This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
Thank you for all your support over the years!

Welcome?

November 4th, 2014

Winter is officially here and we are unprepared. Last time I checked the weather there was no longer snow and they were calling for rain. So when we heard that there was a noreaster forecasted to arrive on Saturday night we were a little nervous. We happened to be down in Rhode Island, Mr Chiots was speaking at a conference. Luckily, we made it home before the snow started. We woke up the next morning to an inch or so of snow and things deteriorated from there. It snowed…..and snowed….and continued to snow long after they had predicted that it would stop.
Winter weather 3
Winter weather 2
Winter weather 1
We ended up with 16-18 inches of snow – we were not ready for that. Our plow truck is down for the count, the tow truck is supposed to come and take it to the local repair shop. The pig fences were almost completely buried in the snow – not good. Then the power went out – YAY (the reason there was no blog post yesterday).
Winter weather 1 (1)
Winter weather 2 (1)
We went to bed early and got up really early on Monday morning to dig out. The first order of business was the pig fence. What a chore to dig 1-2 feet of snow from around 400 feet of fencing, on both sides. But we got it finished, then we hooked the plow truck battery up to the fence charger and got their fence going again. Though with the snow so deep they weren’t going anywhere very fast. I wish I had gotten some photos, but I was too busy digging. Thankfully the sun came out and helped things thaw a bit. Mr Chiots dug out the driveway with the tractor and we were able to get out.
Winter weather 3 (1)
I don’t actually mind when the power goes out, I find the respite to be nice. Sometimes in this day and age we need this kind of experience to remind us how much we rely on technology to entertain and distract us. I always enjoy an evening or two without electricity. Thankfully though ours came back on the following day, now I can get back to work. I’m still a few days behind from my week without internet a few weeks ago.

Do you enjoy a day or two without power or does it drive you crazy?

10 Comments to “Welcome?”
  1. Gretchen NC on November 4, 2014 at 7:23 am

    I definitely enjoy it! It’s been quite some years since it’s happened though.

    Reply to Gretchen NC's comment

  2. Myra S. on November 4, 2014 at 8:07 am

    Wow! We only just had our good first frost!

    Reply to Myra S.'s comment

  3. K on November 4, 2014 at 8:46 am

    Wow! Love the photos! Had no idea your part of the country got hit so hard this weekend. I also like it when the power goes out, the candles have to be lit, and everything slows down.

    Reply to K's comment

  4. Nebraska Dave on November 4, 2014 at 9:32 am

    Susy, I thrive in black outs. It’s a time when neighbor’s have nothing else to do but sit in some one’s driveway and catch up with life. The last power outage was a wonderful three hour session of four neighbor house holds telling stories and catching up with current life experiences. Yes, it was an inconvenience but I look forward to it happening on occasion. Of course I don’t have pigs to be concerned about.

    Yikes, 400 feet of fence to dig out would definitely be a project. I’m not ready for 18 inches of snow that’s for sure. My snow blower is still in the shop getting it’s annual checkup. I don’t remember that you got this much snow this early last year. I expect it will soon be a sloppy mess as it melts. The first snows are always so wet and heavy. I best start thinking about Winter here too.

    Have a great snowy day in Maine.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  5. Mich on November 4, 2014 at 11:12 am

    I don’t mind if the power goes out, though to be fair it doesn’t go off very often.
    We have log burner, calor gas hob & candles :)
    That sure is one heck of a lot of snow & only just into Nov!
    We had a couple of minor frosts but it is still really mild here in middle of UK.
    In fact I saw butterfly flying about yesterday & our honey bees are still pretty active.

    Reply to Mich's comment

  6. Colleen on November 4, 2014 at 11:38 am

    Yes, I do like the occasional power outage. Typically our outages are due to wind storms, not 18 inches of snow! Large amounts of snow rarely happen here and when it does, things are shut down for miles around for several days, mostly due to ice. The photos you posted makes me wish for snow and reminds me it’s time to get a few more things ready, just incase.

    Reply to Colleen's comment

  7. PennyAshevilleNC on November 4, 2014 at 11:54 am

    I don’t mind the power outage…16-18″?!?!? Crazy. We had about 3 this weekend which is unusual but not unheard of. I wonder- does this mean a snowy winter for us?

    Reply to PennyAshevilleNC's comment

  8. Rick on November 4, 2014 at 12:27 pm

    Wow!! 16-18 inches that’s a once a year January storm for us! We haven’t even seen our first snow yet this year which is a little odd, but I can’t even imagine that much snow in November!! Good luck and stay warm!!

    Reply to Rick's comment

  9. Justin on November 4, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    Heh. Welcome to New England. ;-)

    Reply to Justin's comment

  10. Wendy on November 4, 2014 at 6:27 pm

    The snow is beautiful, but I don’t envy you having to dig out.

    That Mr. Chiots is getting to be quite the traveler–didn’t you say he was in Israel a couple of weeks ago? Glad you didn’t have to drive home in snow!

    Reply to Wendy's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

Admin
Read previous post:
Quote of the Day: Kristin Kimball

"And this is the place where I'm supposed to tell you what I've learned. Here's the best I can do:...

Close