Thank Mother Nature.

Flu. It fogs the mind and dampens the spirits. Plus, it lasts nearly forever.

What helps are aspirin, water, sleep, rest. Also, avoid unhappy thoughts like town budgets and mural bashing. Try not to brood over the latest wars and weather disasters.

Instead, phone good news guys like Mike Burke and Jim Carter.

“Last year at this time,” Carter said, “we were mowing grass up here.” This year, “100 percent of the terrain was ski-able.”

Black Mountain closed its season at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 27. The finale was the mountain’s Family and Friends Weekend that featured, among many other events, a balloon race, a pond skim, an Egg McMogul, music, and a barbecue on the deck and on the summit.

Carter is finishing his second year as general manager of Black Mountain, but he and his family have been there almost every weekend in ski season since 1988. When Jim fell for his wife, Gloria, he also fell for her hometown.

“Rumford is a great place to raise kids,” he said.

The 2010-11 season was probably the most successful since the new lodge and lifts opened. Carter said all the pieces of the program — downhill, Nordic, cross-country ski races — make for success. Oh, and snow.

The races kicked off New Year’s Day with the U.S. nationals and the racers kept on coming, right into March with the Eastern High School Championships.

The Chisholm Ski Club manages the competitions at Black Mountain and their labors pay off in more ways than one. Every competing racer pays a “head tax,” and the club shares that income with Black Mountain.

Then there’s public relations. Win or lose, racers take home the message that Black Mountain is a great place to compete, terrific trails, terrific people, terrific snow.

And, while Black Mountain alone isn’t going to turn western Maine’s River Valley economy around, it sure does help. Brian and Jessica Nichols reported the highest sales week ever at their Bistro when the nationals were on in January. Next year, when the nationals return to Black Mountain, the Bistro will open seven days.

Racers dine out, but they also dine in and run up big tabs at Hannaford’s. Local variety stores reported upticks in sales. Racers and their parents and coaches buy gas, too. And they sleep here. Area lodgings do very well when it’s race time on the mountain, and most are booked for next year.

Snow, plenty of it early and late, makes or breaks Black Mountain’s winter season. Black Mountain of Maine is a nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors. Board member Mike Burke is treasurer of the organization. He told me that getting more and better snow-making equipment is a must for the long term, and board members are working to develop a plan to fund it. They will succeed!

Meantime, let’s thank Mother Nature.

Linda Farr Macgregor is a freelance writer; contact her: [email protected]