The Last Hurrah!

Well, I truly think we now have had the last winter storm for this year.  At least I hope so! When parts of Oklahoma have the lowest low temperatures recorded in history, at 21 and 31 degrees BELOW ZERO, and two storms back to back, I certainly hope they are over.  There was just enough of a 24 hour break between where some people were brave enough to get out on slick, ice and snow covered streets to grab more supplies before the next round came through.

Now we start preparing for what could either be a rough spring with many outbreaks of tornadoes or a very quiet one with no tornadoes but lots of wildfires. Yes, I did say wildfires because even with all the snow we received the weather forecasters say we are still experiencing a drought.

With as much of the country being affected by our recent weather, not only in our country but world wide, my concern is for what has happened to all our crops. I am expecting to see food and gas prices going through the roof sky high!  Just one more reason to be sure to replenish those pantries as soon as possible.

I know that once it warms up a little bit more, probably in the next week or so, it will be time to start getting those early garden plants into the ground. It will also be time to do any repairs on my storm shelter so that it is ready to go once our spring tornado season is upon us. I am not going to be waiting until the last minute.

It's Not Over Yet!

Well, I can tell you one thing, this last storm here in Oklahoma was enough to really test you on your preparedness for any and all conditions and make you aware that even though you think you have covered all your bases, you may not have done so!

We ended up with the worst blizzard I have seen since I moved here! It by far out-shadows the storm we had back in 2009 at Christmas time in my humble opinion. Granted we had ice covered trees, some areas did lose electricity for days and even weeks, but this storm seemed to be much colder! Luckily this time around people listened to the weathermen when they forecast this storm to have blowing snow with whiteout conditions, single digit temperatures and BELOW ZERO wind chills.  We had lots of warning that this one was on its way and stores stocked up with lots of supplies to meet the needs of their customers. Schools didn't wait till the very last minute to declare snow days and people stayed off the roads as directed when told there were very hazardous conditions.

Now we are facing drizzling rain with possible light flurries again tonight and then come Tuesday and Wednesday another round of very cold weather, possibly several more inches of snow and of course slick roads. What we have already hasn't had a chance to melt off, even though we had a warm day today which allowed some of the snow packed roads and walkways to melt a little bit. Many of the main roads have been cleared by snowplows now, over and above the normal snow route clearings but the subdivisions within many of the cities are still blanketed with hard snow and ice underneath.

People are frustrated because they can't get to work and they have lost wages and the kids are home from school and have cabin fever.  But I am so very thankful that everyone is using common sense and realizing that no job is worth losing your life over and it is better to have your children home and not out on slick icy roads!

So put on another pot of beans or more homemade chili, grab the movies and video games again and as we say here in Oklahoma "hunker down" for what we can only hope is the last hurrah's of winter and just know that spring is right around the corner.  Then we can all start complaining about tornado season.... what can I say, can't keep us "Okies" happy can you?

This is posted for all my friends who have recently gotten SNOW!  It looks so peaceful, quiet and serene doesn't it?
I am glad to see the smoke coming out of the chimney though because it looks like it is mighty cold!

This is house plan 005H-0095 courtesy of the house plan shop. I love all of their house plans but of course I have a preference for anything cottage! This darling house is a little over 1200 square feet and has two good sized bedrooms split by a bath off the Master bedroom and the Hall Bath which is conveniently located to the center of the house and the second bedroom. The laundry room is located between the garage and the house, with easy access to counter space in the kitchen to drop your groceries.

The family room and kitchen with eating area is all one large space running the width of the house. The open floor plan and vaulted ceilings make the room feel even larger than it is. Situate your living room furniture around and close to the fireplace, perhaps use a long table behind the back of your couch in the center of the room, to visually divide the room into two areas.

This would be a great home for retirement or a young couple just starting their family. 

So as we close out this winter season, enjoy the comforts of your home, dream dreams of a new one or just enjoy the one you have!

Happy New Year Everyone!  May you be blessed with health , happiness and prosperity.

Snow, Snow and More Snow!

 

I can't believe it!  More snow is predicted for Thursday and Friday of this week and then the weatherman says very casually, hold onto your hats folks, if weather patterns don't change we will have snow all next week as well!

I don't know about any of you, but I am so anxious for spring I can't stand it.  I want warmth and sunshine!  I am one of these creatures that can handle heat much better than I can handle the cold!  Never thought I'd say it, but I think I can actually handle the spring threats of tornado warnings better than all this snow and ice!  Of course I am also one of those "chickens" that has an underground tornado shelter to run to!

I am so anxious to get outside and till up the ground and get my garden growing and get out the paint brush and do the painting that needs to be done on the enclosure to the patio.  I want to be able to go outside and grill a burger and mow the grass!

Come on Spring!

