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On our second day without power, the snow was light in the morning, just floating bits of fluff carried on the icy air. The phone line was out most of the day yesterday–and we have no cell service at our farm–but the satellite internet was back. (I can upload new photos. Yay!) We are very isolated in these circumstances. No power, no phone, no cell service. No close neighbors. We are on a 40-acre farm in the remote boonies. The way out across the river is flooded and the way out over the dirt/rock road is covered in snow on top of mud.
I don’t mind the isolation and hardship. This is the life. You can’t get this in the suburbs, people! It’s not easy, but it’s so awesome. It’s beautiful in its simplicity and its self-sustaining accomplishment. Plus when I walk through the house at night in the dark carrying a hand-dipped taper to light the way, I feel very Jane Eyre-ish (and I know my degree in English was so worth it–sheesh, give me something, I don’t have a mall). I live on a farm and I love it.
We have plenty of gasoline for the generator. We still have water–we have extra tanks at the house. Our well is far away down the hill in the meadow bottom so we have extra tanks to regulate our water supply at the house. This serves us well during power outages. Not knowing how long the outage will last, we’re conserving.
The children aren’t here. They had planned to spend the night at different friends’ houses Friday night after school. That turned into the weekend and they are now at my cousin’s house. He has power. They can’t get home, and they are well taken care of and more comfortable where they are–and they can get to school. I am snow-bound with 52.
I cooked bean and egg burritos for breakfast and we made coffee. The hum of the generator is a constant accompaniment to life, background noise to the slow beat that the world seems to take on when electricity goes away. I knitted.
And I had the right size needles! I tried a dishcloth again from the dishcloth sampler book. Lo and behold, for the first time ever, I wasn’t making a mutant dishcloth. The gauge was right and my stitches were even and pretty. I could actually see the texture of the pattern emerging–correctly. (This is a honeycomb pattern.) I can knit! I’m still the slowest knitter in the world and I look like a monkey when I’m at it, but I can knit. It was my first real moment when I had a sense of accomplishment in knitting.
(Don’t even ask how long it takes me to do just that much.) I was going to teach the hens to knit but they were busy producing eggs.
(People often ask if I wash my eggs. Yes, I do. These are fresh-gathered eggs–some are clean, some not, depending on where the hen decided to deposit them.)
It had rained so much before the snow started Friday evening, we were already flooded in. The river has gone down some since, but the ford is still impassable.
Boomer: “Giant Puppy, we have discovered a new land!”
The sheep are always eager to be fed. They are two-ton balls of heavy fluff. They will knock you down when you’re carrying food.
Jack is always slow, deliberate, assuming nothing other than that everyone better get out of his way.
He is JACK. He doesn’t need to rush.
Jack: “I have arrived.”
Jester is…..
Jester. She thinks deep and carries a big horn. (Or four.)
Sweet, sweet Annabelle. The sheep have never accepted her. She is not a sheep. She is a dog! She hangs with Jack because he doesn’t like sheep, either. He lets her be one of the cool kids with him.
The real dogs like to go down to feed the sheep. It’s very exciting! We’re taking a trip! They must tag along.
Boomer runs along the fenceline barking at the sheep. He is so brave–from the other side of the fence.
The Cotswolds have been growing their long curly-crinkly wool for me. Another month or so and we will shear them and then I’ll be back to my hand-spinning, which I only began to learn last year and was distracted away to other pursuits. I need to work on it again, get better at it. Hand-spinning is simple yet difficult. If I can learn to knit, I can learn to spin. I will perservere. The Cotswolds have made such lovely curly-crinklies for me, I must! I want to knit and crochet with my own wool.
My car is parked at the bottom of the driveway, as it has been for over a week. I’m hoping the ford will go down soon as there’s no way I’m going over the road for two miles in this mucky, wet, snow over top of mud. It’s supposed to snow again tomorrow…. Spring, wherefore art thou?
I made beans into chili to eat with tortillas by the light of hand-dipped tapers. Have you tried homemade flour tortillas yet? They are so easy and so good. I make them in two dozen batches and they keep well in the refrigerator. I was so glad I made them right before the power went out.
Then I knitted whilst listening to generator-powered TV.
It’s winter in the country and all is well.
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Congrats on the knitting progress. I noticed that some of your stitches are ‘crossed’. If you try to remember to wrap your yarn around the needle, in the same direction every time, you will either achieve all ‘straight’ or all ‘crossed’ stitches but either way…you’re doing a great job.
stay warm/ dry/ fed/ happy
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Beautiful pictures and the knitting is coming along great!
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You did a spectacular job of making sure you would be comfortable come any scenario and I am glad you and 52 are enjoying it.
Take care and enjoy!
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Hope your power comes back on soon!
