Snowed In

18°f, about -8°C, snow flurries continuing all day.

It has been years since we have been snowed in, but with 12" of snow on the ground, we aren't going anywhere, and won't be for a while from the look of it.

The snow started Sunday afternoon, and continued through Monday. But Monday night we had a little over 11", but added another inch overnight. Even now, late Tuesday afternoon it is still flurrying. We had a 4% chance of snow today but I guess no one told the clouds. More snow is predicted for Friday.

We had ample warning that we could have this much accumulation, but that it could also be freezing rain or sleet. We did have a tiny bit of that, but thankfully not much. What is funny is that our son Derek, who lives maybe 10 miles away as the crow flies, only got 7". Go figure.

But all around our area, the roads are awful. Most have not yet been plowed or treated. School has been canceled and lots if businesses are closed. Surprisingly,  our electricity is still on, probably because we had enough wind to knock the snow out of the trees.

It is absolutely beautiful outside, but for the most part I am enjoying it from inside because I have no desire to take any chances with my new knee. Larry has been out and about a lot, shoveling a bit of the walk, setting up a heater in the cellar, bringing in wood for the fireplace,  taking care of the chickens, etc. Today he walked up the hill to where he parked our vehicles to the snow off and let them run a little. It was a difficult walk, as there is a crust if ice just below the last snow so he had to crunch through that with every step. He said he was wishing for snowshoes! But he dressed very warmly and took his time because he didn't want to be a statistic of the storm. I hate leaving all this work on him, but I know I must.

The dogs, of course are loving it. They are like having little children, going in and out all day to play. No worries about Buddy running off in snow this deep!

I have stayed busy doing some cleaning and some canning. I put up 13 quarts of pinto beans and 6 of corn chowder. Our oldest son gave us a gallon of maple syrup made near his home, which needed to be divided into smaller containers for storage. To do that, I heated the syrup to 180°f , put into sterilized jars with new lids, and then turned the jars upside down for 10 minutes, per instructions from a Canadian government website. This is enough syrup for  at least a year or two. And do delicious.

It's good weather for canning--the extra heat is welcome as temperatures haven't reached higher than 25°f this week. Tonight will be very cold, and I think tomorrow night will be single digits. Fortunately Larry was able to fix the problem with our main heating stove--the orifice needed a good cleaning. Wellhead gas is not quite as clean as gas that has been through the compressor stations, but we rarely have any issue with it. Except when we do! It is a blessing though to have free gas and not have to worry about a terrible bill.

This cold spell is expected to stay with us for most of next week, so the snow won't be leaving anytime soon. We don't have to be anywhere,  so we will just hunker down and enjoy this down time. I finished one of the books I bought to read over Christmas, an older title called Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer. It was a murder mystery, and even though I knew who had done it almost immediately I continued reading because it was such a well-written book. Now I am reading another murder mystery, called Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan. It too promises to be a good read. I think I have 2 more similar books that I bought in December, along with a dozen others waiting to be read.

While I am writing this, Larry is snoozing under the colorful throw made for us by granddaughter Ashley. Lord knows he's earned the rest! Snow is still drifting by the window, the fire is crackling, the dogs are sleeping, and I can't think of anywhere I would rather be at this moment.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.