A massive snowstorm hammered South Whidbey and left behind more than a foot of snow. It also closed businesses, halted bus service, shuttered schools and left many people stuck at home.

Worth the trip: A cup of joe to go

People needed their coffee, even if it meant putting tire chains on to get it.

The baristas and the owner of Southern Cross Espresso learned of the South End’s caffeine addiction during the recent snowstorm.

“People have to have their coffee,” said Jill Sheler, Southern Cross Espresso owner.

She said business has remained steady, though the number of customers has declined.

“It’s definitely been slower, much slower,” Sheler said.

Single cars pulling away with multiple drink orders increased, however.

The Clinton stand on Commercial Street tried to keep its operating hours of 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Getting the baristas there has been the most challenging part, as most of South Whidbey was covered in snow and ice.

On some of the particularly snowy nights, the stand closed early to let the employees get home safely.

“We’re open, it’s hard for some of the girls to get there,” Sheler said. “We are just trying to play it by ear.”

Despite the sustained below-freezing temperatures, Sheler reported the best-selling drink, the iced mocha, was frozen in place.

“Believe it or not, but some people still have to have their iced mochas, even if it’s cold outside,” she said.

Clover Patch keeps cooking

Neil Colburn of Neil’s Clover Patch in Bayview said his main concern since Tuesday has been safety all-around.

“Tuesday, we closed at 2 p.m.,” Colburn said. “I don’t want people driving in snow in the dark, either to come here or driving home.”

The restaurant owner said he decided to ignore the weather reports, noting that weather forecasts are often wrong. Wednesday, he waited for the rain that was reportedly on its way.

“Yesterday, we closed at 1 p.m. when we realized it was getting worse and worse. Today, customers were paying by the honor system because I had to leave to go pick up the waitress and the cook didn’t know how to use the cash register,” he said.

Colburn made a taxi service out his four-wheel-drive vehicle for his employees, ushering members of his team from home and back from several locations, including Scatchet Head, where he picked up the waitress.

“It’s still snowing now, so we’ll be closing at 2 p.m.,” Colburn said Thursday.

Because Langley is set in a sort of bowl, he said people are hesitant to drive down the streets into town.

In Langley, he noticed the pedestrian traffic seemed to be good and that Useless Bay Coffee Company was open, the Braeburn looked open, as were Mo’s Pub and Eatery and Prima Bistro.

“People are getting cabin fever and it makes sense to stay open for pedestrians. But if it doesn’t make sense to go out, then don’t go,” Colburn said.

Colburn was looking forward to business rebounding with better weather.

“We’re hoping to have a good weekend to make up for it,” Colburn said.

Snow problem, Linds delivers

Over at Linds Pharmacy in Freeland, assistant Taylor Herring said deliveries were still going out to folks despite the snow.

“We’ve made probably five or six deliveries today and here will be more by the end of today,” Herring said.

“Less people are coming into the store, but we’re still busy as far as filling prescriptions goes,” he added.

Cabin fever starts to take hold

In downtown Langley, Prima Bistro owner Jenn Jurriaans said there was at least 6 inches of snow on the ground. Still, business at the bistro continued, especially for walkers.

“We’ve been open as per normal, but closing a little early each night depending on business and conditions,” Jurriaans said.

One concession was made to the weather, however. Sax player Danny Ward was supposed to play Thursday evening, but the bistro rescheduled his gig for Friday, just in case, and she was advising folks to call ahead for good measure.

“We’ve had great business from our locals within walking distance. Today seems better as people are going stir crazy so are venturing out regardless,” Jurriaans added.

Getting comfy at Cozy’s in Clinton

Customers were comfortable at Cozy’s Roadhouse in Clinton this week.

The restaurant’s owner said they were plenty busy, with weekday sales totals on par for a Friday night.

“We’re right on the side of 525, being on the side of a main route no one had to go on side roads to get to us,” said owner Stephanie Cook. “We were the only people open.”

She didn’t estimate the total number of customers that came in, but said the eatery felt full most of the time.

“It was busy,” Cook said. “Usually we don’t do the kind of totals that we did on the weekdays.”

Her employees all made it to work, though some had a little help. Cozy’s normally stays open until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, but closed at 9 p.m. during the snowstorm this week so the employees could get home safely.

All of Cozy’s deliveries arrived, which surprised Cook. After all, she had the roof shoveled off and measured 13 inches of snow.

Otherwise, she said customers and employees at Cozy’s had a good time.

“People were happy to get a nice hot meal,” Cook said. “Kids were having a great time visiting with their friends and not being stuck in their houses.”

Neither rain nor snow nor sleet

The road was so bad, even the UPS guy started walking up the hill.

