Tell Me Why I Live Here

I am begining to wonder why we didn't buy a house further south...like Virginia.
We have gotten close to 200 inches of snow, and we have more on the way. Normal snow fall in this area is about 100-150. The only saving grace this whole winter was the January thaw we had. Luckily, that got rid of quite a bit of snow. The roads are getting narrower with every storm. The snow banks are so high, you take your life in your hand trying to pull out of a driveway or intersection. Snow is piling up everywhere. It has gone from being beautiful, to just plain ugly.




Yes, the shop is almost buried.






Will it ever melt in time for opening in May. We are taking bets.

"Back in The Day"

"Back in the mid to late 1800's, the average inside temperature was approximately 45 degrees." Those words we heard on the tour at Strawbery Banke at Christmas time seemed very real when we realized we had no furnace, and that our wood pile had only one days heat left to it.
The thought of a nice weekend away was quickly squelched with the reality of knowing we had to do something to avoid the pipes freezing. We have enough problems with no furnace, we don't really want an indoor swimming pool in our living room too. We asked a couple neighbors if they had a heater we could borrow, and they did not. Don said he had one, but we wouldn't want to use it indoors. He said, "well, it's quiet, but you won't wake up in the morning". So we thanked him, and then decided a trip was inevitable.
We trekked off to the hardware store to find a portable heater. Luckily they had 2. So we bought them both.
The next on our list was to find some wood. Called a few friends, they gave us a few names and numbers, and lucky enough one man had some left. Better yet his price was reasonable. We will be using him next year for sure.

A Furnace Burial

On Friday, Michael went down to check on our stock of squashes in the basement root cellar.
There he found soot around the furnace. This was not a good thing.
The furnace repair guy came within the hour, and told us the bad news. The furnace is gone. He said we were lucky that we didn't have boxes and such stored around the furnace because they would have caught fire and burned the house down.
So, we had two choices. Fix the furnace we have for about $1000, or replace it with one that will last about 40 years. If it were not for the $4000 price tag, that would have been the route we took, however, financially $4000 right now is out of the question. Option A, we will fix the furnace we have, and it will hopefully last another two years.
So then, came the question of when. " I have to order parts," he said. That means we would be without the furnace until probably Tuesday.

Wicked Winter Weather

Today is not a day to be outside. Even the dogs are reluctant to go out.
It has gone from snow to sleet to freezing rain. It is nasty out there.
Today is a good soup day and bread to go with it. Pea soup is simmering, and the smell is filling the air. The bread is next. I want the bread to be hot right out of the oven when the soup is done.
There is nothing better than fresh hot bread with a dollop of butter and a bowl of homemade pea soup. Or any soup for that matter. We only eat home made soups, so we are partial. If only more people would take the time to make their own home made meals, they would understand the flavors they are missing.
While the bread is rising, I will dream about life on a tropical island...where there is no snow, or freezing rain.

No Plastic Needed

Yesterday, we went produce shopping. I was amazed at the fact that organic produce has to be wrapped in plastic. In order to be a certified organic store, this is one rule that has to be followed. I guess the organic produce can not come in contact with anything else, so they wrap it in plastic. This just isn't organic in our mind. Plastic wrap, with a Styrofoam tray is NOT organic in the least. I am not sure who came up with this rule, but it seems to defeat the purpose of the produce being organic in the first place.
The other thing that struck me was the amount of prepackaged salads, and other produce blazing the isles. There were at least 5 kinds of prepackaged salads. Along with them were prepackaged tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and others. I understand that the prepackaged salads are a time saver. But how much time does it really save. What is wrong with buying the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and celery separately and make it yourself at home. Imagine 200 people a day buying the prepackage salads. Take that and multiply by 200 grocery stores. That is 40,000 bags a day ending up in the landfills. This is just a small example of what the real numbers are. Imagine this happening all over the country on a daily basis. Imagine how many plastic bags are ending up in our landfills....just from prepackaged lettuce and produce.
We have decided that we want no part in adding to the problem. When we go produce shopping, we carry along a wicker basket and use that to haul home our veggies. No need for plastic bags.
When we get home, we wash and drain all produce on a clean cotton towel. We then make our own salads, feeling that we did at least a small part in helping our landfill.

Ready For Darkness

The wood stove is going, the candles are on the table, and we are all set if the lights go out. In fact I always welcome it. No electricity brings a sense of peace and tranquility. It makes people connect in ways we use to. It is called talking. There is no t.v or computer diverting someone's attention. It brings back the old art of actually having a conversation with your family.
I remember during the Ice Storm of 1998. The boys and I were living in our Rebecca Lane apartment. We were without electricity for 3 days. We cooked corned beef hash and beefaroni on the wood stove. We used snow in the tub to keep our food cold. Candles became our light source. We had a little portable radio we used to get weather and storm updates, but we couldn't use it for long or we would wear the batteries down. So, we entertained ourselves with reading, games and singing. We sang "16 Candles", as the candle light flickered in the room, and we all laughed.
It is a time that I will remember for years.

Calm Before the Storm

One looking out the window right now would never know we have a winter storm on the way. The sun is shining and the sky is filled with beautiful purple and yellow hues. There is only wisps of clouds covering the beautiful sunrise.
The weatherman paints this afternoon as a much different picture. A winter storm is on the way. It will start will snow, and end with freezing rain. The rain is the problem element in this storm. By tonight, we are suppose to have 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice covering our world. With the snow, ice, and heavy winds, power outages are expected.