currently at our house in stokes county, it is snowing! it has been snowing for the past few hours and we’ve already accumulated 1.5 inches.
our expected snowfall total: 6 to 10 inches, with perhaps a layer of sleet to top it all off. extreme! at least for central north carolina.
today’s snow storm, in progress
so far this year we’ve gotten a few other small snow storms, but nothing that can compare to what weather sources anticipate we’ll see today and tomorrow.
emma checking on the chickens after the snow 2 weeks ago
a few chickens come out to explore the winter wonderland
and while jason and i read, watch the snow, and research more plants that we want to plant in the spring, we’re also preparing in case of a power outage.
what we’ve done so far today:
collecting water in tubs and buckets in case of a power outage
- i filled up a large rubber bathtub with water so that we can flush the toilet if the power goes out. i also filled up a 5-gallon bucket with water to use for chicken and dog water, even though if things become really crazy we can always thaw a bowl of snow for the birds. we’ve done this is because we have a well and the well pump needs electricity to operate.
- i filled up a few gallons of water and our tea pot for our drinking water. considering that we have juices and milks in the fridge, i imagine we’ll fare just fine even in a worst case scenario.
storing drinking water in gallon jars
- we have plenty of non-perishable food items (such as canned meats and canned vegetables).
- jason made a venison stew last night that we will enjoy all day today and tomorrow (recipe forthcoming)
- we have an 800-watt duracell inverter that we can use to charge devices once it stores charge from one of our cars.
- we have plenty of candles (both real ones and battery powered candles) and many flashlights and extra batteries.
- we also have headlamps and these amazing, warm hats with a light built in that jason’s mom got us for christmas!
later today we plan on cooking a few more items to have some ready-to-eat things available. some of these include:
- lots of popcorn for a snack
- basil beer bread, made with our very own basil and a beer jason brewed (recipe forthcoming)
- pasta… filling, versatile, and not likely to go bad anytime soon even if it’s unrefrigerated for a day or two.
animal tracks on our frozen pond from our snow 2 weeks ago
otherwise we plan to lay low, watch the olympics, and read. the dogs and cat are spending time with us, sleeping and playing with (or thoroughly annoying) each other. the chickens will be fine in their house and since the wind isn’t blowing as of now, they will remain dry and warm. later today, we plan to go for a walk and check out our snow-covered pond to see which animals may have been walking over it lately.
so, if it’s snowing where you are, think of safety and prepare, but don’t panic (no driving to the store now!) and enjoy your hibernation vacation!
.:.