that totals may have been higher.

I didn't attempt to tally at our place, but we did end up getting thumped pretty good. After I sent out last week's newsletter, it started coming down and didn't let up. I suspect we got around 2 feet, but the drifts were much higher. It took quite a bit of shoveling to get access to the coop, and when Duncan cleared the driveway with his tractor when the snow let up, it took most of the afternoon. The snow was so deep he had to take it in bites to keep from getting stuck.

I saw footage from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with someone standing in the middle of a highway after the storm, warning people to avoid the area, as the drifts over the road were around 10 feet deep. Normal plows could not get through.

And what else was going on in the middle of the mess? Roads filled with people, stuck in their vehicles for hours, all because they ignored the warnings and thought they could get through. (There's a video here.)

I was surprised that people in the Green Bay area, who should be familiar with winter weather, didn't make better choices. Unfortunately, it seems to be part of a larger trend of folks abdicating personal responsibility. Ignore the warnings, go on about your day, then complain when things end poorly. I'm sure many of the people didn't have winter car kits, or folding shovels, or much of anything else to make their trips a little safer in case the storm they'd been hearing about for a week was as bad as predicted.

Situations like this are why I wrote Common Sense Preparedness - to encourage people to get back to the basics of preparedness that were once taken for granted. It's not about living in fear, it's about making better choices so that when disruptive things happen (and they always do), you're covered. No last minute scrambling. Instead, you have systems in place to help keep you steady when life is not.

After we dug out from the storm, it warmed up and the drifts started melting, but it'll be a bit until all the snow clears. The yard is mud and drifts, so walking can be treacherous, but the ducks are having a blast.

Spring has been greeted with exuberance. From the harmonious clamor outside, our wild feathered friends came through the storm okay, too. Birdsong is blessedly louder than last year, which seemed eerily quiet much of the time. The sandhill cranes were dancing on the ice of the pond, putting on quite a display.

Inside, my red amaryllis put up a second flower stem for the season, while her daughter bulb in the same pot also flowered. The onion seedlings are chugging along under basement grow lights. Le Mew got antsy and peed in the fig tree pot during the blizzard, but we flushed the planter with plenty of water and top dressed with fresh potting soil and it seems to be doing okay. The countdown is on to gardening season.

This Week’s Resilience & Abundance Boost

• Respect the warning signs. Whether it’s weather alerts or gut instinct, pause and plan before pushing ahead. A little caution now can prevent big problems later.
• Equip before you need it. Keep a simple kit in your vehicle and home — basics that turn a bad situation into a manageable one.
• Reset after the storm. Clear paths, restock supplies, and note what worked (and what didn’t) while it’s still fresh in your mind.
• Welcome the signs of renewal. Birdsong, budding plants, longer days — small reminders that hard seasons do pass.
• Start what you can indoors. Seeds, seedlings, or even simple projects help bridge the gap between winter and spring.

Resilience is built in the choices we make before, during, and after the storm — steady, practical, and forward-looking.

All our best to you and yours,

Laurie (and August Iv, August V, and Duncan)

This week's featured articles...

Stevia products are often expensive and laced with other ingredients, but if you'd like to use this sweetener, it's not too difficult to grow in your herb garden. We cover growing tips and how to go from leaf to extract.

A discussion of stevia should include a discussion of potential stevia side effects, so we have that covered, too.

Speaking of unintended impacts in your food, we also have a discussion about the safety of plastic cutting boards.

This easy cheese quiche is a great way to take advantage of abundant spring eggs. You can use veggies that are fresh (like spring spinach), frozen, or freeze dried, and meat and cheese if you like.

One of our readers (Patricia) mentioned that she missed the poetic opening to the email I sent on Tuesday, so I made one.

A patch of sunlight played across the table, falling on the open book and steaming cup of coffee she savored after morning chores. The cup was a gift from a friend, the drink inside a soothing mix of roasted coffee and herbal "coffee", with a dash of maple syrup and cream, and a scoop of collagen for extra richness. It was a unique blend not found at any coffee shop, that spoke of home and comfort, and taking time to savor the moment.

The Perfect Supplements St. Patrick's Day sale has wrapped up, but you can always use the code COMMONSENSE10 at checkout to get 10% off.