The Polar Vortex

I have spent the last three days cooped up in the house with a psychopath kitten who can transform from a vicious, man-eating predator into a cuddly, sleeping baby in a nanosecond and a dog who seems to have cabin fever worse than me.  I've tried to figure out a schedule to her madness, so I can be prepared, but there is no rhyme or reason.  


In between psychotic episodes, I have watched some TV programs of homesteaders in Alaska.  (Oh yes, with wind chills at -50 degrees and a sunny day yesterday, I have had plenty of power!)  In comparison with them, my life is pretty cake.  Off grid is not equivalent in all parts of the world.  I feel like I live in luxury being off grid in Iowa.  However I do incorporate some homestead/sustainable principles.  Cutting wood and using only wood as a heating source puts me at least in the same ballpark.  I grow a lot of my own fruits and vegetables and store these for winter use.  But unless I become vegetarian, I couldn't survive off of the land.  I don't own a gun and have a hard time killing the mice in my garage tunneling through my styrofoam insulation.  (Hence the need for a cat, though so far she hasn't earned her keep.)  At least when I head out to the wood stove at night, I'm not worrying about a bear attack, maybe a mountain lion or coyote someday, but not really.  For this, I am grateful.

That's not saying my life is easy and uncomplicated!  Until a huge snow melt, my driveway will be impassable to two wheel drive vehicles.  The blade has done all it can, but with winds blowing from the south one day and switching to the northwest the next, some of the actual gravel driveway is  ruined beneath piles of snow.  Instead, the "driveway" veers off into the field.  I expected this and deposited both of my front wheel drive vehicles in an accessible place and was granted the use of the "beast".  The old full size, but 4 wheel drive vehicle.  And it's only the beginning of January!  It's going to be a long winter!  With that said, I did order my garden seeds yesterday.  Nothing like a seed catalog to diminish the winter blues with all of its promises of green and vibrant colors and sunshine!

I did spend longer than five minutes outside today.  I walked to the mailbox to gather the last few days' mail.  It was a balmy +6 degrees.  Stay warm!