I found a cost calculator for figuring how much it would cost to install a paver sidewalk (excluding materials). My sidewalk would have been between $400 - $700 for someone else to put it in so this was a very satisfying DIY project :-)
Posted on 01/01/2025 7:08:47 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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It was a nice little run down/wake up call though. I'm lagging/lacking on a few things.
Got spoiled being on grid for several years and not having much for power outages in the past few years. Got the basics covered though. Hot wood stove we can cook on. Need some better lighting but I do have half a dozen good flashlights. Need better candles, or preferably, oil for the oil lamps. I wonder if hickory nut oil would work? No shortage of hickory nuts here. Got a gallon of them to press sometime. Got a little hydraulic press and just need to make the pressing vessel, sometime when the weather's better.
Precipitation classified as "unknown" type by the local national airport has quit(poor pilots). Gotta go bust up some more wood. Sometime today, I need to go harvest the most of the rest of my Tatso, Chijisimai and Yellow Heart Winter Bok Choy. Maybe some lettuce too. Gonna leave 2-3 of all to see how they handle 4-5 degrees and take Field Notes on my Fall Planting event in my garden app. 🤓
I’m not sure what time it started here, but we woke up to a couple inches of ice pellet stuff on the ground.
It started snowing a couple hours ago. Wet and sticky, which is good thing.
The wind is howling but sticky snow doesn’t drift so I’ll call it a win.
I’d intended to visit a buddy today who’s laid up in the crash house, but instead I’m going to leave the roads to the folks who really need to get somewhere.
We’re way northeast of you in southern part of north central WV, and the forecast is for 8-12 inches of snow. Hopefully we’ll miss the ice, but the weather maps I’ve seen are iffy.
We’re prepared as much as possible. Wood stove is running, woodpile on the porch, outside of the back door is full, along with the kindling pile. For power, we have a whole house gas generator and this may be the first use of it in quite awhile. :)
I’m supposed to go to town tomorrow, but will likely just stay home.
I don’t post often, read this list every day and am praying for all of you in the path of the storm. Take care and stay safe.
Now I’m off to start a big pot of chili, just the thing for a cold inter’s night. :)
My ex just said via text they got 2 inches and she’s 10 miles away. Asked if I could get out the door. I got 1/4 inch and am complaining about it. Of course they never lost power but I did.
I remember 2” of ice from when I bought truck off ebay and went to get it. Hilly wine country and the truck needed gas. Pulling into the only gas station, downhill into lot was quite a butt pucker moment.
Outside of that town, no ice.
Ozarks
I just battened down the hatches - all vehicles under cover. I got in the freezer & pulled out some soup to thaw ... no chili, but I have the fixins’ to make some.
& just might do that :-)
We have a wood stove in the basement, hooked into the HVAC & plenty of wood. I think we need a safety ‘damper’ between the stove & the main house duct work, but I have not found anyone to install - HVAC says ‘not us’ & the chimney sweep (large company) won’t do it either. My cousin just told me about a stove company across the mountain & I will try them .... 2 volunteer fire departments nearby & they may know someone, too.
Snow I can deal with, but not ice & it looks like we will avoid the ice storm to the south. Plans are to get a whole house generator, but that will have to be a project for maybe year after next.
Thanks for the prayers!
We’re not as prepared as I would like. I have two wind-up radios and I can always cook on the camp stove or the grill. The well needs electricity to run the pump, but there is also a hand pump if it comes down to it. Rumor has it that there is a generator that will be able to run some things; it’s usually down in the barn for one project or another.
Flashlights. I have them strategically placed all around the house. We’ve had 4 power outages in the 9 years I’ve lived here, but never for more than a few hours, tops. We are at the END of the power grid for our little Cow Town. Farm on a dead-end road. Last outage was caused by a squirrel committing suicide crossing electrical wires.
