Snowfall: 167.75" (13.98 feet)
Mouse Trapline Tally: 10
Hello again!
The snow continues to melt away quickly! We are getting daily temps in the 50's and it certainly feels like Spring! We put the screen door on the front of the house and enjoy the fresh air daily. We are actually starting to see the ground in a few spots around the house. To those who may not live in the area.....that's kind of a big deal! We haven't seen anything but snow on the ground since November! So unless we get a crazy snowfall between now and "break up" (last May we got 1.5 feet!), it looks like we ended the season with about 14 feet of snow. More than last year!
If you remember the last time we "talked", I was trying my hand at making homemade wine...Well, I am proud to report that it worked!
It's still putting off a little gas but we've tasted both of them. I'm told it can go two ways...either wine or vinegar. They both tasted like wine so I'll call it a win! Oh, the possibilities are endless....For those of you who have followed our journey for awhile, you may remember me telling you last year how I was "bread challenged"?? That I could even manage to mess up a "no fail" recipe?? Well, I have conquered the bread challenge! It's an Amish White Bread recipe that I found online and it's wonderful!
It turned out the first time, too! At this point, I've made it several times...
And even made some into homemade hamburger buns!
Who knew?? We would be hard-pressed to go back to store bought now!
I've also been making homemade handsoap and dry canning flour...
For this idea, I have to give a shout-out to my mother-in-law. I've been around canning my entire life and had never heard of dry canning until a couple of years ago. It's a life-saver when it comes to keeping mice and bugs out of the dry goods. Thanks for the heads up, Susan! 😉
Funny story.....So, as you may remember, this was my first season learning to operate a snow machine. I've been so proud that I didn't dump it all winter. Well, THAT went out the window a couple of days ago!
I rode it down toward the spring to get water. When I went to do the turn around, I got into some soft snow and did a slow roll over. No harm done, except that I was down the hill, Kevin was up in the house and my leg was pinned under the machine. It weighs about 600 lbs so I wasn't able to push it off of me with my free leg. I managed to get my leg out from under it by leaving my boot behind! I had to trudge up the hill with one boot on and a sock foot! Because the snow is getting so soft, I was "post-holing" all the way up the hill up to my knees. By the time I got to the house, I was out of breath and not happy. Kevin and Huck came down to help me dig it out. It took awhile but we managed it. What a mess!
Huck is still growing like a weed. He is 42 pounds now...
He's learned to sit and shake. We're still working on "come" but he'll get there. He HAS taught himself a new trick, though....when he's outside and wants to come in, he pops his head up to the window by my chair and makes sure I see him...
I call it "ringing the doggie doorbell"...😄
As the snow continues to melt, most all of the roofs are clear now. We noticed a couple of days ago that the stove pipe on the shop took a hit and will have to be straightened up before next winter. One of the wood sheds also snapped a cross beam from the snow weight on the roof...
If those are the only casualties of this winter, we'll call it good! We are patiently waiting for the water line to the house to thaw so that we can pump water and not have to haul it for a few months. Maybe Kevin will have time to rig up a new system before he goes to work this season. We'll see what shakes out. In the meantime, stay wild!
