Tuesday, February 12, 2008

ice storm of 2008


ice every where. the wind is supposed to pick up this evening and knock out the power. we heat with wood and cook with gas. water is provided via a water tower down the road. we should be fine. i have a small 1000 watt cheap-o inverter that could power our fridge if necessary. the freezer will be fine as long as it is freezing outside and we don't open it. the inverter is a modified square wave and i'd be scared to try it out on the new computer. maybe our craptastic tv would be ok if we really got desperate.


i can't help but think of doctor zhivago when i see all this ice.


i guess north of us springfield really got hit. many places up there are already without power.


i wonder if honey bees would find this beautiful?


the ice build up on the gentle sloping calf pen loafing shed.


the cows have really been going through the hay this winter.



this is the little fence around the porch to keep the chickens out. the top rail is extra wide so tabitha can set her laundry basket on it.


this is my little princess

she says she's a mommy when she wears this hair bandanna. i installed the trim around this door yesterday. it was sorely overdue to be installed. now i just need a bit more trim wood for the bedroom door and around the ceiling. after that the wood filler and white painting can ensue. the wall base still needs to be ordered and bought.

i have put our purchases list into a spread sheet in google docs. if you have never tried google docs i recommend them. they aren't as robust as microsoft office but it is free.

we are about $2100 short of filling all of our needs with our tax return. things like a new front door and insulated front window will have to wait again. not really a big deal in the winter because extra wood heat is basically free. summer air conditioning is where the real need is. tabitha will be big and pregnant this summer and air conditioning will be important.

that rick of wood that i started on jan 25th is almost gone. the past two days have been rough--burning the stove full blast. it will be gone tomorrow. nineteen days per rick during the coldest period. also that rick was all sticks loosely stacked by the nature of their irregularity. i think i can count on a rick per month of the next winters quality of wood.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Holy cow! GREAT pictures! We're having weather problems out here too. Except that we're trying to keep cool. Just another Southern California February heatwave!
How are all the outdoor livestock handling the ice? Did those ducks fly south yet? Nim? Boca? How's the cat? Frozen chicken?

Lisa said...

I don't know about the bees, but I think the photos are beautiful. I know it's a pain to live with, though!

Stay warm and don't slip!

Anonymous said...

We slid between 2 storms this time. One to the south which brought you ice and one to the north. We got about a 1/2 inch of snow. I think this is the wettest winter we have had in years!

Anonymous said...

That storm missed us up here in KC, but I'm hoping Roundrock got some of it. Why not bring down all of my trees, right?

Poor rick. He shall be missed!

Wendy said...

Ice is bad. I'd rather have our mountains of snow :). Of course here on the coast, we've had a lot of rain this winter, too. Snow topped with rain and below freezing nights equals icy walkways - not cool.

Yeah, we underestimated the amount of wood we'd need to get through the winter. We won't freeze, but we'll end up burning oil.

The Polar Bear said...

Hey there- really enjoy your blog and hoping the best for your situation. my husband and i are just starting out on our journey toward homesteading, what fun it can be (and trying, tiring, overwhelming...)

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