Winter Storm 2013

i apologize for my absence, i have lots of posts to catch up on!

 We finally got our snow!  It began early Thursday afternoon.  The sky darkened and it started with the rain. The local schools released 3 hours early, due to the impending weather.  So the kids sat around anxiously awaiting the snow.  It began to fall around 3pm, and came down fast! The lights flickered a few times, and then went out.

 

 i believe we got something like 8-9 inches in just a few hours.  The kids went outside and played until dark.  Then we lit candles and oil lamps, had cold sandwiches for dinner and sat around the stove reading books until bedtime.

Friday morning we woke to a beautiful scene! The storm had past leaving almost a foot of snow!    The sky was clear and blue, it was an absolutely perfect winters day!

This is our road Friday morning. We were still without power and knew we'd be snowed in a while.  We bundled up and headed outside to play in the snow.

 We have this amazing hill to sled on just across the road.  During the summer this field is full of cows, but in the winter we have permission to sled here.  The hill is huge. Can you see my husband and kids up by the tree line?  They are there, very tiny in the picture, but they are up there.

The hill in front of the old homestead is a bit tamer, and a bit less work to climb up and down. We spent several hours outside playing, then came inside and warmed up by the wood stove. 

 

 i truly cannot imagine not having a wood stove when the power is out. We lost power on Thursday night, and didn't get it back until Sunday Evening.  We heated water on the wood stove, and made hot cocoa. and coffee with a french press.   Despite not having power, i was able to cook pancakes, oatmeal,  grilled cheese, beans and rice,  vegetarian chili and quesadillas on the stove top using my cast iron.
Not having power was a bit of an inconvenience,  but with our wood stove we were able to stay warm and well fed. We melted snow for flushing toilets, and water for the animals.  All of our basic needs were met, and we were able to enjoy the quiet pace of being snowed in without power.

 

Without the distractions of technology, we spent as much time outside as we could.  Instead of a snowman, my kids built a snow dragon.

 i helped a little, but they designed it and did most of the work themselves.  They made a nest of eggs that her tail curled around.

 

 Unfortunately it began to melt before we ever got it finished.  We were trying to build up the body a bit more and add wings, but it just didn't happen.  It was still a ton of fun to make, and much more fabulous than a boring ol' snowman. :)

So, now that we've finally had our big snow, i am ready for spring! :)

Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.