Smokey Mountain Breakdown

I've not been keeping up lately with the blog. So sorry. I'll try harder.

Basically coming on today to tell you I'm most likely going to be disappearing from the Internet for a few days. We are expecting somewhere in the realm of 16 inches of snow here in the next 24 hours. I take it a foregone conclusion that Newport Utilities will be unable to keep the power on.

But I'm ready this time. Took an overly long hot shower. Filled the tubs with water and filled extra jugs for dog and drinking water. Pulled down the hurricane lanterns--forgot to restock candles so the lanterns will have to do. Shame, since candles give much better light for reading--the only thing to do here when power goes out. Though I do have a lot of yarn I'm spinning and will be able to do that in the dim light--and knit on my knit only projects. Light gets too dim for counting rows. I cleaned the house, since it gets impossibly dirty when the power goes out for days. Have ramen noodles, camp coffee pot and foil and potatoes to cook on the stove. A rick of wood on the porch stacked. Did the laundry so I have clean wool socks, long underwear and sweaters. Clean wool socks make me happy.

So. Here I am awaiting the inevitable blackout. It gets so cold in the house and I think I'm supposed to be stying off my feet. But I'll be schlepping firewood instead. Left leg has gone all hinky and I'm thinking clot. I'll get it looked to when the roads clear and I take the meds they'd give me in the hospital anyway so there's not much else that can be done. I don't mind the cold and snow--it's just the unreliable utilities that depress me.

I'm hoping they'll be able to keep the power on through the night, but it is Friday--aka Drunk Hillbilly Night. Every Friday people get together here to drink rottgut at people's houses--at least that was what Scott used to do. It's not actually a social event--it's just to get drunk. So that combined with the weather is going to take out a few utility poles.

But the frogs woke up twice this past week! So spring can't be that far away, can it?

...inconvenient.

This was the view from my bedroom when I woke up at the crack of noon today. I went to bed early--around 2 a.m. so got up earlier than usual. The snow that fell most of yesterday that then turned to freezing rain and froze overnight made everything sparkle. I doubt I'll even make it to the mailbox to check mail today.

There's a slick little stretch of winding road not far from the house that keeps everyone locked up here when it ices. Not sure why--it may have a wet spring that drains onto it, but when the weather is like this it's a solid sheet of ice. It's our own little luge for 4WD vehicles--'cause even that won't do you no good there. So we are trapped here.

But I love the cleanness of everything when it's frozen. So stark. The switch grass in the pasture, feathering ghosts of this past summer, bend heads to the ground, curving tortuously. The wind has whipped them into that position and the ice has bound them. They wait for me--or someone--to come and free them with blades or fire.

But I didn't want to wake up this morning. I feel better after a shower. The dogs are inside. The sun is shining, melting what it can. 36 degrees.

Woke up this morning to a good four or five inches of snow on the ground. This was the view off my balcony upon rising.

The kids have been having a glorious time playing in the snow. I kept little Violette inside last night and will probably do so again. I'm a bit protective of her since a polled goat is a relatively rare thing that can hopefully have polled babies.


I, of course, had to go out and get some photos of their amazing cuteness.

I wanted to get some good shots of Bridey and Goata for Anne and Erica. Goata is no problem and poses quite sedately. But Bridey is forever in motion. Running, jumping and twirling like a little dancer. And for some reason she felt that the camera's appearance meant it a perfect time to dominance hump her big brother.

I was able to get a few "G" rated photos out of her...but always on the run. Her favorite game is jumping up on me.






Enjoy your Sunday. Hugs to all.

It started up late this afternoon and stuck. It's still going.

Betsy was supposed to bring Harper and Phoebe over today and we were going to go pick up some Nubian and La Mancha does today. We will try again tomorrow. So...I've been snug in the house most of the day with the exception of 8:00 a.m. milking and unfreezing the outdoor faucet. I need to get that faucet a condom. It has to run flat out...not drip...to not freeze.

Violette has been inside most of the day. She's my little polled and outrageously spotted kid. She seems to have gotten a spider bite or something on the end of her widdy nose and it's ballooned up like she's been hitting the gin too much.

Blinkin' is on the porch with Pearlie. Decided to give milking Blinkin' a try. She's not trained for that. It will be like milking a cat. I will no doubt be cursing and foaming at the mouth in the morning.

I've already vegged out to Basilisk and am going to slake my lust for cartoons on Cartoon Network very shortly.

Stay warm. Time to feed BossyToe.

I'm tired. I have that punchy feeling where you can feel your blood vibrating in your veins.

I hate that.

I was just falling asleep this morning as the dawn charged over the horizon. I'm not sure why I stayed up all night, but I just did. So when the phone rang at eleven, I wasn't really half awake. But six hours is better than nothing.

So...I got nothin' for you today. I'm really really happy with Little Men. That's the sort of work I do when I'm well rested.

This morning was warmish in a weird way and the clouds came closing in on the blue sky. By afternoon it began. Great white globby snow flakes. I so love the first snow. I had to run to the store and stood out in it for a moment. In a moment of madness, I lifted my head to the sky and stuck out my tongue, letting those icy clumps fall and melt. They felt like little fairy needles.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion. I experienced a rare moment of Zen seeing on my way home. I stopped the jeep by the "Rope Hole", a local swimming hole with a rope swing. I saw the snowflakes falling on the rushing mountain water in a moment of crystal clarity. I zoomed in with my entire being to the moment before the snowflakes hit the water. I think they seemed to pause for a moment, as though knowing death was near.

I have no words to describe how unspeakably beautiful this was. It was a visual haiku.

But I have no words for you now. I'd just drown you in adjectives.