Saturday, January 31, 2015

Snow Update

We've made it through two respectable snow storms in less than a week without any interruption in electrical service, and despite the fact that everyone in the house (including Tom, as it turned out) is recovering from illness.

Another storm is passing through the Northeast Sunday night and Monday; we don't yet know if it will come as far north as us. But we'll manage either way. The biggest problem we're having right now is finding room for all the snow.

Just an extra note: I made a change to how the Web page displays pictures and captions, which I hope will make it easier to update the pictures when I’m away from my home computer (during, for example, a power outage). If the new method breaks anything, rest assured that I will fix it quickly, but not so quickly that you don’t get at least a few moments to laugh at my mistakes.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

So Far, So Good

The snow arrived a little later than expected, and although it's blowing around and accumulating quickly, it hasn't knocked out the power. We're all staying home today, so we don't have to worry much about driving conditions, as long as we can clear our driveway by morning for the boys to get to the bus and Karen and Tom to get out for work.

It's funny: there's all this fine, perfect powder snow falling outside, just right for snowboarding. Danny was supposed to go snowboarding with his school today but, because of the unsafe roads, he won't be going. At least he'll have good snow when they do their make-up day next week.

Meanwhile, we're all snug at home. The power may still go out, but we're ready if it does, and I think that, for the most part, it's going to be a good day for relaxing and recovering.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Don't Worry, and Don't Expect Much

Now that we're beginning to recover from the virus, we're about to get hit with a blizzard. Some of the news reports are calling it "historic," but I doubt that it's an apt description. Right now the National Weather Service is predicting 10-14 inches, and very low temperatures. That means flaky snow, not the kind that typically snaps tree limbs and downs power lines.

On the other hand, there will be wind, and our power is vulnerable. So if you don't hear from us from awhile, don't panic. Without power we have no Internet and no phone (unless we drive several miles toward town to get a cell signal).

But we're getting pretty good at this whole power outage thing; we have supplies of food and fresh water, and even some charged-up electronics to keep us entertained for at least part of the time. School has already been cancelled, so the boys will be snug and warm with us at home, and if the weather is too bad, Karen' store might even be close. Tom has the day off anyway.

And I'll report as soon as we know any more.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Gone Viral

A nasty bug has spread misery through the Brooks household over the last several days, which is why I haven't kept up with pictures. Or anything else, for that matter.

Karen got it first, and then (reluctantly, I'm sure), shared with the rest of us. Except, I think, Tom. We're recovering, albeit slowly, and we’ll all be fine. But it hasn’t been fun.

Sunday, January 04, 2015

Spared

To my amazement, we didn't lose power during this storm. Of course, it turned out to be a pretty good storm for not knocking out power. The snow stayed light and fluffy almost until it turned into freezing rain. As a result, the snow didn't stay on the trees for the most part, and so there was far less chance of limbs falling on the lines.

On the other hand, you could be all superstitious and say that the power didn't go out because, unlike last time, we were prepared for it. In any case, we had a fairly normal day today, except for the snow shoveling.

Busy week this week. Danny is going to try snowboarding for the first time, using Thomas' old equipment, and he has three basketball practices and a meeting of the Book Talk Club coming up. Assuming that none of them is called off for weather.

And now that the kids will be back in school, I have to get back into the swing of regular writing. I've got a book in the works, a short story, and a song. I expect to have to song done this week, and the story by next week. And I'm only giving myself about three months for the (admittedly fairly short) book.

So I'd better get myself some sleep; I'm going to need it!

Saturday, January 03, 2015

Here It Comes Again

Tonight we are expecting anywhere from four to six inches of snow, followed by freezing rain, and then regular old rain. Put it all together and it means a really good chance for a power outage. So don't be surprised if the picture of the day tomorrow is a repeat. And for that matter, don't be surprised, or worried, if you can't get us on the phone.

Because around no power here means no phone, Internet, or running water. We might do something about that in our next (and, with luck, final) house, but for now we're stuck with it.

This mixed (and boy, do I mean mixed) precipitation will be followed by about four or five days of cold weather, even for New Hampshire. After that, I have no idea what we're getting into, but I'll just take it as it comes. I really have no choice

I expect if we get a power outage this time, it won't be for quite as long as the last one. For one thing, I don't think the wet snow will be as widespread, and for another, the rain will be easier for the line crews to deal with than the ice that finished up the other storm. Still, the tub is filled with water for flushing toilets, and I'm about to charge up the tablets and phones so that we have some entertainment the doesn't require A/C power.

And, I'm happy to say, I have one heater that doesn't require electricity.