Snow Day/Blizzard

Snow day and/or blizzard.  There are subtle differences.  Both usually mean that I won’t be going anywhere, or anywhere far.  Yes, I finally believe it is time to invest in a four wheel drive vehicle.  My car has gotten stuck twice in the past week.  One day it wasn’t even snowing.  The man with the tractor is getting rather annoyed.  But I keep thinking of mpg of four wheel drive versus my car.  Hard to stomach, so I think I will wait until summer.  I mean it is March already and the snow has to end sometime, right?

My morning always starts out the same.  My dog wakes me up by 6am because he is ready to go out and remind the world that this is his territory.  I put on my “smoky clothes” and boots to check and fill the outdoor wood stove.  I usually can fill it at 6am and again at 6pm or later and that is it.  As I head out the garage, I always check the battery status – or in this case voltage.  I have mentioned that the voltage really doesn’t tell me much, but right now it is the only gauge I have.   
With snow forecasted for today, the chance of much solar is slim, my only electrical hope is that the wind will kick in (which means I will be snowed in for a much longer while).  In order to gain as much solar as possible, I grab the long handled broom to “brush” the snow off the solar panels.  There is no way around it, I usually end up with most of this snow in my face and down my boots.  Usually it eventually melts off, but the quicker I can get juice flowing the better I think.

This morning I avoid walking the driveway because there is no way after 5-6 inches of snow that I will be going anywhere today.  Instead I surmise that I won’t need to start the generator, won’t need much electricity during the day anyway and this way I can wait to see if the sun comes out or the wind picks up. 

At 10:30am it is still a calm but unrelenting snowfall.  The temperature is around 30 degrees and so to ward off cabin fever, I strap on the snowshoes and head out before the forecasted wind begins blowing.  It is a beautiful hike through the woods.  This has to be one of the best kinds of snow day – where one can actually go outside and enjoy the snow rather than being cooped up inside because the windchill is way below zero and there are gale force winds. 

However, there are merits to a blizzard…I have loads of power.  The wind turbine is working overtime and it will continue into the night.  It might not mean much to you, but it makes all the difference to me.  I can vacuum, do laundry and even watch some tv at night.  On a calm snow day like today, I have plenty of natural light during the day so I can get odd jobs around the house done, if I have the ambition, but nothing too spectacular.  And nighttime usually comes early.  Is it too horrible to wish for a little wind?