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| YNNBuffalo |
I even got a bit of a burn on my forearms.
Life was good as pedaled my way to the next neighborhood for my last shift of the day.
That was Friday.
Today we dug out the snow shovels that I had placed behind the garage just two days ago. Today we stood in the kitchen looking out the window @ the back yard ... speechless.
I have a pang of guilt in the pit of my stomach. If I hadn't put away the shovels that late unusually hot April Friday, this sleet/snow fall wouldn't be happening now.
I apologize.
I know better.
I have no idea what I was thinking. I wouldn't have taken down storm windows nor put up snow parkas in favor of light jackets & flip flops.
I am soo sorry!
There's nothing to say.
There's nothing to do.
Or is there ?
My area is slated to have under 10" much more than plastic tarps can fend off. The plan for the cold frames is to just go old school & scrape off the accumulated flakes. The fruit trees ... I plan to shake. Yeah just shake them. Shake the wet snow off so the branches won't be weighted down & snap.
No snapping allowed.
Woods has vowed to snap a pic of me standing sentry in our urban orchard shaking trees.
On the home front we have a bit of cured firewood for tonight & Monday night. If the grid goes down due to tree branches on power lines we also have the back up of a small heater powered by propane along with a small supply but I don't see us really needing it. Instead we can just have the wood stove lit for a few hours to heat soap stone bed warmers then turn in for the night.
If this were really the dead of Winter then we'd break out the two person tents to sleep in. It's easier to body heat a small tent than a whole bedroom.
We also have that old standby, a two burner Coleman Camping Stove for cooking and heating water for hot water bottles. Don't underestimate the benefits of curling up with even a small source of warmth when your cold. There's also our supply of oil lamps which we've been putting into practice as of late, along with flash lights & solar garden lights.
The majority of our food is shelf stable no need for refrigeration. What food items that are frozen would be pressure canned for long term shelf life on the Coleman Camp Stove.
We are to use a popular term, prepared ... for the most part minus the garden & orchard pretty well set for this coming Nor'easter that's headed our way.
Are you ?
~~ pelenaka ~~
Posts
You're as much a homesteader as anyone I know. Prepared is what it's all about. Hoping you don't get all the weather guesser is predicting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that ... yeah I'd threaten each & everyone of them evening news weather guys if I wasn't on parole or if I thought it would do any good, lol.
DeleteSo far, we have only had rain. I have to take my son to an appointment in Binghamton, so I hope no snow hits there until we are back home. I hate when this happens!
ReplyDeleteHate is such a strong word & yet not strong enough. Here's hoping you are spared.
DeleteIt's just so wrong......snow....now. I think southern Vermont will miss this, just barely. We did lose our power for a couple of hours this morning. Keeping my fingers crossed your fruit trees, etc. make it thru this. In TX, I remember farmers making smudge fires around the peach groves when an unexpected frost occurred.
ReplyDeleteMother nature has a very dry sense of humor. The weather has been downright bizarre this year...weird.
R u old enough to remember the commercial with the line,"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature". The joke is on us.
DeleteThat is a lot of snow! It's amazing how fast the weather can change. We're having a lovely, cool, day today and Wednesday it's supposed to be in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteTossing a bottle of 'tan lotion to Marti ... enjoy your heat.
DeleteWell, a bit of a disappointment here. Look due south, around I80, and we got no snow to speak of. All set for some white stuff, and athe few flakes we got hardly lasted. Lots of rain and wind and cold. Cold enough to make folks worry about the plants they set out too early.
ReplyDeletePhil