Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Snowstorm

Well, yesterday was pretty wild as far as weather. I don't think it fit the technical definition of "blizzard," but it was still pretty durned crazy.

The wind blew hard all day, between 40 and 50 mph. I made an early-morning dash to town to mail some packages and cancel our mail delivery until Friday (our mailbox is two miles from our house, and I didn't want mail sitting for days at a time).

This is the plowed portion of the road leading to our house. It wasn't this part I was worried about; it was the two miles of unplowed road that we knew would be drifted shut by the end of the day.


This sight made me so thankful we homeschool. I wouldn't want to entrust my children to a bus on slippery icy roads!


The snowplows were out in full force! Our neighbor, who drives for the county, was roused from his bed at 4:30 am yesterday morning to keep the highways clear. Never underestimate how hard these drivers work to keep the lanes of traffic open.


Don made a futile attempt to shovel a path to the shop. I say "futile" because the wind drifted his efforts shut within minutes.


This photo was taken through a rather dirty kitchen window. I was trying to capture the drama of the whipping snow but wasn't really able to. By the way, do you see the path Don tried to shovel? Neither do I.


Ice crystals on our bedroom window.


Weeds bent over in the wind.


Here's Major, after an outdoor excursion. Needless to say, both dogs preferred to stay huddled by the fire all day, the wimps.


Toward the afternoon, the house became unusually dark because many of the windows were covered with snow.


Needless to say, our evening livestock chores were just a barrel of laughs under these conditions. Here I'm pulling the hay sled and it's being lifted off the ground into the air by the wind. I had to wedge it into the doorway of Matilda's stall to keep the door open so I could clean the stall.


The livestock huddled in the corral for shelter, since it's more protected from the wind. The dominant animals took over the barn, the less dominant animals were stuck outside.


Everyone's milling about, waiting to be fed.


The feedboxes were full of snow and far too exposed to the elements...


...so we fed in the corral, which made everyone happy.


We kept the woodstove well stoked all day long, and the girls did their schoolwork around it.


Toward evening the lights started to flicker, so I lit an oil lamp to provide illumination in case the power went out. It didn't, which surprised the heck out of me considering the strength of the wind.


Today things are much calmer. We're still getting snow, but the infernal wind has died, making conditions much more pleasant.


We have lots more snow coming in today and tomorrow, but nothing like the windy conditions of yesterday.

12 comments:

  1. We are getting hit today in SW Idaho. Smokie the cat is not pleased about all that white stuff outside.

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  2. Patrice, thanks for taking those storm pix. Your place sure looks different from just a couple of days ago, all that snow in such a short time!

    No real rain here, yet, just some sprinkles. It's supposed to get quite windy tomorrow, which is always a concern because the neighbors' yards have large trees (which tend to fall in the direction of my house).

    This morning I tried to call Costco's headquarters, but couldn't get through. I wonder if the phone lines are down in Washington?

    The American Redoubt sure looks less accommodating in the winter. LOL

    Be safe!


    Anonymous Patriot
    USA

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  3. Greetings from the similarly frozen northwest! I woke up wondering about y'all this morning and wondering how you'd fared in this round of real, authentic, as in genuine, winter weather. Brrr!!

    We awoke to about six or seven inches of snow yesterday, with a forecast of another +/- 14 inches for this morning. But to my relief only another six inches fell. We've been blessed once again by the protection of the mountains behind us, which caused the worst of the storm to miss us here.

    Yesterday we got to observe a huge crane walking around on the frozen pond looking for some crane-groceries. Such a beak!! It could stab through a lot of ice, without a doubt.

    The kitties are pretty cranky...they find this snow a serious impediment to their having of fun outdoors. Two of them seem to think I should be able to do something about it, and the other one just goes out and rolls around in it and then heads for the house to bring in as much as he possibly can. He looks a lot like Major. lol

    So it looks like today's a day to hunker down, be well, stay warm and bake something....

    Winter finally came.

    Hugs and best to all...

    A. McSp

    Best of all we were spared those biting and relentless winds you wrote about. Woo! We've had some wind and some attention-getting gusts, but nothing like what you've been experiencing.
    I hope your power lines hold out.

    How grateful are we for our full pantries???

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  4. Great fun eh? I am on the southern most side of all you describe. I was headed home to the homestead this morning thinking the weather was going to give me a tiny little opening to get there.

    NOPE!!! Stopped by the chain control. EVEN 4WD had chain requirements. And it will all continue for days. Rain/snow/wind fills the 10 day forecast.

    After ALL of December and half of January, old man winter FINALLY has arrived. I was and still am concerned for next summer.

    Winston

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  5. We've been enjoying our own snow storm here in SW Washington. Crazy weather, LOTS of snow and now rain and wind. Unreal! We woke up this AM to 2 feet of snow and everyone around us was without power. Thankfully we never lost power and we suffered little damage from the storm. Now the fun begins....clean up. PILES of branches are down, tops of trees and lots of twigs off of various trees and shrubs. Sadly, my lilacs are laying on the ground....praying we can prop them up and they will survive.

    SO thankful for a full pantry and lots to do here....and homeschooling! :) We had a fun blast of winter...ready for more. :)

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  6. My teeth are chattering just looking at your pictures!

    Stay warm and be safe Patrice!

    God Bless you and yours.


    notutopia

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  7. OH, so pretty, but I wouldn't want to have to do the clean up. Stay safe and warm

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  8. Well, if DH didn't need to get to work I would wish for this storm to arrive here in the fashion it has at your house. Here in Oregon we are washing away. My back yard literally has a stream running through it that has never been there before. My chickens aren't quite sure what to think of it and our poor doggy has to wade through it to relieve himself. Not sure what's worse, heaps of snow or heaps of rain. Keep warm Patrice!

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  9. If it looks like a blizzard and quacks like a blizzard, it's a blizzard.

    Just Me

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  10. Boy, things are bad all over; we've had to cancel a dog-sled race!

    http://www.adn.com/2012/01/15/2265218/cold-trail-conditions-force-cancellation.html


    Steve Davis
    Anchorage, Alaska

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  11. Your oil lamp and wood stove look so cosy. :)

    I don't think we're getting winter this year. Here in Ca's San Joaquin Valley, my kids are still wearing shorts and going barefoot around the house. Hopefully next month will bring some rain, and temps that give us a chance to break out the scarves and mittens.

    Birdy

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  12. Thank you for sharing Patrice. Thanks also for answering my snow questions.


    A.Jones Florida

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