After I post this, I’ll begin answering your kind comments left lo! these many months. As you read, you’ll begin to understand. Also, there’s some glitch with adding photos so those will be added later. Hopefully. If you’d like to catch up March, April, May, June, July, and now August be sure to sign up with your best e-address so you may either commiserate or laugh at my exploits. (haha) Finally, if you’ve noticed my sporadic absence on fauxbook, it’s because I’ve been identified as a granny age woman who might be instrumental in the rebellion so they’ve put me in fauxbook jail five times since the year began. Seriously. With all the stuff happening in the world, I’m deemed a threat. As someone told me, “You’re absolutely a threat because you’re a truth bringer and “they” don’t like truth bringers.” Welp. I’ll take that as a compliment, ta very much!
It’s been so long and much is the thought I’ve put into how to jump back into posting. There’s no good way except to just begin and to begin is to tell of more hardship. A few short days (two) after Sadie died, “Black Winter” hit my part of southside Virginia and the storms were fierce! At the other TCF location, we had plenty of bad weather and the first January (1996) Dave and I saw 35 Degrees F below zero (around minus 37 C) brrrrrrrrr on the back porch. This was when we had no walls but, planning ahead, we’d put in R19 insulation covered with 6 ml plastic. It may not sound like much but when those frigid winds blew down the valley, hitting our house at the top of a knoll, it was enough to keep the candles from blowing out. Usually. The wood and coal stoves were kept hot twenty-four hours, seven days a week and we learned to be happy when the inside temps got to 50 Degrees F above zero because our milk and coffee didn’t freeze in their vessels.
Because I was grieving over the deaths of Sam P. Spade Secret Agent Angel, Hattie Cat and Sadie Beau Hunkous I wasn’t as prepared for the storm as I might have been. Certainly not as I should have been. Fortunately, this house has propane gas logs and kept the house warm enough. Not hot, mind you, but warm enough. In the bedroom, I piled on wool blankets (thank you very much my sheep!), slept in flannel nightgowns, camisoles, cashmere socks and a hat on my head. Have you seen those old drawings of Ma and Pa both wearing something similar to stocking hats on their head? Those hats keep body heat in and the cold out and who cares what they look like! There were no dogs to share my bed so the cats fitted in around me and we were all thankful for each other’s body heat.
Little did I know the next nine days were going to be spent keeping bodies and souls together the best way I could. Oh, and almost forgot…a neighbor delivered their horse to my farm because they had yet to build a fence for him at their new places a couple of miles down the road. Levi, said horse, was delivered Thursday afternoon, just as the first of ill weather was setting in. A brittle wind with lashings of icy rain, more ice than rain, was his welcome and, while my two horses were interested, the nasty weather kept everyone from fighting. (Note to self…remember Dave’s admonition, “No good deed goes unpunished.”)
As the storm’s strength increased, the cracking of trees and branches could be heard. I knew the Bradford pears lining the driveway wouldn’t do well as they have a lifespan of about twenty years and were already at twenty-one years. For the four years I’ve lived here, each winter…heck, each hard wind…saw more branches breaking away from the tree body until some of them were pathetic looking. I’ve done my best to keep them trimmed, prior to the storm, but this storm was sure to finish them off.
There is a house generator but it didn’t come on automatically, as it should have done, so I manually flipped the on switch and the sweet noise of that big beast rent the air. That conundrum of why it wasn’t automatically working had to wait because I needed to tend to animals and myself, should any energy be left over. I gathered my old camping gear – Coleman camp stove, Coleman lanterns and bottles of water, put together a bedside potty chair (to be used during daylight hours outside or in the barn), wipes, made sure flashlights had batteries, put a five gallon bucket under the barn roof to catch run-off water (to “flush” inside toilet when used during the night) and would sit in my car to charge my mobile phone battery. OH! Didn’t I mention? The landline went out at the first hint of ice and stayed out for ten days. The well, fueled by electricity, wasn’t working so I put five and three gallon buckets into the Ranger bed, drove to the pond and dipped water to carry to the horses. A horse can drink thirty gallons of water each day and I was feeding and watering three horses. (Yeah, it would have been lovely had Levi’s owners volunteered to help, eh?)
