The Weather Channel says that our immediate area of the heartland (Southern Illinois, Western Ky and surrounding areas) are very possibly in for a major winter ice storm later this week, starting on Thursday night.
Now I don't know about YOU...but I'd much rather they be warning us that a heat wave is on the way and we'd better stock up on fans and crushed ice. But no...they say we'd better get a good supply of groceries in for the weekend and firewood if we heat with a fireplace and candles and blankets and non perishable foods we can get open in a bind...in case the power goes
off.
Geezer was just telling me a couple days ago that since I'm finally able to get my shoe on my broken foot...that if I wanted to...we'd head to Florida in just a few days and get in a little fun and relaxation before the winter storms move in....but alas....Old Man Winter heard him talking and here he comes already and in full force. SO...in keeping with wanting to be baby boomers that can roll with the punches...I think we've opted to get Geezers cataract surgery out of the way now and maybe we'll do Florida a little later...like probably MARCH :-0
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The ice storms of 2008 and 2009 were very hard on us. We lost over 200 trees in the canyon over those 2 years...and the very worst part was the canopy of trees that lined our lane that comes into our home. I called that lane the "Tunnel of Love" ...SURPRISE! Because it was such a beautiful and almost perfect canopy over the road all the way down to Copperhead Crossing. Our road was totally closed for 2 days and geezer had to cut us out.
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And then there were the huge granddaddy trees that were destroyed and one fell right smack dab on my garden cabin. That was the cutest cabin...it had a little lean-to chicken coop on one side and I just LOVED that cabin. It had been a club house for the kids decades ago and a tiny craft shop and a garden shed and a hunting shed. My goodness that little cabin had a history and stories that would just melt your heart. But that big old oak tree just made mush of it.
But now listen...No need in crying over spilled milk....the trees are gone and the cabin is gone and some of our huge oak trees are gone. My secret garden sitting areas were all destroyed during those 2 winters...and I had the cutest little areas down there. I've been meaning to re-do the secret garden sitting areas...but each spring it's been one thing or the other that kept me from doing that.
.JPG)
But how here's the thing! We...in the heartland KNOW that we may be in for some bad weather in just a couple of days. SOOO we can whine around and grumble through it for as long as it lasts...OR we can prepare for it and make it 2 or 3 or 4 of the warmest and fuzziest and most relaxing days we've had yet this year. "I" plan to do the latter...how bout you?
And listen...even if this ice storm misses us. We ARE just now...coming into winter and if we don't prepare ahead...we'll have cabin fever before winter has had time to take hold good. I don't know about YOU...but I just don't get out much in the winter. Church and the grocery and that's about it and I stock up so I don't have to go to the grocery store much and I prepare for winter storms that may knock out our power and I just do things ahead of time so we can hunker down for the long cold winter.
So here are about 5 things that "I" am going to do to prepare for a possible bad weekend or long hard winter. And if we're prepared for a long hard winter, we're tons less likely to get cabin fever. Just get ready....and ride'er out....
1. First things first...we need food supplies that will get us through a bad snap if we have one. SO I'll be stocking things we can have for good and fun meals ... even if the power goes out. During the ice storms of 2008 and 2009...we were without power for about a week. So we roasted hot dogs in the fireplace...and we baked potatoes and made coffee in the fireplace and we even heated other foods in the fireplace. I also need to make sure our old timey manual can opener is in the silverware drawer and accounted for.
2. SO what if the power lines go down and we're without power for a few days. I'll make sure we have plenty of batteries for our portable scanner and flashlights and candles for candlelight if we need that and matches.
3. I don't know about you...but I'm not as organized as I'd like to be...so I have to be sure we can grab our coats and gloves and neck scarves in a rush. And I make sure my Jersey work gloves are near the fireplace to move quick loads of wood inside as needed.
4. I make sure extra blankets are easily accessible and I even re-do a corner on the back porch for the cats to stay warm. I add extra padding and blankets or old throw rugs to their house and even put them up a wall around that house so the cold winter wind can't get in there to them when they're trying to take cover.
5. And last but sure not least...I start praying. And I pray for safety and patience for us and for our kids and grandkids that still have to be on the road to get to work. And I just keep telling myself over and over and over..."This too shall pass. It's just something we have to get through today...to get to tomorrow, when things hopefully will be better"
Now I know there are probably many other things that would need done to prepare for a really bad winter. Geezer takes care of all the outdoor/vehicle things. But these are just a few of the things "I" do. Cabin fever will sure get ya if ya don't watch out...but if we just prepare ahead...we can make the winters soooooooooo much more enjoyable.
I will have to say....even though the winters of 2008 and 2009 were very hard...they were also 2 of the most romantic winters we've had in a long time. Because we worked like young Pilgrims isolated from the world....we made a pallet in front of the fireplace and that's where we slept all week, both weeks. And there was no power so we had no television, so we just talked and talked more in depth than we had in a long time...telling stories from each of our childhoods that we hadn't even shared during all of these years.
