Winter Returns

 Winter weather came early to Huck Hollow this year.  It started with some light snow before the Thanksgiving holiday and then a storm rolled in with little notice the last week of Nov.  I had not quite a full day to make last minute preparations here and at a friends cabin.  I managed to pull it off even though it was snowing lightly all day before the big dump that night.

 

The first foot wasn't so bad at my place, but it was wet and heavy and mother nature had her way with trees and power lines along the highway.  The power was off for the next 25 hours. 
In times like these you're on your own and must keep your wits about you.  I stay busy with shoveling pathways for access around the house - and to the bird feeder!  A must.

I do not have a generator so I make due with ice chests and snow filled ziploc bags - this works great folks.  And this year I have more firewood near the house.  I can cook on the wood stove and I have a new butane cook stove that can prepare any meal on one burner. 
Water stays available during power outages because our development has generators for both wells, but keeping extra water on hand is always wise.

Buddha was rescued early on to avoid the plight of last years beheading, (a nasty encounter with a huge evergreen branch). 
I no longer have the giant Alder tree next to my house either - less headaches there, and the back hill has been trimmed up so the huckleberries are quite low.  There are still a few trees I might remove, but everything else is on the greenbelt.

I got out for a walk in the woods with the camera and enjoyed experimenting with my lenses.  I've changed my photography Instagram account to Light Chasing Photography and am now including color images.  You can still find my personal IG acct at jeniz_life.

The power came back on for a day and I managed to get out with the help of a neighbor with a tractor.  I got to work, got gas, checked the mail and the friends cabin.  The next morning the power suddenly went out at 7am.  I suspected a transformer since it didn't seem snow related.  8.5 hours later it came on again but I still had to rig the ice chests and heat water for dishes.  

So this probably sounds more like a journal entry and quite dull to anyone who endures snow more often than I do, but it's all a journey whatever level.

 It snowed a bit more since the storm and hopefully the worst is over - but I think I said that last year before the really big one hit - so - fingers crossed!