Sunday Reading - How Quickly the Tide Can Turn

We are on the second day of no snow fall, or at least not enough that I noticed any. The temps got down into the mid teens last night however even though we did see the Sun briefly yesterday. A clear and cold night turned into another overcast day this morning however and the weather professionals keep pushing our promised  warmer temps back each day.

They even added more possible snow to the forecast for tomorrow and adjusted us back down into the 40's from the 50's and 60's as a high until at least next Friday now.

I guess the mild Winter I had begun to think we were going to get is now shattered, and at the worst possible time as well. I have rarely seen snow this deep stay on the ground here this long. This is now the third week straight I have been unable to get off the roads and out to even load firewood I have already cut. Bringing any thing else down is out of the question unless I remove the snow the road crews have piled up along my emergency source.

This just goes to show that ultimately we are at the mercy of powers beyond our control and all we can do is prepare the best way possible.

As firewood goes things still are not critical, but if I am still unable to get off the roads by next weekend it will be. At that point if the snow is still this deep I will have only one choice and that will be to dig out the drifts around the large stuff I have cut and begin splitting once more. Three weeks ago I had a reserve of at least a month and a half. Now I am down to about a weeks solid burning and maybe another two weeks worth that needs snow excavating and splitting before it can be used. I have at least another two months worth cut and stacked out in the fields but there is no way I am getting to it as it stands right now. The snow is deep and the ground under it isn't really frozen solid. It's just a mess.

Ah how quickly the tide can turn huh?

It's just amazing.

As I said it isn't even the overall amount of snow as we have seen deeper accumulations fairly regularly, it's just the amount of time it is lingering along with the alternating cold and semi warm that is keeping the ground muddy but the snow in place. Unusual circumstances just doesn't do it justice. It also doesn't help that it hits right about the time we start wishing and even have hope for an early Spring. Just makes it that much more aggravating I guess.

Of course around here it can just as easily be 80 degrees and forcing me to open windows and run a fan at night to sleep. I am not kidding, I seem to remember that happening last March here now that I think about it.

All we can do is adapt and face the challenge and rely on what we have to overcome those challenges. I can't say I have ever had to dig logs out of snow drifts just to split them before, especially in March. I hope I don't have to this time but I can and I will if the circumstances force me to.

The last three years or so the end of February and first part of March have been very warm. Two years ago it was warm enough that the apple trees bloomed and budded and then we got a freeze at the end of March that killed them off. Last year the Redbud trees were starting to bloom by the end of February as well. Not this year though.

Of course it is a testimony to our preps that under such unusual circumstances we are only just now having to contemplate unusual activity. Had I not kept storing supplies and firewood as I did we would have been hurting now rather than just being concerned and planning for alternatives. So it does pay off.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!