Bits and Pieces

We are having typical pre-spring type weather. Most days on the cool side with some that are warmer. We have had some snow showers on some of the cooler days and rain showers on the warmer ones. We have had some days of brillant sunshine, but those seem to occur on the cooler days. I am anxious for the warmer weather of spring……Just tired of being cooped up in the house.

The phone company is again tempting us with DSL. Once again they are saying that it is now available in our area. So, again I have told them to sign us up. Time will tell whether we actually get it this time or not.

Hunter is now an amazing 5 years old and growing like a weed. Although he goes outside to play for a bit most days, he is also yearning for the warmer weather when he can be outside most of the time.

We have recently seen a flock of turkeys in the hay field. These are the first we have seen in quite a while. During the hellish drought of two years ago and the moderate drought of last year they had relocated elsewhere due to the lack of available water in the creek. It was nice to see them back again.

I am putting together seeds for this years garden. I can hardly wait until it is time to till and plant again. While I was looking at seeds I found some seed starting cups geared at kids. These are complete with the starting pots and the seed. Hunter was so excited when I brought these home and told him that I was going to give him a space in the garden area for his own garden.

What will it do next?

A little over a week and a half ago we were experiencing the worst ice storm in this areas history. It started out by raining for 36 hours, threatening to flood some areas. Then the temperature dropped and the rain began coating everything with 3/4 of an inch of ice. Then the freezing rain turned to snow and the temps dropped to the lowest of the winter season.

The scope of the damage caused by the ice was something to behold. The sound of the ice covered trees breaking and crashing down to earth accompanied by the shattering ice was akin to listening to a bull in a china shop. There are still masses of trees and branches everywhere. Some are still lying precariously across power and telephone lines.

Then we had a few days of temps in the upper 60s with sunshine. The ice and snow are gone. Just for some variety today we have a high wind warning to be followed by the threat of thunderstorms and even higher wind gusts this afternoon. The utility company has put out an advisory that “some power outages may occur.” Humm, really?

There is still a large tree lying across our telephone line. When we went by that area yesterday we noticed that not only was the tree still there, but that it was hanging much lower. I am not sure just how much more strain the line can take, but the wind that is cranking outside will not help that situation. The large tree is not the only one lying across said line, it is just the biggest. If we do not lose phone service with this, I will be amazed.

Power Restored

We now have electricity again. I was actually surprised that the power came on as quickly as it did, after finally getting out and seeing the extent of the damage caused by the ice storm. However, the tree that was lying across the phone line is still there, so I am still expecting the phone to go out at some point, unless the phone company gets it fixed soon.

Ice Storm

A little over a week ago we experienced a whiz bang of an ice storm. Everything was coated in about 3/4 of an inch of ice. That was after it had rained for about 36 hours. Then the freezing rain turned to snow.

It was erie to listen to the sharp cracks of the trees breaking from the weight of all that ice. We had a tree at the end of the pasture come completely uprooted and fall over. The destruction from this storm is just amazing.

We are on day 8 of the power outage from the storm. The electric company doesn’t even have an estimate for when the power will be restored. At the begining we heard an estimate that it might be the middle of February. We have also heard that it might be March….it is anyones guess.

We took a short drive following our power and telephone lines to see if we could dtermine where the break was…….what we found was almost beyond belief. That fact that we even have phone service with a larger tree across the phone lines, weighing them down almost to the ground. Further on there are even more branches across the phone lines. We found no clue as where the break in the electric line cound have been.

We are using a generator a couple of times a day to keep the fridge and chest freezer cool. That is also the time when we jump on the internet and check email and such. We are fortunate to have planned ahead for a situation such as this. We have a wood stove for heat, the afore mentioned generator and a battery back up plant for Jeff2’s ham radios.

I will be back from time to time to update and at some point to finally say that the power has been restored.