SNOW SNOW AND MORE SNOW !!!

I left my bath water in the tub last night so we could use it to flush the toilet because as hard as it was snowing and piling up on the trees we knew we would loose our electric.
We said a prayer and went to bed.
We heard some branches fall below our house and the scanner was alive with tree down calls.
As I restlessly drifted off to sleep I had extra covers on the bed that felt good to snuggle under as I listened to the wind gusting the snow around outside.
We  were surprised and very very thankful this morning to have power as so many do not around the county.
We ate breakfast before we tackled the chores knowing chore time was going to be extended this morning.
This is a deep and very heavy snow fall that is difficult to walk through. As I trudged up to my chicken houses hubbie brought a snow shovel along so I could get all the gates and doors opened.
In the big hen house I noticed the door wouldn't open all the way and when we looked up we saw the sagging roof rafters, uh oh !!!
We finished getting feed and water to all the chickens who were choosing to stay inside their houses anyway. Hubbie shoveled paths to each lot and shoveled out spots for them to get to their water pans.

Looking at this path reminded me of a time when I was very young that my dad had to shovel paths from our house to the barn that looked a lot like this one.Then we went back and used an extended handled broom to rake the snow off the roofs of the hen house , the green house and Rocky's tarped lot.

I relocated the red rooster who normally patrols the garden and barn into this vacant dog lot where he can at least walk around and have a nice dry house .

We walked down the drive to check out the tree that fell across the driveway but decided to wait to cut it out because there was another tree looking like it might fall also and we didn't want it to fall on us.

The snow is beautiful and creates a white wonderland.

Our foot prints were getting filled back in pretty quickly with a heavy snow that has started falling again.

This is the how much snow we have on the ground at lunch time and it is still snowing lightly.

We came inside and dried out and warmed up and had some chicken and dumplings that I had put in the pressure pot before we went out this morning, it really hit the spot on a cold snowy day.
After a short rest we headed back out to try and get the tree out of the driveway since the wind had died down and the snow had stopped.
G-son and RL were outside playing in the snow at their house.

Aa was here with the four-wheeled tractor to drive up and down our drive way .
He used the tractor to lift the tree out of the drive way and we will cut it up when the snow is over.

We all came inside to rest and son's family had a late lunch of the chicken and dumplings and then some snow cream for dessert. G-son said he had waited a long long time for some of this tasty treat and had 2 big bowls.

RL said it was too cold for her .

At 4:30 we all got all our snow clothes back on and son's family went home while hubbie and I did the evening chores. Chores were pretty easy this evening because nothing seemed to have moved around any today and I basically just had to gather eggs and shut their house doors.
The red rooster that was relocated to the dog lot decided that wasn't where he wanted to spend the night and came to the front door to let us know he was out of the lot !!!  I carried him back up to his regular roosting box.
Whew !!!  I think every muscle I have is sore tonight from trudging around in the deep snow.
Feels good to get inside and have more chicken and dumplings and put my feet up for the evening.
Daughter sent me some pics of IR out in the snow at their apartment and said she liked eating the snow best of all.

Re sent me these pics of EL and BB who got out late this evening and got a few sled runs in.

Hopefully we will all get to have some sledding fun over there tomorrow.
#1 son built an igloo with g-son and RL when they got home.

Talked to #2 son and Tif today and they were also fortunate and didn't loose their power . Tif took pics of their new house in the snow and of little Bear in the snow.

There wasn't much difference in the road condition tonight as there was this morning and the snow began falling again just before dark.

All my Christmas decorations have gotten snow on them for the second year in a row.

There is predictions for maybe another 2-3 inches overnight tonight and early in the morning so everything is pretty much shut down tomorrow.

This is some of the totals around the area from earlier today.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the comforting and protective arms of Jesus Christ our Wonderful savior that is the Reason for this Season.
God Bless and Good Night

SNOW STORM ARRIVES

Felt very strange being able to sleep in a little on a Saturday morning today. There is no snow falling yet and I was thinking maybe I should have baked a few cakes yesterday until I talked to a couple market neighbors who did go in today and they said there was absolutely no customers coming in today. I did chores and had breakfast and then hubbie and I braved a trip to Ingles to get some bird seed. I thought I had a new bag downstairs but didn't and I love to sit and watch the birds at the feeders in the snow.
Ingles wasn't as crazy as I expected and I didn't see any empty shelves. While we were there about 11:00 the snow started falling .

