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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Winter hath arrive-ed.


Don't get all excited. This was taken in 2013.  I was going to try to PhotoShop some snow onto a picture I took of the same space, but couldn't muster up the gumption.  We now have arctic temps with no snow.  That is, really, my least favorite of all winter scenarios.  I would much rather have a big ole pile o' snow than the bare, frozen ground. 

I blame the lack of snow on the fact that I finally got my car under cover.  The Universe has a perverse sense of humor, it seems.  My Snow-Wolf is tucked away under the same car port, gathering dust.  The warm, wet spell we had before the deep-freeze, churned my driveway into a Pollock-esque canvas of rock-hard hillocks and splats.  (Now, there's a descriptive sentence for you....)

I miss my frostless outdoor faucet.  Sure, it's still there, but the water can't flow if the faucet is frozen.  And, of course, the sheep and llama are drinking water like it's the Gobi out there.  Ditto the chickens.

However, even with all the cursing and schlepping, I find myself in a much perkier mood than the usual gloom that settles across my thoughts this time of year.  There may be ice in the air, but there's a spring in my step.  Of course, it could also be due to the fact that I managed to consume three times my usual daily caffeine allotment before 9A.

*****
This morning was pretty chilly in the house.  I turn my thermostat down to 50* when I am a) sleeping or b) not home.  I was getting the stink eye everywhere I looked - Kramer (the skinny cat) may not get warm until July and has been stuffing his bony carcass into the heating vent closest to me - to make sure I suffer as well.  Slim (now Slom or Salami) has enough body fat to keep him nice a toasty up to -50*.  Lovey, my Southern Belle, was tightly wrapped in two blankies this morning.  Scrappy was happy in his one fleece blankie, while Pepper was hard to discern from his bed/blanket.  I just put on more layers and tell them to man-up.  Or (wo)man-up as the case may be.  Wha dain't kill ya, will mek ya strong, as my old farmer neighbor used to say.

*****

I started my Big Adventure on January 1.  I will try not shop for groceries all year.  I will live off my stores of jars (many), my freezer (crammed), my wits (erk...)  I am curious to see how far I can go before I break, snap, crumble am forced to succumb.  I do, honestly, have an amazing amount of canned, frozen and dried food.  My meal plan will be pretty interesting by June, I betcha.  One of the more colorful fusions - you know, pickled jalapeno strawberry jam pinto bean burgers.  Wish me luck.

28 comments:

Unknown said...

Can you get Kramer into a snow suit? :)

Fiona said...

Wow...thats fantastic to actually be able to even consider not shopping! You give us all hope! With our garden and the preserving from summer we have cut down our shopping from once a week to two and one half week intervals. The meat is an issue...and darned milk. I have got canned milk to use in baking but Ralph dearly loves milk! I look forward to your adventure with food! You GO GIRL!

Sue said...

Your posts always make me smile--you have a wicked sense of humor through it all--even frozen animals--ha!

I can't tell you how envious I am of your Big Adventure. I'd really like to try that--but with a hubby that won't eat frozen fruit and needs his cereal (baby), that's not gonna happen. But wow--NO STORE. I am in awe. And jealous. And will be watching to see what kooky "recipes" you end up with come summer.
Best of luck!

Susan said...

Nancy - Not without losing a limb.... :)

Susan said...

Fiona - Luckily for me, I just trot down the road to the dairy where my cow is kept. I can get as much milk as I need. It's heaven. I assume there will be a Jersey in your future.....? :)

Mama Pea said...

Boy howdy, am I going to have to give you some sort of award if you make it the year without grocery shopping! What about fresh fruit? Do you have time to make cheese with your lovely, raw milk? I assume you have a large enough stash of grains, legumes, rice and such? Canned and frozen veggies (especially your own) are all well and good but a few fresh greens would be good for you. Are you going to sprout some seeds to fill that need? Do I sound like your mother? I'm really, really interested in how you do on this. Frequent posts about same, please.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i keep my heat set on 50 and never higher! my family hates me. they swear at me through their blue lips. i tell them to layer. it is awesome that you are not going to buy food for a year. my dream!

