How high is the snow, mama? (white hell!)

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
Poor guy. Watch your food.

a reply to: Skid Mark

I do all the cooking.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
I remember that thread! It made me drool lol.

Watch your scotch then. LOL

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Holy Cow! Makes our 7.5 inches look like a dusting doesn't it?

I discovered today that my wheel barrow doesn't have a snow tire! Had to hoof the firewood to the porch.
Just thankful that was my greatest problem of the day.
Oh, ...and running out of bird seed and suet....

a reply to: diggindirt
Get a sled. You won't be sorry.

a reply to: Skid Mark
Thanks, I'll pass it along to my Beloved. He intends to resume his wood-fetching duties when he finishes his knee replacement rehab in a couple of weeks. He can probably create one in the shop.
In the meantime, the great-nephew who was scheduled to be here on Saturday got delayed by the weather so my supply was running a bit low. He will be here tomorrow and will fill the porch again. It's his workout. He really enjoys it, says it's "a Zen kinda thing..." to move the wood from the pile to the porch and stack it properly. He associates it with the warmth of the fireplace and the food cooked over the fireplace. He spent a lot of hours reading before the fireplace....and eating the foods cooked there when he was growing up.

a reply to: diggindirt
You really don't want to run out. Good thing he's coming.

a reply to: Skid Mark
Ha! Running out isn't in the picture...I'm totally compulsive about having a large supply within arm's reach on the porch. When I mention "running low" it means I can see the porch floor in places. My Beloved pointed out that there was really no need for me to out there trudging about.
There's no way I'm going to let him step out onto a slick surface and risk messing up his brand new knee. I keep the small area around the front door not covered by wood swept clean.
The birds clear the southern side of the porch, where we feed them.
But it was a lovely sunny day and every tree and bush offering seeds was covered with birds. Mostly I jut needed to get out of the house for a while and get some exercise.
Followed the deer tracks around the yard. They stopped to browse on some honeysuckle vines and grazed some green under a pine tree. Then it was over to both peach trees for a browse, into a sumac stand for a rub and then into the brambles.
Rambling around in the snow following tracks took me right back to my childhood and snow days when we'd all bundle up and see what kinds of tracks we could find and follow. And wouldn't you know, when I came in from my ramble, my Beloved had hot cocoa and cookies waiting on the hearth. I like being snowbound with him!
Here's a snap of one of our many fine cardinals.

a reply to: diggindirt
That's a pretty cardinal that's guarding your wood pile. Do you have to take something to whack the wood with to break the logs free? It looks like it would freeze together being uncovered like that. Also, what kind of wood is that? It looks like red oak.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
Also, what kind of wood is that? It looks like red oak.

Seems pretty early in the day in the photo. My guess is morning.

a reply to: CranialSponge

Hahaha, yeah the snow actually brightens things up!! Sorry, I feel your pain. We are just now at about four hours of daylight and gaining. I know it's really rough for the guys that work up on the North Slope here. I don't know if the sun even comes over the horizon right now, they might have some residual daylight in the sky though.

I hope everyone was safe and cozy warm in this snowstorm. Hopefully next year we will get to keep it up north with is where it belongs.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
It took me a second to get that. You're so bad! LOL

a reply to: woodsmom

Hopefully next year we will get to keep it up north with is where it belongs.

So it's your fault! Shame, for shame!

a reply to: Skid Mark

Not my fault, if I had my way we would be snowed in for a week! And properly, so much so that the plow trucks would take two days just to plow back into my road! Hahaha, an enforced vacation if you will. Life doesn't stop here for less than three feet on the ground. So we would need double what you guys got for a good snow week!

I'm willing to bet that at least 3/4 of the state of Alaska was wishing for the snow you guys just got! I guess I should be happy it's not 50f here now too. Last year when this happened my herbs started growing in January while it snowed south. Then when patterns returned they were winter killed. I didn't even replant last year either since it was the second winter in a row it happened. This year we at least have some snow and a more normal 20f.

a reply to: woodsmom

We've gotten smart in our old age.