All the aforementioned happened Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning the generator went off again. This time there was no resuscitation so I went in search of a neighbor who could possibly suss the problem. I found Brandon, in my driveway, using his chainsaw to cut up the fallen trees so I could drive off the farm and I am still humbled by his kindness. He finished cutting, I helped clear and eventually we went to the generator but were both stymied. I called JW, my electrician nephew, for his input and he suggested checking the oil (which tells you just how exhausted I was as checking oil never entertained my brain cells!). We finally found the dip stick (why does it have to be hidden?) and it was bone dry which made no sense at all. I just spent a lot of money on servicing and it’s out of oil??? So, we added a gallon of oil, flipped the switch and, again, the sweet noise of massive machinery spilt into the air.
Throughout all these days, cats and horses are being fed and watered while I’m existing surviving on protein bars and water and glad to have both! The generator worked, for a couple more days, and JW sent a text and photo “portable generator on sale Thursday morning, only have 12, open at 8”. Needless to say, Thursday morning I was in town where they had power (!!!) so I slavishly enjoyed a Hardees country fried steak biscuit (hey! no judging!) with large HOT coffee and was sitting outside the store at 7:30. I saw someone going in so I called; yep, they’re open so come on in. I can’t remember but might have had my credit card in hand as I approached the counter. “I’m here to purchase one of the portable generators.” The man grinned and said, “You’re the first one” and picked up the ringing telephone. His side of the conversation was, “Yeah, we’ve got 12″ and I’m waving my credit card…”NO, you’ve only got ELEVEN!” He grinned at me and corrected, “Yeah, we’ve got 11 and they’ll be in at 2:00. No, we won’t hold one unless you give us a credit card number now.” Again, I’m waving my credit card…take my money, PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY!
He, grinned, took my money and said, “I had you covered, no worries (little did HE know!) so come back at 2:00; that’s when they’ll be delivered.” I went home to do chores and waited, somewhat anxiously, for 2:00. I drove the truck so the generator could be loaded in the bed and while driving home, Ronnie called. “Mrs. B., did you get the generator? Great! I’ll be over in a few minutes to hook it up.” He almost beat me home and while I gathered extension cords, Ronnie unloaded, unboxed and filled the generator with gasoline. While he hooked up extension cords, I retrieved the small microwave from the studio…a HOT meal was in my near future! Who cares if it’s a packaged pot pie?!
The generator, on a full tank, runs for 13 hours…BLISS! meaning I can top it off before bed then sleep all night! Thank you God! The first time it needed refueling was not a treat. I’d love to smack upside the head the elected government EMPLOYEE deciding the old five gallon fuel spouts were “dangerous”. IDIOT! What’s dangerous is trying to balance the five gallon fuel container while navigating the intricacies of the “new, improved” spouts. NOT POSSIBLE! I poured gasoline over my shoes, my pants and I’m pretty sure my jacket and I know for sure all over the generator AND on the concrete apron (NOT good!). Somewhere around day 7 (but don’t really know because February is, mostly, a blur) I went to visit Mom and Daddy. They only lost power for an hour or two (God’s blessing AND gift!) and had no idea the hardships I’d been enduring. I saw no need to tell anyone…why complain and I figured everyone else had their own battles. Anyway, Mom told me about a battery operated fuel dispenser she’d bought my sister and when I asked Stephanie about it, she gave it to me.
WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD is that battery operated fuel dispenser! One end goes into the five gallon container of gasoline, the other end goes in the generator fuel container, push a button and swish the fuel flows! MY OH MY! Where has this been all my farming life?
The saga is now up to Wednesday, a week after the ice storm began, and I’m living the high life. During the day, huddled next to the propane gas logs, heating food, coffee and hot chocolate in the microwave and sleeping under wool blankets at night. Thursday and Friday, more of the same and Saturday morning I called Max, another electrician, to come to my rescue. Max came and determined the house generator was a POS not worth scrap and needed to be replaced. Of course, there was excitement when he turned the thing on and it back generated (my words, not his) to the house and, had we not been able to turn it off quickly enough, might have blown the house sky high. Max figured out why the HVAC system wasn’t working, was able to fix that problem giving me HEAT! The landline wouldn’t be fixed for a while…Century Link isn’t good about fixing spur lines…they, like all corporations, work on keeping the most people happy and a couple of dozen folks on this road doesn’t represent the majority.