Laurie said...

I'm with you, I think snow would be much prettier. We are lucky if we get a dusting once a year in SC. Although, we had a terrible ice storm last winter. Sure don't want a repeat of that. I am very interested in seeing your adventure of no grocery shopping written on the pages of your blog. A huge challenge, I bet. But, man, how sweet will it be at the end of the year when you can say, "I did it"!

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

I am looking forward to seeing how you get on with this! I would love to do something like this but would take some prep to be sure! I will send some snow from the middle of the frozen Canadian prairie. We are due to go down to -43 celcius tonight with the wind. That figures out to be about -45 farenheit. Bah.

Buttons Thoughts said...

Yes this extreme cold with no snow I have to say not a fan:) Be safe keep warm. Hug B

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oops sorry good luck with the no shopping for a year I would probably starve:) Hug B

Tami said...

Pile on the blankies!!! Krikey! 50 degrees! I get the stink eye if I let the temp get below 63. Man up, indeed!

Good luck Sister...Are we setting any bets for the first grocery foray?

Carolyn said...

I'm with Mama Pea, I'm awed that you'd even try (not that you couldn't) to go a year without the store. We're going to be trying very, very hard not to go to the store this year, but we've already stopped for apples and bananas for Rhiannon. I figured I could make myself suffer, but won't make her :)

Susan said...

Sue - Yes, but they're not laughing.... :) I have wobbled back and forth about this for a couple of years. I finally decided to come out of the food closet and make it public - hoping that it will shame me into submission.

Susan said...

Mama Pea - You may just have to give me a huge green smoothie...That's the only tough part, 'cause I do love me my greens. But I do have seeds to sprout and a neighbor who has kale in her winter garden. She may give me some to keep me from crying.... :)

Susan said...

Jaz - Two winter peas in a pod! However, you could never NOT shop, as you feed a village.

Susan said...

LLL - Ice storms are the very worst! Especially when you're in an area with no road equipment to keep the roads clear. I will be trying really hard not to whine my way through the year. Let's see how far I can go...

Susan said...

Mrs DH - Ouch! That windchill is the kicker. I spent all morning shoring things up and trying to come up with ideas to keep everyone from getting frostbite.

Susan said...

You, too, Buttons!

Susan said...

Buttons, I've been stocking up for some years now. I figured it was now or never!

Susan said...

Tami - Believe me, when it's 50, I am under a flannel sheet, down blanket AND down comforter! I am betting that I can hold out until the end of March before I need greens!

Susan said...

Carolyn - It's much easier when it's only me. If there was anyone else (two-legged and not feathered) that relied on me for food, it would be a whole nuther ball game.

Tyche's Minder said...

OH, this is going to be exciting. Take good notes and you can write a book. Oh yeah, you have a blog. Well, then, the blog can be your notes. I'll buy the book!

Susan said...

TM - I think a graphic novel would be appropriate - don't you? Hope all is well at your place.

Sandy Livesay said...

Susan,

The wind has been screaming through here the last two days, were getting hit with 7 degree's plus the wind chill..... making it feel like in the negative numbers late tonight into tomorrow.

I hope you succeed in not going to the store for a year or longer!!! I would love to try doing this but I know it won't work. There will always be that one thing I have to get. Maybe I will strive for a month at a time??

Cat Eye Cottage said...

What an interesting food challenge! Good luck! We keep our house pretty cool when there isn't a fire in the wood stove, but not quite that cool. You are woman!

Leigh said...

Real winter finally arrived here last night. December had me so spoiled. I did a double take when I got to your last paragraph - to not shop for groceries for a year?!?!? I'm seriously impressed. I started scrolling back through your posts to get more info but got distracted with other things including knit-a-dog. LOL. I agree with Tyche's Minder. You should put it in a book. Actually you should bundle a lot of your writings in a book. I love the way you write and always leave your blog with a smile on my face.

thecrazysheeplady said...

Wow, what a challenge!