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Your knitting inspired me to get busy crocheting, which I love, and I made several things. Check out my blog for photos. http://www.lifeofadailypainter.com And thanks for keeping us inspired!
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We are pretty much homebound yet. And the weather man is calling for more snow. I have to take the 4wheel drive out to the store or have my dh take me later. It all depends if he has work to do at work today. He might end up being home again too.
I am working on knitting a dishcloth also. I learned a new stitch!! I was so happy about that. lol. Dishcloths are small easy projects to learn to knit new stitches. Plus you will have something pretty and useful to use. Its a win win. And if you mess up a little no one will know.
You are doing dishes with it. 
Keep warm and safe. Give all those critters an extra cookie.
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While your isolation looks lovely, I am a worrier and I know I’d have a hard time relaxing and enjoying it! I like to know there’s a way in or out in an emergency!
Hope your power is back soon.
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I’m actually going to be teaching beginning spindle spinning at the Kanawha County libraries starting in March.
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Hope you’re back with the electricity world today!
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It amazes me how you have just the right words to describe life on the farm. Makes me want to learn how to knit and I definitely want to learn how to spin!
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Love the pictures and the story…what a wonderful life you have fashioned! Now how would your kids do being snowed in? I think mine would have been stir crazy! When they were little snow days were such a thrill, but I really had to push them out the door this weekend. We got about a foot, but suffered no power loss or really any inconvenience. We were plowed/shoveled out by noon.
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You have such a wonderful place and a great assortment of animals to keep you company, along with 52, of course.
I would LOVE to be snowed in for days, as long as I had enough supplies. It sounds like a quiet and peaceful life, an ideal arrangement.
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Have you ever thought about writing historical fiction? What a great book there is to tell about your area of West Virginia! You could start with the generations before you locating there and the hardships and joys of their life. You could also include why many of your people left,and what brought you and your family back to complete the circle. Of course it would be historical fiction so you could put your imagination to work to develop the characters and their individual lives. Just a thought because I know you write books and I would love to read a book or a series about all of that.
grace and peace,
julie
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Your knitting is looking good to me! Way to go!
All the animals looks so wet…LOL That snow is cold looking.
Deb
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Your kids are fine – - We are feeding them store-bought Pop Tarts, DiGiorno’s frozen pizza, Cheezits and chips. Tonight, we will probably have Hamburger Helper (the store bought kind). LOL
When Weston came back yesterday, the 3 teenagers (your 2 and mine) went upstairs and played Wii right over my head while I was trying to sleep for night shift work!
They are great to have around. We’ll try not to spoil them too much!
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It does sound wonderful to be snowed in. You have everything there you need, except for the kids. The animals have everything they need. All is well.
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Enjoy your isolation while it lasts
I do hope your road conditions improve soon though.
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Euni in CO
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That’s a long time without power. We, too, are relatively isolated on our acreage in the country, so we also have to be prepared.
No power means no well, as a rule, but we recently discovered an amazing old well on our property that doesn’t freeze over, so we no longer have to store extra water for the critters, yay!
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52, you rock dude!
Enjoy, the spring will be here soon enough, then the real work starts
anni
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Suzanne – “52″ is a keeper!!!!!
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I suspect 52 is busy tending the fire in the wood stove; tending the generator (which S. can’t start if it should stop); chopping and carrying firewood up all those steps to the porch; heaving ‘n tote’n bales of hay for the sheep and all the other critters (which would take several hours in that deep snow); checking on pumps and water supply; and looking forward to coming inside to the warmth and one of Suzanne’s wonderful hot meals! Suzanne, working with wool (spinning, etc.) seems to me to be a wintertime, cold weather project. I think I couldn’t do it in the warm weather with my sweaty hands. I bet next winter you will be into the wool projects and excited over learning more. Brings to mind Tasha Tudor. She had sheep and spun and wove her own fabric and made her dresses in the pattern of past eras, suitable for her 1830′s New England lifestyle of peace and self-sufficiency.
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I’d read and read and read and read all day long. Well, after the animals were fed and the fire tended to and supper was bubbling on the wood-stove. But after all that, maybe I’d just nap instead!
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Heat, great food, no minors under foot, 52 who is not only hot looking but also seems understand about things needing done like wood splitting and maintaining the gernerator, knitting to learn or not….I’m having a little trouble working up some sympathy for you her girl.
Here in Southwestern Michigan we are due to be hit with a good size snowstorm. Storm warnings out for all of Tuesday and Wednesday. Could be up to 9 inches of snow. You know what that means in this neck of the woods….plan to leave early so you have time to get to work on time.
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You are getting there with your knitting. You are right where I was a 1 1/2 yrs. ago, and now it is all I want to do! WARNING~you keep at it and you become extremely obsessive about it. I do all sorts of other crafts too, but there is nothing as addicting once you get the groove going on.
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