Just a reminder .. we’re very rural and we have freezing rain predicted from about 6 a.m. til 3 p.m. tomorrow. I learned in Louisiana in about 1997 that 30 degrees and a bit of drizzle can knock the power out for weeks. By Thursday, it’s going to be sunny and warm again.
We’re fine here. First, if it happens and even if we lose power, we’ll be fine. We have a small house and a fireplace and plenty of dry wood stacked up under the porch. We can get to it without walking across icy ground. The fireplace will absolutely keep our entire house warm. In fact, when we get a good fire going, we often have to open a window and let some cooler air in. Second, we have plenty of food and the gas stovetop works even when the electricity is off. I just have to use a match to light the burners. And finally, we have generators and fuel. We have a plan! We would run the well pump to take baths but we would have to heat the water on the stove. We would run the freezers a couple of hours a day to keep the food frozen. We have plenty of lamps, lanterns, most of which run off batteries we can recharge with solar. We have solar charges for the tablets and phones. I have plenty of yarn and patterns downloaded to the tablet or I could make socks without use a pattern!
We also have a couple of bales of straw on the porch and we’ll spread that across the driveway because we have to walk to the shop to get to our cars if we needed to go somewhere, or take care of Cat, get feed for the chickens (though there’s several days worth of food already in their coops). We think we’re ready for whatever happens.
The one thing we would not have and have no control over – internet! Our internet comes from a tower in our back yard and once the top part of that tower ices over, or the power to the tower is off . . my internet is off and my cell phone doesn’t work without the wifi so . . all this to say . . don’t worry about me if you don’t hear from me. Just know that we’re fine and I’ll have a lot to report once the electricity comes back on!
Debbie Koczela says
Fingers crossed that it is not too harsh. You are always well prepared.
Nelle Coursey says
I don’t think it is going to be that bad here.
Judy Laquidara says
I don’t think it’s going to be that bad either but a little ice can knock out power, especially in rural areas where the lines are above ground and trees have low hanging branches. It never hurts to prepared for the worst.
Rebecca in SoCal says
Doesn’t your solar power count once the sun comes back out? I wonder about the animals’ heaters, too. Cat may miss her heat, and the chicken coops are heated, too, aren’t they? Take care!
Susan Nixon says
Here’s hoping it isn’t all that bad, and you don’t lose power or internet. The chickens do okay out there? I think I remember you saying you had warm lights or something that keeps the coop warm enough. I hope all the wild things are snuggled up together.
Liz says
Morning!
Just checked the conditions outside in OKC – couple of inches of snow already. But, I don’t know if there is any ice underneath. It’s still dark and quiet, so I’m not going out to test.
It does look pretty out there and so quiet. Good thing about OK snow, it doesn’t last that long since it will be up to 40 by Thursday.
Judy Laquidara says
Saw pictures of I-35 and 44. Glad I’m not trying to get through there today but you would have been keeping me updated on the weather and I would have taken your advice and not tried to travel today! 🙂
montanaclarks says
Fourteen degrees in southeast ARIZONA this morning but the sun is going to shine.
Judy Laquidara says
That’s cold, especially for your area,right? We haven’t had any snow yet, and probably won’t. The last time it rained, the temp was 32 so we have no ice. Abilene, just 90 miles away, has a lot of snow! We were lucky.