A Calm before …

We have had a two day calm. Mild yesterday early, with wind picking up, a few snow flurries, and the temperature dropping rapidly from the upper 30s to 17f over night. Today there are actually moments of sunshine and hopefully milder temperatures before the next winter storm descends upon us tonight. Yet again, we are supposed to get snow, turning to freezing rain sometime tomorrow morning, then back to snow later. More ice to break limbs, damage power lines, and send more people into darkness and no heat. If it stays cold long enough, the ice will be minimized.

The German Shepherd’s vet appointment for tomorrow has already been rescheduled for next week. Our vet lives way out on a rural road as do we and she may or may not be able to get in to the office. She comes to us for the big guy, but Shadow will still jump in the car and we can take her to the office.

Now that the hay bale that is used in the chicken run is about half its original size, I cover it to protect it from the rain and snow so I can peel off layers to put down in the hen’s run. They will get food and water inside the coop tomorrow, they won’t set foot outside when it is snowing. Once it stops, I can put hay down for them to exit the coop.

The bird feeders were filled, I will probably fill the wheelbarrow with wood again, the wood cart is still full and there is still enough in the basement for a day or two.

Last night’s low temperatures froze the ground surface so this morning’s chores weren’t performed in mud, but unless it warms enough to thaw the surface before the storm, it will give it a better surface to stick and accumulate. It will stay cold Friday and Saturday, not warming to above freezing until Sunday, so it will stick around.

Last weekend, I applied a flex seal along the bottom trim of the windshield, I had already done so along the top edge, and we left the car out of the garage in the rain day before yesterday to see if I had taken care of the leak. I haven’t. I have no idea where the water is coming in, but there was a little water on the dash and the passenger side rug was damp again, not soaked like before, so maybe I improved the situation. I guess the car will live in the garage from now on when we aren’t using it.

As I was preparing dinner last night, I realized what a sorry lot my kitchen linens have become. I pulled out a dish towel, faded and dingy and remembered it came from a niece with a potholder, apron, and cookbook more than 25 years ago. I snapped a picture of it with the apron and sent them to her as a memory.

Most of my dish clothes, unpaper towels, kitchen towels, and pot holders are stained, worn thin with holes in them, and dingy. Maybe it is time to warp the loom and make some new ones to replace the old purchased ones. This little towel above is the perfect size and thickness to use on my tray when canning, so it will still be part of my collection.

Last night I made a big pot of stew, a couple days ago a pot of goulash. If we lose power, they can be reheated on the woodstove or a camp stove and we will stay nourished. For now, other prep must be done. We have been lucky so far this winter with only short outages or flickering power, but ice storms can change that.

I would love to hear your comments on this post.