It was the hardest 2 winters of our lives and it was the most romantic 2 winters of our lives.
Life is what you make of it...always has been...and always will be.
Peace and love from the canyon...I love you all gobs and thanks so much...for stopping by.
Now I don't know about YOU...but I'd much rather they be warning us that a heat wave is on the way and we'd better stock up on fans and crushed ice. But no...they say we'd better get a good supply of groceries in for the weekend and firewood if we heat with a fireplace and candles and blankets and non perishable foods we can get open in a bind...in case the power goes
Geezer was just telling me a couple days ago that since I'm finally able to get my shoe on my broken foot...that if I wanted to...we'd head to Florida in just a few days and get in a little fun and relaxation before the winter storms move in....but alas....Old Man Winter heard him talking and here he comes already and in full force. SO...in keeping with wanting to be baby boomers that can roll with the punches...I think we've opted to get Geezers cataract surgery out of the way now and maybe we'll do Florida a little later...like probably MARCH :-0
.JPG)
The ice storms of 2008 and 2009 were very hard on us. We lost over 200 trees in the canyon over those 2 years...and the very worst part was the canopy of trees that lined our lane that comes into our home. I called that lane the "Tunnel of Love" ...SURPRISE! Because it was such a beautiful and almost perfect canopy over the road all the way down to Copperhead Crossing. Our road was totally closed for 2 days and geezer had to cut us out.
.JPG)
And then there were the huge granddaddy trees that were destroyed and one fell right smack dab on my garden cabin. That was the cutest cabin...it had a little lean-to chicken coop on one side and I just LOVED that cabin. It had been a club house for the kids decades ago and a tiny craft shop and a garden shed and a hunting shed. My goodness that little cabin had a history and stories that would just melt your heart. But that big old oak tree just made mush of it.But now listen...No need in crying over spilled milk....the trees are gone and the cabin is gone and some of our huge oak trees are gone. My secret garden sitting areas were all destroyed during those 2 winters...and I had the cutest little areas down there. I've been meaning to re-do the secret garden sitting areas...but each spring it's been one thing or the other that kept me from doing that.
.JPG)
But how here's the thing! We...in the heartland KNOW that we may be in for some bad weather in just a couple of days. SOOO we can whine around and grumble through it for as long as it lasts...OR we can prepare for it and make it 2 or 3 or 4 of the warmest and fuzziest and most relaxing days we've had yet this year. "I" plan to do the latter...how bout you?And listen...even if this ice storm misses us. We ARE just now...coming into winter and if we don't prepare ahead...we'll have cabin fever before winter has had time to take hold good. I don't know about YOU...but I just don't get out much in the winter. Church and the grocery and that's about it and I stock up so I don't have to go to the grocery store much and I prepare for winter storms that may knock out our power and I just do things ahead of time so we can hunker down for the long cold winter.
So here are about 5 things that "I" am going to do to prepare for a possible bad weekend or long hard winter. And if we're prepared for a long hard winter, we're tons less likely to get cabin fever. Just get ready....and ride'er out....
1. First things first...we need food supplies that will get us through a bad snap if we have one. SO I'll be stocking things we can have for good and fun meals ... even if the power goes out. During the ice storms of 2008 and 2009...we were without power for about a week. So we roasted hot dogs in the fireplace...and we baked potatoes and made coffee in the fireplace and we even heated other foods in the fireplace. I also need to make sure our old timey manual can opener is in the silverware drawer and accounted for.
2. SO what if the power lines go down and we're without power for a few days. I'll make sure we have plenty of batteries for our portable scanner and flashlights and candles for candlelight if we need that and matches.
3. I don't know about you...but I'm not as organized as I'd like to be...so I have to be sure we can grab our coats and gloves and neck scarves in a rush. And I make sure my Jersey work gloves are near the fireplace to move quick loads of wood inside as needed.
4. I make sure extra blankets are easily accessible and I even re-do a corner on the back porch for the cats to stay warm. I add extra padding and blankets or old throw rugs to their house and even put them up a wall around that house so the cold winter wind can't get in there to them when they're trying to take cover.
5. And last but sure not least...I start praying. And I pray for safety and patience for us and for our kids and grandkids that still have to be on the road to get to work. And I just keep telling myself over and over and over..."This too shall pass. It's just something we have to get through today...to get to tomorrow, when things hopefully will be better"
Now I know there are probably many other things that would need done to prepare for a really bad winter. Geezer takes care of all the outdoor/vehicle things. But these are just a few of the things "I" do. Cabin fever will sure get ya if ya don't watch out...but if we just prepare ahead...we can make the winters soooooooooo much more enjoyable.
It was the hardest 2 winters of our lives and it was the most romantic 2 winters of our lives.
Life is what you make of it...always has been...and always will be.
Peace and love from the canyon...I love you all gobs and thanks so much...for stopping by.
There's much more to see, read and explore if you have time... Love, Favorite Home Remedies, Health, Recipes from the Kitchen in the Canyon, Gardening and Such
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