That is right…the feces is about to hit the oscillator here – a Winter Storm Warning! The last few days has been a flurry of activity with the birds; they sensed it so it is a feeding frenzy where I blew the leaves from to pile up away from the house. I have put water out since the only one who can peck the ice is the woodpeckers. If he strikes water everyone is in for a taste. If not, they eat the ice chips from the hole. Pretty interesting to watch them do that.

Juncos, woodpeckers, tufted titmouse, sparrows maybe a wren or finch or two, robins, blue jays, flickers, cardinals…so many birds that are so busy they are hard to ID. There’s a lot of activity and it is pretty cool to live on a wildlife refuge (I know for real). You see a lot of behaviors since they get used to your face and recognize you. I will sit on the porch swing and they will hit the birdbath for a drink or a splash. It is only maybe 10 feet from me so they are cautious but come in to the bar. I stop swinging and sit as still as I can so they get their fill. They finally head out and that means that I can finally scratch my nose.

Even the squirrels are more neurotic that’s usual. They are running all over or running treetop-to-treetop, appearing to be having a big time yet always on a mission. There are four knotholes in some trees – three in one tree and one in another. The one with only one knothole appears to be occupied by a woodpecker. The occupied one on the other tree looks to be a squirrel. The third & fourth ones I am not sure who holds the lease on that one.

And, then there’s my dogs…the freaks they are. I have posted pics of them sleeping on their backs. They still do that, but Rumor goes even further. She lays in front of the wood stove and lifts her back leg so her belly can absorb the heat. She is literally asleep with her leg in the air.

Nature appears to be bracing itself.If only I had some way of knowing…

So…about this weather…

A few days ago it cooled down quite a lot and I thought I should probably check a forecast. I did and saw some cold-ass weather heading this way. Today I got an alert on my phone – this just got more seriouser. It was not looking good, and it was one of those things where you’d say “Wait…uh, what?! SNOW?!”. Yeah, along with that 6-11” of snow comes a real treat – single digits (° F) for half of the next week, a few days in the mid-teens, and one day below zero. And these temperatures are WITHOUT the wind chill factored in – which I happened to see one day at something like -19 F.

And, with that incredible foresight I discovered I best get some firewood – as much as I can – and damn fast. I have been working on it earlier this week, yesterday and today. It will be around a high of 19 F tomorrow but if I need to I can still get out for a bit to cut more up before the ensuing carnage takes place. Today I actually cut up some stuff into rounds since I broke my ax handle. If the rounds are still too big I can split them with the saw. Basically they are big chunks of firewood. I should have enough to get me through the coldest weather but I just use it to help supplement the furnace to circulate and keep everything warm, which in turn keeps the whole house warmer overall.

I have plenty of food but should go get a few things in the morning so I won’t need to leave for a few days. Whenever you are snowed in some fresh baked cookies, biscuits, etc. are always good anytime on a cold day. I should have done it this morning when I went to town, but with this being the last warm(er) day for a week or more I was more focused on getting firewood.

I ran in to town so I could fill three propane tanks for the trailer and put fuel in my truck – the thing is don’t be in a storm without a decent amount of fuel in your vehicle in case you need to go somewhere. The propane furnace keeps the trailer toasty. The trailer is great to hang out in, but – and I have done this before in my old trailer – in case there is a power outage, I have a fully-equipped, warm, comfortable place I can stay in, cook in and sleep in. With basically four propane tanks, that much fuel will last a while if I hang out when it is cold to watch some TV.

I just thought of something. I just got brand new BFG All-Terrain KO3s on my truck so this weather is perfect to try them out. Since I am eventually getting west I need something good in the snow and ice. I did see a little snow & ice in SD a couple weekends ago but nothing like we are expecting. I will get out and get them in the snow. I think it may go more south of here but they were unsure how far this arctic front is going to go.

That is the big news for today. See you next time.

Shawn