In mid december every year the local farmers would close up shop and they wouldn’t return to the little white shack where they sold their goods until mid May of the following year. Crops just didn’t grow in the winter and the new crops for spring wouldn’t be mature until May. So, in early december […]
Tag Archives: winter
Warm
The alarm clock rang. It was 2:30. I was so very comfortable. It took my brain a while to register why. Outside it was 29 degrees. Inside, by the orange glow of the heater and the twinkling light from the christmas tree in the corner i could see one sockless foot sticking out of the […]
After the Storm
The morning after the storm we emerged from the house to see ice everywhere. I was glad it was my day off. I did not want to have to drive anywhere that day. As i walked around the property i realized that it wasn’t only the man-made structures that had accumulated ice. The rocks, the […]
It’s Coming…
In mid November my extended family had gotten together at my mother’s house in a city around 2.5 hours from me. My sister, who i got to see rarely, was there and my little cousins as well. I had assumed at least one of my 2 days off during their stay would be dedicated to […]
A Late Start
The freezing temperatures usually came with night fall, thwarted by the sun in the daylight hours. However, one day i listened intently to the radio as the weatherman predicted a low of 24. As i scrolled through the weather app on my phone i realized that it would not be above freezing again until 10 […]
Settling into a Winter Routine
As the temperatures became colder i settled into the comfortable grooves of a winter routine. In the mornings i would put the space heater in the bathroom and warm it up before taking a shower. When it was below 40 degrees there was at most 2 minutes of hot and 4 minutes of luke-warm shower […]
Night Chores
The chores had to be done whether i was home or in town working. Because i used a laundry line my washing was really at the mercy of the weather. I couldn’t do laundry on rainy days and my 2 days off each week weren’t always the ones scheduled for sun. If it rained throughout […]
A Hard Freeze is Coming
I listened to the radio for my weather report. It was more accurate than all the cell phone apps. Any time i heard the words “hard freeze” i set to work preparing the property. I turned on the light in the well house and placed a blanket against the bottom of the door. I retrieved […]
Skirting the House
I guess most people who are trying to homestead don’t have a day job that has nothing to do with homesteading. A lot of my projects happen in a very gradual manner because i only have time to work on them in the evenings or on the weekends when i’m not scheduled to work. I […]
A Cherished Gift from Mom
When you are a child, you cling fast to your mother’s hand. When you grow older, you begin to drift away. You go out into the world and forge your own path, and in many ways, your parents can’t be a part of that. You have to figure it out on your own. When i […]