But that wasn’t the biggest surprise for Donna Lee vonFalkenberg-Ridley on Thursday. She looked outside to see someone bundled up and pulling a sled up her steep street, Spinnaker Ridge, north of Clinton.

“Why would somebody be bringing up a sled on this hill?” she wondered.

The person came closer, and vonFalkenberg-Ridley saw through the snowfall the walker had a rope tied to a white carton and was dragging it up the slippery slope.

Surprise! It was the mail carrier.

The neighborhood was hit by 12 inches, maybe 15, of snow this week. The road had been too steep to even attempt, and vonFalkenberg-Ridley noted seeing a UPS driver trudge up the slope to make a delivery.

“People just haven’t been coming or going because it’s so bad,” she said.

Enter “Laura,” the mail carrier, last name unknown.

It’s been a long time since vonFalkenberg-Ridley has seen a mail carrier on foot making the rounds, and she’s 75, she noted, so seeing someone brave the hill — and bringing along a plastic bag of grocery ads, to make sure those got delivered, too — left her thankful and amazed.

It was the first time they’d gotten mail since Saturday, vonFalkenberg-Ridley said.

“I just feel like everybody should have gone out to the street and hugged that lady. God bless her,” she said.

Remember to feed the animals

No one forgot about Manny the tuxedo-coat cat, Tito the stray or BooBoo the rat terrier.

The trio, and their counterparts in Freeland, Coupeville and Oak Harbor, were all fed and cared for during this week’s winter storm.

Despite unrelenting snow and nearly impassable streets, the staff at the animal shelters run by Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation found their way into work despite the dismal conditions.

“The staff comes in every day, no matter what, to clean and feed the animals and take care of them. Rain, sleet, shine or snow,” said Michelle Rose, a WAIF animal care technician.

“We’re here every day, no matter what,” she said.

Rose said the snow was piled high at the Coupeville shelter, and was probably a foot-and-a-half deep.

Slow but still exciting at the vet’s

The weather caused some physicians on the South End to reschedule non-urgent appointments.

But at the Useless Bay Animal Clinic, business continued as usual this week, just at a slower pace.

“We made it in, but the customers aren’t coming,” said veterinarian David Parent.

“It’s just been very, very slow. The streets are just really slick and people don’t want to come in,” he said.

No emergency cases popped up this week, thankfully, and Parent said the people who were coming by the clinic were dropping in for pet food or flea treatment supplies.

Parent said the weather wasn’t bad enough for him to cancel a major surgery that was planned, a splenectomy, where he had to remove a spleen and a tumor from a dog.

The big excitement of the week, he said, came before the mid-week snowstorm.

Monday, he was called out to Bush Point after someone found two eagles locked together in combat.

Parent and one of his clinic technicians worked until the birds, both females, could be separated and released. It wasn’t easy.

“Neither one was going to let go until the other one died,” Parent said.

“It was pretty spectacular. They were two big girls that were evidently in a battle over territory,” he said. “They just wouldn’t let go.”

How did he get them apart?

“Very carefully,” Parent said.

Overall, it wasn’t a very good week for the majestic bird of prey.

Bill Rowlands reported that an injured eagle was found by a passerby after Sunday’s snow along Deer Lake Road. Rowlands said a local bird expert surmised the bird probably hit a snow-covered power line that had blended into the white landscape.

Winter workout warriors unfazed

There’s a montage in “Rocky IV” where pugilist Rocky Balboa trains in the harsh Russian winter.

He runs up a snow-covered mountain. He drags a cart across snow-covered roads. He shadow boxes a frozen carcass.

South Whidbey residents showed similar dedication to staying in shape during the recent snow-filled days. Ashley Lopez, a trainer at Family Care Fitness Center in Clinton, saw 15 patients come in Wednesday for physical therapy, and a steady stream of exercisers kept the business busy as they tried to burn off winter weight.

“People are a lot more apt to coming out than we thought they would be,” Lopez said. “Everyone’s been coming in before the 3 or 4 p.m. range.”

“People don’t want to miss their daily workout.”

She said more clients are carpooling to get to their workouts. That includes a group of some more muscular men, such as a former professional wrestler.

“I call them my WWF (World Wrestling Federation) group, and it’s so cute to see all of these big men getting out of one car,” Lopez said.

Some of the eager exercisers were high school students training for sunnier days. Lopez, an assistant softball coach for the South Whidbey Falcons, said parents have dropped their kids off to condition for spring sports, which begin in March.

“Some of the kids are serious about it, too,” she said.

Record writers Brian Kelly and Patricia Duff contributed to this report.