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!

Winter Sneak Attack

We were doing just fine without any snowfall this year.  February wanted to catch up for months of mild weather by hitting us with low freezing temps and a couple snow storms that broke our record all the way back to 1923!  

I was as prepared as I could be.  Only one extended power outage due to trees and power lines down across our entrance road overnight made it a little uncomfortable.  I needed to scoop snow and fill the ice chests to put the fridge and freezer food in, out in the mudroom.  This is a perfect way to preserve your food by the way. Outside temps were cooler than a refrigerator.

I of course have a large wood stove and a woodshed near the house.

I shoveled the decks and steps several times and dug a path out to the road.  Moved the car down there early on.  Each new accumulation I would eyeball a measurement.  I'd say we got about 30 inches of snow over a three day period.  Most I've ever had up here in 20 years, let alone in my whole life!

So here are some photos in different stages of the mess.

 

Summer Happenings

It's been a long summer here.  We are dealing with a huge fire in the Olympics which is stressful in itself, but the smoke is overwhelming now, added to the Canada fires smoke blowing south.

So today I shot this from the canal, can you spot the sun?  Pretty eerie!

The Maple Fire started about the 4th of August I think.  They have it contained on every side where there are people, at the forest roads.  I'm only 6 miles as the crow flies, so I'm keeping close tabs on it.

In more joyful news, I think I have all the winter firewood in.  This fun dump truck delivered.

I get a good workout stacking it!

My plants are mostly native to the cooler Pacific Northwest temperatures, so this long, hot, dry summer has been a little stressful for them!  But the tomato and Clematis seem happy.

The swallows finally got their turn in the nesting box.  There was a tenant dispute with the chestnut-backed chickadees early on and the latter won.  But the swallows persisted and eventually got a late hatching in.  

This little guy was the last to fly the coop.

 I was busy in the Spring planning and creating new work for both my jewelry business and the supply shop.  I have a lot of new work up in the Etsy shop, which can be viewed here www.jgray-design.com .  I spent a few days creating some new hand dyed fibers for ribbons.  It was fun to hang them outside on the deck for the first dry run.

I later cut these into ribbon widths and rewash them for a frayed edge look.  They are a great supply for all kinds of DIY projects from jewelry to floral arranging.  You can see them in my supply shop here www.jgdsupplies.com .

As Fall approaches I'll be wrapping up the outdoor projects and planning my annual trek out to the coast.  I plan to take a zillion photographs!  I need some new work to add to my website at http:j-gray.pixels.com .So be on the lookout for those toward the end of Sept.

So that's a wrap for now!  Thanks for following along.