Where Art Thou Spring?

My poor little jonquils have had their leaves poking up out of the ground for weeks now and they just continue to get iced and snowed on!I am wondering if they have been killed off by all of this or if I will be blessed with their pretty yellow flowers here in a few more weeks.

We are so anxious for spring around here it isn't funny.  I am so tired of gloomy gray skies,snow and rain. We actually bit the bullet the other day and began our seedling plantings indoors.  We have rows and rows of herbs as well as bell peppers in little yogurt cups sitting on the window ledge in the kitchen. So far I guess the cats have decide that window is now off limits as no one has attempted to jump up there and into the middle of them all sending seeds and cups scattering all over the floor. 

We will be planting some additional produce seeds here this week.Potatoes and radishes will be planted this week I think. Most likely we will have to start them indoors also, since it looks like there is still at least one more round of snow headed towards Oklahoma.Tips for Creating An Aromatic Herb Garden

Once it warms up, we will be planting in some regular flowerbeds and then hope to also do some one foot gardening as well as some in pots.Western Garden Book of Edibles: The Complete A-Z Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits

Ya'll need to let me know what you are planting and let me know what is happening with your gardens.

Oklahoma Snow Storm

We have just come through another snow and ice storm, not as bad as we had at Christmas this year or the one of several years ago, but we still saw quite a bit and are still blanketed with ice and the white stuff.

Thought you might like to see a few pictures:

 

  

Can we say just a might cold here?

Been hearing tree limbs falling and now chainsaws so I guess the cleanup has begun!

I Jumped The Gun!

Well, it looks like I kinda jumped the gun talking about getting ready for spring and tornado season when we were issued another Winter Storm Watch yesterday, advising us that another bad storm is expected in here on Thursday!

I was all set to be done with ice and snow! I'm already thinking gardens, spring and sunshine!

If you live in the South and Midwest and are expecting more bad winter weather, are you prepared?  Some of your preparations would be similar to having your "safe place" ready for tornado season but lets go over some additional preparations that you need to consider if there is lots of ice and snow!

Loss of Power of course is one of the main things you have to worry about with ice not only accumulating on streets underneath snow and making for hazardous driving conditions, but ice accumulating on powerlines which can snap and break under the sheer weight of the ice or because they are no longer flexible and have ability to sway in high winds. Several years ago we had a horrible winter ice storm. I had friends up in Tulsa who were without power for approximately two weeks. Luckily they had both a fireplace and were able to borrow a generator about 4 days after the storm hit.

Frozen water pipes in another worry. On those outside pipes, your water spikets for hooking up your garden hose, if you don't have any of those fancy "bonnets" made of styrafoam to put over them, at least wrap them in newspaper and hold it in place with some type of tape.  If your water heater is out in the garage, it would also be a good idea to have an insulation blanket around it.

Inside faucets and outlet pipes that are on exterior walls are also prone to freezing. Dripping BOTH the hot and cold faucets and opening up the cabinet doors underneath that area to circulate warm house air will help eliminate this problem.

Food, Water and Medicines are also important to have on hand in case you are stuck inside for several days unable to get to a store. If you are without power, you will need items that you can eat cold right out of the can. Now of course if you are like me, this is when you are craving a nice big bowl of hot soup or chili and you have to settle for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! If you have no way to cook anything, as in my case if I lose power, I am out of luck. You might see if you can't find a couple cans of "sterno" and use some light weight aluminum pans to try and heat things up in. But please, don't try to fire up the bar-b-q grill indoors!

Pets will also need to have protection from the elements if they are outside animals. Be sure that they have shelter to get to, warm bedding to snuggle into, plenty of food and fresh water. I know that many farmers use heating elements to keep the water flowing and not iced over. Little animals (especially cats and dogs) probably should be brought inside or if not into the house into some type of heated area if the temperatures are going to be prolonged periods of below freezing weather.

Check your neighbors, especially those that are elderly. Hopefully you will have phone service and can give them a call. If not, you might be able to venture out across the street or next door to check on them if they are living close by.

So now I batten down the hatches, in preparation for possible ice and snow with blowing winds to arrive over night tomorrow and be hanging around for a couple of days! I will curl up under a warm blanket with that  seed and flower catalog and dream of spring and that new garden I plan to put in.

Stay safe and warm everyone!

We Got Snow!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here is a picture of what our little city looked like as the storm blew into Oklahoma! Whiteout conditions, 50 mph winds which started with rain and sleet and then turned into snow.  By the time Christmas morning came, this is what we woke up to

 

 Some brave souls actually attempted to drive in this

Depending on where you live you woke up to between 12 and 14 inches of this white fluffy stuff!

Looks pretty doesn't it?

Thank you Annie for some great photos

I just had to share them with others so they can see how pretty all this looks!