I hope bvar22 has power.

[sazemisery]

They are in Arkansas and I know they were hit probably worse than me. I hope they are safe and warm.

[hippywife]

1. Oh I do, too!

I was thinking of him and Starkraven earlier today and hoping they are doing okay. If I know them, they are fine. They, like you and your hubs, are very industrious people.

[bvar22]

2. Well Thanks.

We and all of our critters are fine.
The majority of the freezing rain was just to the north of us.
Our power was uninterrupted.

This area does have a history of Ice Storms every few years, and a history of being unable to deal with them. A few years back, the power was out for two weeks here and all the wells froze (or so the neighbors told me).
We were a little worried about our chickens because the coop is unheated, but our neighbors who have kept chickens for years reassured us that they are very capable of taking care of themselves down to zero or below. They are doing fine, and still giving plenty of eggs.

We are prepared if something like that happens.
Our primary heating is by wood stove, and we always keep plenty of wood on hand.
We have a generator, plenty of gas, plenty of food and drinking water (the well is electric)on hand, plenty of flashlights and batteries, and hurricane lamps.
We LOVE to read and have lots of unread books.

We NOW have broadband via Alltel Wireless Internet, so we probably wouldn't even lose Internet access if everything froze over.

We are busy getting our seed orders ready, and dreaming about Spring planting. :)
Some plants are showing signs of getting ready for Spring. Our garden Daffodils are poking up, and the Forsythia has swollen nodes. I'm surprised they are showing so early, and hope they know more than I do. We still have to go through Feb.



In my 8 years at DU, I have never used the following smilies, but this morning I will.
:loveya:
:grouphug:

Thanks for caring.
You two have touched my heart this morning.
Hope you are well too!

[sazemisery]

3. Glad you escaped the carnage

I know your area was hit hard several years ago. Ironically, I like these short spurts of self-reliance. It pulls your focus on what is really important in life and brings you closer to nature's way of controlling things. We will be doing a lot of chipping and shredding come spring.

[hippywife]

4. Glad to hear it.

I just knew that, doing the things you already do the way you do them, you would have left nothing to chance in these situations.

We did put a brooder lamp with I think a 60 watt bulb in our hen house the last cold snap and used it again for this one. We won't leave it on once it's over. Don't want to stress them and at least one of them has started laying at night.

We do have to have a little meet-up one of these days with all of us in this general area. Can you imagine all we'll have to talk about?!!

:hi: :hug:

[bvar22]

5. That would be cool.

Talk....AND eat!

We had a very active DU group in Minnesota.
We had monthly meet-ups...picnics in the Summer, restaurants in the Winter.
I came to LOVE meeting the People behind the computer screens.
:hi:

[sazemisery]

6. This sounds like a great idea

Come the spring thaw maybe we could meet in a central location

[murray hill farm]

7. Hey....wait for me!

I will be out there by late spring (at the latest).....please, please...ha!

[sazemisery]

8. OK, we will

The more the merrier!

[hippywife]

9. Will that be when you are finally moving?

Or is this for another short visit?

[murray hill farm]

10. Hopefully!

My house here in Georgia is still for sale..and I had hoped to sell first and then move, but Now I have decided just to move, build what I can to live in (probably a shell to finish a little at a time..but before winter sets in) and just go for it..ha! I plan to drive an old truck that i bought a month ago and pull an old trailer out in a few weeks. Then try to get a place cleared and leveled (which will not take much) and get a building started while I am there. Then I will take a greyhound from Mena back to here...take a little time to get things needed handled here, rent a UHaul...and move to lovely Cove...pulling my little car behand the UHaul. if all goes as hoped, I would like to be completely moved by the end of May! Exciting, eh!!!!! Oh....and thank you, thank you for waiting for me.

[hippywife]

11. Oh, hurray!

I hope everything goes smoothly and according to plan for you. What an adventure. It will be fun to get everyone together to meet up after all this time and planning. :hi: