Harry's Gang: History shows we've endured

Winter started early, with snowstorms over Thanksgiving I wasn’t expecting. No one was, really. Over 2 feet of heavy, wet snow that clogged the streets caused most of us to “shelter in place” for a while. It took months to get the roads in decent shape and many people blamed the government for doing a poor job of snow removal. Of course, they did an excellent job of snow removal considering the volume and density of the snow, but people still complained. A lot. It’s easy to blame the government.

By most accounts, the winter has been otherwise mild. Sure, we had a few cold snaps and a few more snowfalls, ending the season with slightly above-average snow totals. I feel comfortable predicting, with no expertise whatsoever, that the snow is over for the season.

But winter is not over, if you define winter as that period between the first significant snow in the fall through spring when we can finally get outside, move about easily, and establish social activity with your neighbors and friends. Now the weather is warming but we’re still hemmed in by the pandemic. It’s like there’s a blizzard, and, to top it off, we can’t go to the bar; attend a hockey game; or even play — at least in groups — on the sledding hill. It’s a permanent blizzard.

Social distancing is a fancy phrase for “stay away and don’t spread germs.” While it’s inconvenient, it’s necessary to prevent a sudden and massive outbreak. So we follow our governor’s advice: we stay at home; we avoid contact with others; we stock up on groceries. But most of us know we’ll survive. Eventually, the government will find a vaccine and the pandemic will fade and we’ll recover.

Regular readers of this column may know I’m a big fan of the “Little House” series; Laura Ingalls Wilder’s accounts of living through the “Long Winter” of 1880-1881 seemed quaint until now. We’ve been stuck in our own little version of a long winter that probably won’t end until near summer.

In her book, Ingalls Wilder describes a certain boredom taking over her life, as she and her family spend each day simply trying to get through another day. Rationing food, fuel, and social activity came close to getting the best of them. Today, we’re dealing with a modern version. We’re used to coming and going as we please, but suddenly there’s no school; there’s no church services; there’s no sports. We can still get groceries, although some things seem in short supply. We converse with our neighbors through text messages, emails, and phone calls. A whole subculture of concerned citizens are looking out for those unable to take care of themselves, like the elderly and disabled. No one knows how long this is going to last. Misinformation is mixed with good information, but we can’t really tell which is which. Rumors abound.

I’m encouraged by history that we will recover. There will be some chaos, and that’s difficult. We’re in the middle of a major historical event. But we’ll soon return to order, and, eventually, we’ll look back at this time with some nostalgia. Stay safe.

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News and an attorney in Esko who hosts the talk show Harry’s Gang on CAT-7. He can be reached at Pete.Radosevich @PineKnotNews.com.