Adapt and Improvise is my strategy, I guess. ;)
I found a cost calculator for figuring how much it would cost to install a paver sidewalk (excluding materials). My sidewalk would have been between $400 - $700 for someone else to put it in so this was a very satisfying DIY project :-)
Turned out very nice! Should be easy to shovel off come morning. ;)
You have fewer power outages and for not as long as we have here at this house. 11 years here. Lose power several times a year. Usually at least once in the winter, and a couple of other times during the “better” weather. Ours is often the result of tree limbs falling on power lines. Squirrels are the kamikaze type that decide to run across the street at exactly the wrong moment.
We are ok prepared. Gas stove which is a miracle worker. Our gas-powered generator can handle the 2 fridges and freezer, and the convection microwave, plus the blower on the gas heater. Oh, and one outlet that can handle a couple of floor lamps and/or phone chargers. So it’s enough when it’s an emergency, even for several days, which has happened a time or two. Not fun, but at least it’s not a week plus.
When we lived at our old house in Columbus (OH) , one Christmas we were without power for 3 days. I will never forget it. Christmas Eve Mass was amazing in our dark church, but we were all given hand held candles as we entered. Probably the most beautiful Christmas Eve Mass I’ve ever been to.
In that house, we had a gas fireplace, and brought sleeping bags into the family room. Our kids ranged in age from 16 -11 then. It was very special.
The other time we were without power there (that was significant) was in the middle of a heatwave in summer. A storm knocked down major power lines for our entire area. We had no power at all for 10 days. That’s when I learned to have battery operated box fans. Anything that keeps the hot stale air moving helps.
Since then, we bought a generator that gets us through the tough stuff. We want to add an automatic generator in the next couple of years.
bttt
I think you’re awesome! I am too chicken to try doing my own bigger projects anymore. Your paver sidewalk is a thing of beauty, and that YOU did this yourself makes it even more special! Congrats!
8:40PM here on the KS/MO border. Its blizzardy and all that. Not too common here, but people are being smart and staying home.
View from the Front yard at 3:00PM. There is pretty much no traffic on the main street beside my house.
More snow since then! Street lights and street lights on, and snow continues to blow. Looking out from inside, blue and purple shadows and golden colored lights, magical! Snow to continue until after midnight and when I wake tomorrow and need to shovel, all the magic and midnight fairies will be gone! (Probably about 11 inches over ice.)
Diana from W. and mom with hope would laugh and say that this is just a winter Tuesday in Wisconsin or Michigan, and yes, its pretty much the winter where I grew up.
The ice is no fun, neither is a power outage. More on the way, Good Luck!
Good for you! A generator is a great thing to have, even if its just to keep your freezer and refrigerator working, and maybe run a fan.
The generator is for the necessities, and if we lost all of our food several times a year, that would be a lot of money and heartache. We’ve done that twice before. We don’t intend to let that happen again if we have any say about it. Not that we do.
How is your snowmageddon going?
I have about 20 years of working rock projects on the AT under my belt so I was confident I could do it :-) Not as young as I used to be so the first 3 rows had me so sore I could hardly move, but after a couple of days rest over Christmas, the last 3 weren’t as bad. Doing mulch today with the head cold was no fun, but I had to get it down before the snow storm.
Decent amount of snow you have there! In Indiana, I can appreciate that amount of snow. Maybe by tomorrow we will have as much as you’ve gotten. I think we are getting close to 5” now. I measured 4-1/4” a couple of hours ago.
It looks like a beautiful white blanket out our window. So far…no animal tracks. I expect that to change at any time, unless the animals decide to hunker down. The birds and squirrels were very active around here during the daytime.
I keep watching out the window to hopefully see a deer, raccoon, possum, or fox saunter through the back yard. So far, nothing. I’m fairly sure there will be paw prints by morning.
The poor schoolchildren. Now with e-learning they don’t get snow days off. Those used to be great! Everything is closed for in-person instruction, but they still have sit for lessons while the snow beckons them to go play in it.
You did great! The exercise will knock that head cold out of you pretty soon!
Stay safe everyone. Just cold here in Michigan. Making a run to Menards for bird seed.
“Making a run to Menards for bird seed.”
That’s one of our many stops today, too. All the Cool Kids are doing it, LOL! ;)
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