Pretty much, this is the first two weeks of February and I’m happy February is a distant memory. How was your February and don’t forget to sign up for more Thistle Cove Farm adventures as they seem to be non-stop. (wry smile)
Amazing! It sounds like the tale in my great-grandmother’s diary from the 19th century, of trying to stay alive in a blizzard that wouldn’t stop. Constant chopping of wood by the husband, which the wife used immediately to stoke the fire. I certainly have an easy life by comparison, and I admire you. But – what’s this about no dog to keep your bed warm? Is that a fairly new state of nighttime?
I can’t imagine. I’m glad you survived and have good neighbors and others you can call on.
Ellen, God has always blessed me with good neighbors!
Sounds like the storms we had on Maine when I was a kid. Not enough people know what to do to be self sustaining. Bless you Sandra
Too many people are lazy Trina. JMHO and smiling
Hallo dear Sandra,
I see here really exciting pictures!
God bless you!
You look very nice!
Best greetings from Dori from the “Farm of Grace” in the Bavarian Forest
Hello and WELCOME Dori! I LOVE your farm name…Farm of Grace…TRUTH! God is so good, isn’t He?
Thank you and the storm was terribly exciting…we had another fierce thunderstorm last night
with lots of lightening and thunder. I’ll come visit SOON! love, hugs and prayers
golly.
just. golly.
my february wasn’t nearly as dramatic as yours, dear friend.
golly.
just 2.5 ft snow compared to 5.5 ft last year same time.
and it was powder not wet. no complaints. unless you count
having a flair up of diverticulitis. such a treat. not.
sending huggies your way, missie.
Sherry, the snow covering the fence posts are a thing of southwest VA. When it snows here,
it’s a few inches and people go NUTS! So I prepare and stay home; nothing except an emergency
gets me off the farm when it’s bad weather. I’m comfortable driving in bad weather but I’m
not comfortable with other drivers.
OH NO to the diverticulitis…horrible stuff!
love, hugs and prayers to you and all yours.
I really don’t know how you made it through the last winter. God was obviously watching over you even when it didn’t feel much like it. I know that lack of feeling His presence. Like David in the Bible I have said to myself and to the Lord… How long ? O Lord, How long ?
February may be a very short month. But sometimes January and February seem to be a bleak dark road of frozen days and nights. (I too have been in my car to charge my phone). And to get warmed up !!!
I can hardly believe that it is now almost the end of August. Where did the summer go ? I had some not so much fun adventures of my own which I will save for another time, but your life barely leaves you time to breathe some days !!!
Smokey and Midnight, my two little adopted cats, have turned into big cats. Now 17 months old !
They have more than doubled their weight and seem more like small jungle cats rather than domestic cats. I have had to cat proof my home in the same way I once kid proofed it. They can jump and climb pretty much anywhere and you never know where you will find them. They tend to sleep in certain spots but everytime you think you know where they should be you are wrong.
You have taught me so much about the realities of farming and homesteading and just plain living. I am so very thankful for you and your honesty ! And your sense of humor !
I look forward to reading and getting caught up !
Bonnie Jean, I get so confused with tech stuff; if I’ve replied, act dumb and don’t tell me. lol Smokey and Midnight sounds like rascals and I’m sure I’d love them. I’ve given up on training my cats; they jump where they jump and sleep where they sleep and make my life happy. As to last winter…God was here, each and every step and kept me safe, warm and, somewhat, fed. LOL Eating protein bars was enough to keep me fed but didn’t help much in the warm meal department. For its shortness, February is a mean ole so and so and this isn’t the first time I’ve been happy to kick Feb to the curb. Probably won’t be the last time either. As to August…heat index has been 115 and right now it’s 100 and hotter than the gates of hell. Summer heat and humidity in some places in the south should be more than enough to convince folks they don’t want to go to hell, eh?
thanks for keeping up, thanks for your notes. we’re in life together, even if separately.
Client told me about WoolX leggings, for sleeping in, and she wears them all day too. For days on end. OMG, $120. Trying to source cheaper, keeping quality, finding plenty costing more. Hunting any type pants, wool, to sleep in, at thrift store, mens/womens, so long as they fit or can be sewn easily to fit.
