Hey Everyone! Sorry no pics today either. Life at Hidden Acres Farm is going well, but it's pretty cold. We've had a couple of snows, and are in one now, and I am snow-bound. I've walked to my friend's home to get online and charge my cell phone, and check email - I had 519 messages! I haven't been online since I last posted here. Oh, the name of the farm is what my landlords, The Weavers, named the place where I am living.
Yesterday I was so lonesome, since it'd been since last Thurs that I spoke to or saw anyone because of the snow storm, that I walked about 4 miles to my landlords' home to say Hey. Mrs Weaver was gracious enough to invite me for lunch. They are in the midst of butchering, so there were 15 of us at the lunch table. The walk there was a killer because I was walking into a west wind, my eyelashes had icicles. And boy! did that hot chocolate that Mrs Weaver offer me taste good! I had a great time, and the walk home was a piece of cake walking with the wind, but I did find a blister on the ball of my left foot - *whine*. So, today, when I decided to walk to my friend's home, it was pretty easy since she just lives about 2 miles from the cabin, and the wind is light, and it's not snowing.
I'm slowly learning what type of wood burns quickly and heats quickly, which ones take a while to catch the fire, but burn long. When it's in the single digits at night, I'm up most of the night to keep the fire going because it does get cold on those nights in the cabin. But last night it was about 12 degrees, and when I got up this morning, it was 60 degrees in the cabin, with hot coals still in the stove, so restarting the fire was easy, and me and the cats were warm as toast in no time flat. I loaded the firebox, and turned down all the vents so it would burn low and slow while I'm here at my friend's place.
Two of my male cats still like going out in this weather, but they both have a good layer of fat and hair to keep them warm, plus they know they have a warm place to come in and get warm again. I've not been doing any more canning, although I did buy 2 10 lb whole pork loins and can that meat, and got 7 quarts, plus 9 pints, and still had some meat left over for a meal or two. This canned meat that I've put up has come in so handy during these 2 storms we've had where I've been snow-bound for a week - each time. Christmas and New Years was uneventful, but I did notice last night that the daylight time is increasing, where it is not pitch black at 6pm, but still a little light outside - a sure sign of good things to come in the Spring.
I hope you're all well, and had a blessed Christmas, and a wonderful New Year. May this year bring you many blessings. Take care Ya'll, and thank you so much for following this blog of mine, and for all of your wonderful and helpful comments. Oh, I do leave a pot or two of water on the stove for humidity, as well as for making coffee and hot tea. Thanks for the heads-up on that Sawn. I'll talk with ya'll soon. May God's abundant love and blessings be upon you all. So long from snowy Casey Co KY.
About Me
- Kathy in KY
- Fayette Co, KY, United States
- I am a country girl stuck in the city, for the time-being. I enjoy the country way of life, and practice that in my home as best I can by canning and preserving foods, cooking and baking from scratch, crocheting, living vicariously thru the many blogs I follow about country life. I enjoy learning about raising livestock, and glean from my past employment and personal experiences of working with animals to fuel some of my postings. I have 5 cats, who keep my life interesting. And I am also an amateur poet. Thanks for stopping by and checking out this Farmer-gal who is caught in town, for now.
4 comments:
Good to hear from you. I think of you often,although I know it's not possible for you to blog that much.Pop and I have always thought"We could do it."but I admire you for trying it and doing a great job of going back to that way of life. We are all stronger than we think.Stay warm and safe.
Kathy,Pop has taught me a little more about keeping fire. I have always tried to get the fire to hold until morning, or aleast to still have hot colds in the morning.Sometimes it does and sometimes not. He told me to stack the wood in a tall pile in the stove,1 stick wide.That way the fire only burns 1 piece at a time instad of 2.If you can get the pile fairly tall and narrow, and some greener pieces of harder wood,it should hold better all night. and don't forget to shut the dampers almost shut,but not to where they will smoke. It is a fine art. I don't know the different kinds of wood, but Pop does, and he does a great job. I'm trying to learn. Most likely, I'll need to know this some day when I must keep fire alone.God forbid that should be any day soon.
Kathy, be careful walking in cold temps and deep snow; you need to let someone know you're out and about. It's so easy to trip and twist an ankle and there you lay. This I know from experience -grin-.
Glad you've been having productive canning times, sounds delicious!
I've started a letter and hope to mail soon.
Kathy it has bee forever since we have heard from you. Good, bad or indifferent please let us know you are o.k.
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