Good luck, east coast

I’m pretty sure I’ll be OK where I am; I’m more worried about Beth.

As for “hysterical politicians” – they’re everywhere, there’s no getting away from them.

Hi, Pat and Claire! Thanks for the well-wishes, and back atcha.

Don’t worry about me. The cats and I made it through last winter’s bitter cold and big snows without even electricity. Now that we have power and baseboard heaters in the tiny studio, we’re livin’ large.

I’ve got my propane heater and kerosene lantern handy just in case, and I cook with a camp stove anyway. Mini-fridge and pantry are stocked, and if the power goes out, it won’t be hard to keep food chilled. Real books are at hand too.

And not having plumbing means there are no pipes to freeze!

You stay safe and warm too, Pat. Sounds like you might get some icy weather over your way, and more wind maybe than we will.

Here in the mountains, we know how to deal with snow. And power outages. Mordor-on-the-Potomac, not so much……. At least we don’t have to worry about earthquakes! Oh, wait…..

Appreciate the kind thoughts, Claire, warm wishes to you, too.

Thanks, Pat. Glad (but not surprised) to know you are all set for the storm.

Claire, all I knew was that I didn’t have much cash to work with. But where I’ve been living for the past four or so years, in the mountains of Virginia, I’ve found true neighbors and friends, some of the best folk you could imagine. They’ve been a true help and comfort, and they’ve taught me about community for real. They’ve shown me great kindness and genuine respect.

My situation grew rough a couple of years ago when I basically had to resign from a steady, well-paid job I really wanted to keep — because the director was a lying, defrauding malignant narcissist, entrenched in her position for life and resentful of me for being more competent than she. While at that job, I’d adopted several cats from a local rescue group, and even when money got tight later, there was no way I was going to abandon my sweet faithful furryboys.

But I had my beloved little sliver of land, the thing that had led me here in the first place and the other thing I wasn’t about to give up. So I set up a canvas tent and we lived here like that for about seven months, April to November, while I figured out a plan to build a little shelter. That’s where my friends and neighbors really shone. They came out for several old-fashioned “barn-raisings” and we had a marvelous time.

Even the building department was cooperative in approving the electrical permit, once I dared to look into the possibility — I’d originally built the place too small to require a basic building permit, since time and cash were short, knowing that I probably couldn’t get power to the place until I was ready to build a real house and turn this into an outbuilding. They basically looked the other way — I think because they knew I’d done the best I could do, and I’d been up front with them, and they knew I hoped to put a real cabin here someday, when that becomes possible.

So we muddle along, and I admit, the going was very hard for a couple of years. There was recovery that needed to happen, and it needed a lot of time and tears. But I can honestly say now that there are days when life is better than I’ve ever known it to be. I have work much better suited to me now (although much lower-paying) with friendly, thoughtful colleagues and plenty of autonomy, and it gives me a meaningful role to fill in a place I have come to love.

Anyway, enough about me. ;^)

Warmest wishes to all you Commentariat members dealing with rough weather! Stay safe and cozy and free.

He didn’t remain “stuck,” now did he Jim? Rats.

The big “storm” that was supposed to hit here the last few days pretty much fizzled, as has been the pattern this year. Forecast says we’ll have a high in the mid 40s today, and a low of 28 or so. No real snow or low temps predicted for the next 10 days, anyway. Another warm, and sadly dry winter in NE Wyoming.

Lets see:

Diesel for generator- check
gas for snowblower- check
Plenty of food- check
Dog food-check
bird seed- check
firewood-check
tarps tied down- check
Ammo in abundance- check

schadenfreude for Mordor on the Potomac- check

somewhere between 3 and 4 feet of snow here at Liberty Hollow; hard to say exactly with the drifting. The only problem with this storm is that it stopped snowing in Mordor on the Potomac.

Imagine if you could keep it snowing for a couple of weeks, just inside the Beltway……………28 feet of snow………………. Ah well, I can dream, can’t I?

Historian