Snow in November

We expected snow and when we awoke this morning there it was! While we have had flurries, this is the first snow that stuck. At 5 this morning it was just a dusting. Thick, fat flakes fell fast and by 7:00 there was enough to make the roads a bit slick. Off we went to breakfast with the main roads a bit snow covered. I generally go to the library to work Tuesday morning but as the snow accumulated I decided that I would stay home. After an email to the library, I did some work around the house and then set up the printer that was delivered yesterday. This HP printer will allow us to print from our iPads as well as wirelessly access it. I have it up in the loft for easy access from down stairs and will use it for color printing up here. I do mostly print using the laser printer as that is much less expensive. However, the ability to print from the iPad is a great convenience!

We were out often today with Honey, who really enjoys the snow. Below are some pictures I took on one of our "out and about" walks.

She is so cute - she just plunks down. 

These pictures were taken a bit before noon. The snow fell straight down as there was little or no wind. 

The trees and shrubs were quite lovely!

By afternoon it warmed up enough that the snow melted on the roads and driveway. As I look out of the window up in the loft, the trees are still dressed in snow. What's left will probably freeze overnight. 

Snow

Yikes it's snowing! Not much in town and temps above freezing

SuperStorm Sandy - That was the Week That WAS

It’s hard to believe that anyone was not aware that a major storm was approaching this past week. Predictions and computer models were talked about morning to night. The weather people did a fine job of alerting everyone we were in for a doozie. Because of this we made several runs to the store Monday in preparation “just in case”. The loss of power seemed a real possibility and our electric company had left a phone message saying we could be without electricity for several days. While we have a generator that gives us some lights, TV and Internet, pumps the water and also powers the freezer, it is not hooked up to the heater. To prepare for this event, I vacuumed, did several loads of laundry, and generally tidied things up while B blew leaves (again) and did some other prep stuff. We also watched TV to monitor the impending storm, choosing to watch WPVI in Philly as they had the best coverage and we still have many friends in the Philly/South Jersey area.

Dinner was stuffed round roast pounded thin with gravy. We were eating dinner when the lights flickered and then went out. The generator kicked in and all was fine. Had water – hot and cold, TV, Internet and lights. We finished dinner and I washed up rather than put anything in the dishwasher because YOU NEVER KNOW! We went to sleep with the sound of the generator…and it was getting cold.

Tuesday found us with gloomy skies, rain and the aftermath of the high winds we had overnight. The generator was still on – TV and Internet were out – bummer! We used the cell phone to check and found on Facebook that downed wires on a road close to us. OK, maybe that was the cause of no power. We agreed that if the electricity was not on y 8:30 AM we would turn off the generator in case this was going to last several days. I filled several pots and jugs for both flushing and drinking. I also moved perishables from the refrigerator to a cooler with some of the ice we had. We then turned the generator off. And we moved down to the family room where we have a propane fireplace. It got colder with the outside temperature dropping to 45 and the house temperature was dropping too. B made a trip into town and noted that while the Post Office and diner was open, most businesses were closed. Trees down but no major damage that we could see to homes. The loss of electricity looked wide spread. On our walks with Honey we could hear other generators working. One we knew was for an a house used only on weekends. While the generator goes on automatically they only go off when you turn them off or they run out of propane. We did see two PPL trucks at the bottom of our road checking the power lines. B had called to report the power was out so it was good to see they knew about us. We turned the generator back on around 4 and charged the phones and turned on the lights. Still no TV or Internet. I cooked dinner on a single burner electric hot plate. As we finished diner, there was a click and the lights went on! We also had cable TV and Internet. So we put the house back in order, empting pots of water and plugging in things to get charged. We were looking at TV when the lights again went off and the generator went back on. After 5 minutes it was still running so B went down and turned it off and we went to sleep.

Wednesday was again gloomy and dark. We again turned the generator back on and made breakfast. This is getting bad! It was really cold in the house. Outside it was 39 and inside it was 54. B had an appointment and the place was open so off he went while I again filled pots and such off, made sure everything we needed was charged, and again turned the generator off. I went down to the fireplace and worked on my laptop. Honey laid by the fire for a bit and then moved as it was really warm there. Around 11:30 AM the power came back on. It did flicker once but stayed on. The heat came back on and all was good!

We are aware that our experience is nothing compared to what folk in Southern Jersey and New York are dealing with. Some pictures below that I took over the three days.

 Tuesday night dinner was better with this big spot light flashlight along with the three candles.

No TV but at least we could see

 A tree down on the other circle in our community

 The other circle had a tree on some lines. Could be why they got power after we did. 

 At least the trees that came down didn't hit any houses on the circle

Lots of woods means lots of trees

More Cabbage Used

Dealing with 14.68 pounds of cabbage is a challenge! I started with cabbage soup - 2 containers are in the freezer. This morning my goal was to make a small batch of sauerkraut. I sliced 2 1/2 pounds in the food processor, added salt, mixed well and let it sit for about 2 hours. The cabbage was soft and water/brine had formed (what I wanted to happen). I then put the cabbage into a quart canning jar and the little bit that didn't fit went into a jelly jar. Right now they are sitting on my kitchen counter doing their thing. The anticipated result is fermentation and then sauerkraut. I'm to skim any scum off every day or so. I'm not sure how long this will take as temperature of the kitchen controls the speed. (spent some time this morning reading in canning books and on line. I don't intend to can - will just refrigerate.   Because there was still quite a bit of cabbage left, I shredded some more and after steam blanching and cooling, filled several trays of my dehydrator and am drying it. I've not done cabbage before but I have dried other veggies so this should not be a problem. I'm so pleased with myself I took a picture!

The red jar is 2 red peppers I put in the dehydrator yesterday. As you can see, the cabbage is packed into the large jar. It should bubble and maybe spill over, thus the plates. 

It was a successful day!

Some pictures for Mike

Here is the new car! It is quite nice and beeps as a safety feature if one gets too close to something when you back up. It also has this neat light that flashes on the dashboard by the window on both sides to tell the driver someone is in their blind spot. I haven't driven it yet but it is comfortable!

B was blowing the leaves on the driveway while I took these pictures. If you look back you can see where he had been and where he was going. It will look good for about an hour as it's windy and the leaves are really falling!