Whenever we're getting a huge dump of snow, one of us will go out every hour or so and clear it away from the driveway, sidewalks, and front/back decks. Or at minimum, keep a pathway clear from the house to the garage (to get at the snowblower later).

This way you're only clearing a couple of inches at a time instead of fighting with 5 foot snow drifts after the fact.



... unless of course it happens in the middle of the night when we're sleeping, then you're pretty much SOL with a not-so-nice surprise to wake up to in the morning.

It's times like that when you need to have a shovel inside the house to dig your way out !

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: diggindirt
That's a pretty cardinal that's guarding your wood pile. Do you have to take something to whack the wood with to break the logs free? It looks like it would freeze together being uncovered like that. Also, what kind of wood is that? It looks like red oak.

Yep, it's red oak mostly although there is some poplar mixed in. Casualties of last year's snow storms.
No problems with freezing unless we have major ice build-up. We used to try to keep it covered but it is just too much hassle with the winds we get.

The picture is from late afternoon. The woodpile was simply covered with the tiny birds, chickadees, towhees and such and as I was getting ready to snap a pic, the Papa Cardinal flew in amongst them and claimed the entire pile. There were about two dozen of the little ones roosting under the porch this morning. When I opened the front door to let the cat out they all fluttered out in a flock. Startled the cat so badly that he turned and came back inside.
The snow pretty much left us today. Our road cleared and most of the driveway. We even got mail delivery today!

The cats had an exhausting day picking their way around the snow. The man cat had to have a nap.

Meanwhile Her Highness napped on the sideboard among the glassware.

a reply to: diggindirt
Poplar is really good for getting the fire going. It burns nice and hot. The problem is it burns up so fast. It looks like you have a good mix, the heat of poplar and the long lasting burning of red oak.

Cute cats. I'd keep an eye on the one in the last pic. The way it's looking at the candle, it looks like it's going to conjure a cat demon or something lol. Kidding.

a reply to: Skid Mark
Our wood guys do right by us. Not only do they make sure we have a good mix of wood securely stacked, they even drop by to make sure we've got plenty on the porch when the weather gets messy. They're usually in the neighborhood clearing up downed trees after any storm.
One morning last winter we were awakened to the sound of wood thunking on the porch.
"What's that racket?" I mumble.
"I'm not sure but it sounds like somebody putting wood on the porch." answered my slightly more wakeful Beloved.
"At 6 o'clock in the morning with snow on the ground?" I wonder.
Sure enough, they were heading down the road to take care of a tree and noticed that our porch pile was low. Now, that's a good neighbor!
Of course, they never leave without a bit of something that might have been cooked over the wood they supplied for the fire. I'll be making them a pot of Choctaw chili and fry bread next week.

Those cats---let me tell you---appearances can be deceiving! It's funny you would mention demons in relation to Her Highness, Princess of All She Surveys. It is actually that laid-back looking black and white ball of fluff that has as one of his many nicknames, "Devil Dog." Long story short, he's the re-incarnation of our best friends' Jack Russell. In this incarnation, before his arrival at the farm, he was treated poorly by humans and harbors a deep distrust of all of us. He takes a very long time to trust. I do wish I could know his story sometimes. But then I think that it's probably best for the human who mistreated him that I don't know.
The Princess, on the other hand, came to us having been raised and socialized in a loving home with three kids having the experience of rescuing the mother cat and kittens from a parking lot in the middle of a snow storm and raising them responsibly. She has absolutely no issues with humans. With that black and white blob? Yeah, sometimes she has issues with him. He loves to play pranks on her and despite the fact that she's about half his size, she always gets the best of him. She's the sweetest, most affectionate, playful and socialized feline I've ever known.
She welcomes everyone to her Kingdom but is not above putting a dog or other critter in its place from time to time with a few quick smacks to the head. After she's the Princess, that black and white mass is just the butler.

a reply to: diggindirt
Damn, those guys are cool! Lucky guys, too. I haven't had a good piece of frybread in years.

a reply to: Skid Mark
I love our community!
Here's a blast from the past. This was the scene during our Icemare in '09. No power for two weeks. All the food we cooked was right there on the fireplace.
This was the night I made fry bread.