We got our bird seed and a few other things and got home before the snow got too heavy.  We had lunch then hubbie helped #1 son get his generator started and get it down to his house. Hubbie brought our generator down to the basement door so he wouldn't have to be trying to move it in the snow.

I stayed inside all afternoon and just relaxed for a very different Saturday and watched the snow fall continuously all afternoon but the temperature hung around the just above freezing to keep it from sticking to the ground until late afternoon.
We got out and fed early and the snow was starting to stick at 4:30.

By the time I got everything fed and shut up my footprints coming out of the house were filled in and just as I started back inside I heard a big bang and looked down on the road and a car had slid into the guard rail on the road. The road was now entirely snow covered and must have been pretty slick even with the brine the state had put on it earlier.
Thankfully I talked to #2 son right after I got inside and he and Tif had just got home so at least all the family is safe tonight as the snow piles up.
The forecasters are holding the same totals for us as they have been according to these latest models.

This is a huge storm and reaches all the way back to Texas.

The entire area around us is under a winter storm warning until Monday.

This is a picture of the courthouse downtown tonight with the Christmas trees and snow falling. It is rare that the Christmas decorations down town are cover with snow but I can recall several years recently that this has happened.

Started working on the calendars for Christmas gifts tonight . As usual there is always something that holds this process up and tonight I discovered I didn't download the May photos to my Walgreens account .

We heard something fall and hubbie went out and found that one of the Mimosa trees below the house has already broken off across the driveway from the weight of the snow hanging to the ivy vines that have grown into these trees.

That makes for a cold snowy outside job for him tomorrow.

Praying that everyone stay safe in this storm and that we keep our power.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the Reason for the Season.

God Bless and Good Night.

PEARL HARBOR DAY REMEMBRANCE

Greeted all the kids this morning as daughter brought them all in with her. G-son didn't act upset about loosing the wrestling match last night so that was good. He said his jaw was sore and he had some chipped teeth from hitting the mat so hard once.
I did chores and then took RL to school. The temperature is hanging right around freezing this morning but it must have been colder earlier because there was a thin layer of ice on the water pans this morning. The sky is red this morning sending a warning about the upcoming snow storm.

I had breakfast while watching the weather forecast by several weather forecasters. Now they all seem to be in agreement the freezing precipitation looks like it will move in earlier than tomorrow evening, some saying as early as 8am so I made the decision not to bake any cakes today as I don't believe any customers will come to market in the morning with the predictions of icy roads. It's hard to decide what to do on days like this but I can't afford to have a bunch of cakes left over and not knowing when market will be able to open again. Part of our parking lot never gets any sunshine to melt the snow so sometimes it's days after the roads clear before market is able to open.
IR took an early nap and I cleaned house while she slept and hubbie went outside and brought down our supply of firewood so he won't have to carry wood through the deep snow.
After IR woke up he came and took her outside to see the dogs while I mopped the floors.
Re had a class to attend this evening to renew her nursing license so BB and EL came here right after she picked up EL from school .
BB is very patient with IR even when she takes apart his lego towers !!

I found IR a pair of snow bibs here that she could wear.

Daughter came in and stayed with all the kids while we got chores done then she left to meet son-in-love for dinner and go to the Flat Rock Playhouse to see the Christmas Play.
IR had an extended day with Neena  and Pawpaw today but she acted like she was happy to be here.
We thought she would poop out and go to sleep but nothing doing and she just got wilder and wilder. Daughter and son-in-love left at intermission of the play and came home about 9:30 and she acted really wild when they got here. I think as soon as she is buckled into her carseat she will be fast asleep.
After they left hubbie and I watched the news then headed for bed. It has seemed really strange on Friday night not getting ready for market in the morning but it is a nice break and I still think it was the best decision for me and my business.
The forecast hasn't wavered on the amount of snow fall we are going to get as we are in the  dark pink, 18-24 inches on this map. Jim Cantori the famous weather channel weatherman is in our area  to broadcast during the storm.

This storm does have a name and it is the "D" storm, Diego.

Praying for safety for everyone during this storm and I pray that we keep our electric.
Also remembering all the brave soldiers killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor on this date in 1941.

Thankful for the blessings of this day and for the Reason for the Season, Jesus Christ.
God Bless and Good Night.