Hunting cashmere cap to wear to sleep, already have cashmere muff for neck, and cashmere socks. Bedding: quilt, down blanket, kingsize pillow each side of body, cat between legs. Quite serious about timeline of drinking last water of the day. Getting out of bed to cold & a miffed cat?
No power outage, so far of any concern, house ca. 1900, too big, 11′ ceilings, propane heat. Keep plug-in radiator heater going in bedroom, cuts chill, not cold. HVAC new, keep at 62f, which keeps house about 58f-62f, ceiling fans on low.
Been considering a propane space heater for kitchen area, anticipating power loss. Pantry large enough for sleeping. Room comfortable size for ‘living’ and eating. Put pair of antique wicker chairs in there, love the natural light, a few months ago, using room for work, reading, art films on the phone (no tv but won’t give up art films!). Generator for xyz. Did you drain your pipes? Might be best, instead of generator keeping them from freezing? Maybe not. Agree, gas can nozzles awful. Need battery operated fuel dispenser. Great tip, thanks.
A man at Church asked how I was staying warm in the house. He’s known my home for decades, I’ve only lived here 6 years. He laughed at my arrangements. Then told me about how back section of house was added onto. He knew, zero way to keep heated or cooled properly….
Will put your article into bullet points, and save. Those frozen pot pies a good idea…… Though I do keep plenty of meals frozen in individual servings. Should still be able to have fresh cabbage salad with vidalia onions, mushrooms, tomatoes as the side. Keep onions, mushrooms, tomatoes year round, pickled, in the fridge. Each in their own glass jar. Quick, tasty, necessity. Ironic, cabbage one of the most common foods to settlers founding America.
Cannot imagine the full time job you had, getting thru each day. God bless your love for the land, animals, and sharing. Godspeed your losses.
Garden & Be Well, XOT
gulp! I won’t be buying, much less wearing, Woolx leggings but do have silk long johns I wear and they are enough under flannel nightgowns. Tara, in a PM/DM give me your snail mail address, then be patient. Your house sounds much like my old house…high ceilings, if I could get bedroom temps to 50 I was HAPPY because they stayed in the mid to upper 40’s…bed was warm but I couldn’t stay in bed forever.
off on a tangent…have you heard of fulvic trace minerals or Black Oxygen Organics? I just found out about them, doing research.
I have television so I can have DVD player and I also watch Acorn and thinking about BritBox. Those Brit mysteries/programs reel me in and enjoy doing handwork while I watch/listen. No, I don’t drain pipes but it didn’t get too far below freezing at night. I did light candle under sinks and that seemed to help. The propane fireplace heated the house although most of the heat went up the staircase so I and the cats did as well.
Photos are added to blog post and one is of the battery operated fuel dispenser; good thing about it I can use for gas and diesel by letting dry out well between uses. My tractor is diesel and everything else is gas.
Tara, for the past two weeks you’ve been in thoughts and prayers. Is all well?
Turtle fur, the original version-
no fabric softeners on any fleece or gortech…it kills them.
when my silk long johns wear out, I hope to remember turtle fur; thanks!
This is for the chest/gators, etc to the top of head wear, my Dear…
but I can certainly see you “goin’ to town” fashioning something together for a full benefit! =0)
Heads up for this winter! Good to hear from you, you are appreciated!
I surely hope so, K! My nephew is putting in a new generator for me. It’s like insurance,
need it, don’t want it, hope to never use it. LOL at myself
Remember those window plugs/directions I emailed you, they work!
uh oh. K, there are days I almost look at my driver’s license to remember me. I’d forgotten all
about those window plugs/directions…will go look them up and thank you for both sending and reminding!
I think you must be a survivor at heart. What a terrible time. Hoping things improve very soon.
Barbara, you’re right but a survivor at heart with God’s magnificent help!
Amen Sandra!
Oh my goodness Sandra, what a time you had!! I’m glad you survived & able to write about it.
Truth! Rainey, it was a difficult challenge but God saw me through. BTW, you need to correct your
blog address when you comment; it’s reading flowerladysmusings.bmigspot.com and I think you mean
blogspot.
Hi Sandra,
…that does sound tough…glad you made it through…
~Have a lovely day!