Let it snow!

Wow, like so many of you, we have found ourselves in the middle of Old Man Winter’s grasp! 

What started out as small, innocent-looking snowflakes Saturday night, revved up and continued to fall throughout the day Sunday. By Monday morning we found ourselves with “officially” 15-1/2 inches of snow. And while that’s not much for some parts of the world, it’s a lot of snow here in the Midwest!

It didn’t seem to bother Bailey one bit…

and no, she didn’t have to run clear out to the chicken coop, she had a lovely path shoveled for her, but she chose to blaze her own trail.

I don’t know, it looks like she’s smiling to me!

This morning it was -15, brrr. At least the wind has died down and the sun is shining. I’m taking in way too many calories by drinking unreasonable amounts of hot chocolate, and while the new furnace is purring away beautifully, I’ve found that I simply want to curl up and to hibernate. I have books next to me, favorite magazines, a clean calendar for 2026, and a notebook – I’m plotting and planning, scheming and dreaming.  

Speaking of that new furnace, while it’s absolutely delightful, it runs on propane. Now, at least here, propane companies will not let customers place a refill order until the tank is at 30%. So at 30% I place an order, knowing that the snows are coming and we need to be prepared. 

Well, we get on the schedule, and we wait, and we call, and bless her heart, the grouchy gal says, “You and everyone else needs propane.”  

OK, I get it, I’m sure she’s inundated with calls. However, as the days go by, (and truly, we keep this old farmhouse at 68 during the day, 60 at night, no extravagant temperatures,) the level drops to 20%. We call to remind them. At 12% we call and get a little more assertive. Now the tank sits at 4%. At some point, we’ll have to turn the furnace off. And here’s the thing, no other propane company will fill the tank, only the company we have a contract with. Sigh. 

And so it goes…there is firewood, there is electricity for space heaters, there are quilts, blankets, and a snuggly dog. And of course, copious amounts of hot chocolate. 

I’ll start a fire at the crack of dawn and we’ll see. Hopefully they will arrive tomorrow with the delivery. 

Perhaps I will bundle up and step outside to take some pictures to share. 

But for now I leave you with this, 

“Be it ever so cold, humble, there’s no place like home!”