winter is hanging in

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
Last night we had all kinds of dire winter storm warnings. This a.m. when I got up, there was barely a dusting of snow on the ground. I scoffed and said 'we escaped again'. Well, somebody heard me. Just then the sky started falling. In the past two hours we have gotten about 1 1/2" of snow and it is still coming strong. Five inches or more predicted. No matter, Momma and I are retarded.....er.....retired, ;) have food, water, back up heat and no commitments to go anywhere. I'm still in my robe and fuzzy fur slippers. Might stay that way all day.
 

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... No matter, Momma and I are retarded.....er.....retired, ;) have food, water, back up heat and no commitments to go anywhere. I'm still in my robe and fuzzy fur slippers. Might stay that way all day.

Ain't retirement great? When we were retiring, and moving from Southern California to Northeast Ohio, the thing we got asked the most was 'How are you going to handle the winter weather?' My response was "Hey, we're retired. If I get up in the morning and look out the window at a bunch of snow I'll just say 'My, ain't that purty' and go back to bed."

The fridge, freezer and pantry are well stocked, and we can stay in for days if need be. The only shoveling I generally do is a path from the house to the shop.
 
Ain't retirement great? When we were retiring, and moving from Southern California to Northeast Ohio, the thing we got asked the most was 'How are you going to handle the winter weather?' My response was "Hey, we're retired. If I get up in the morning and look out the window at a bunch of snow I'll just say 'My, ain't that purty' and go back to bed."

The fridge, freezer and pantry are well stocked, and we can stay in for days if need be. The only shoveling I generally do is a path from the house to the shop.

We learn quick at our age, don't we? ;)
 
Just got home from the office. It's usually a 30-45 minute drive in peak traffic, today it was 1 hour and 45 minutes.

We have already received 5 to 6 inches and are expecting more. Cleaning the driveay tomorrow should be fun.

Randy
 
Getting hit pretty good here right now. Supposed to go over to Larry's tonight but the weather may put a stop to that.

Building a 40x64 pole barn for a customer and it has been a challenge getting things done. Shingles were supposed to be delivered today but with all the snow we are getting, I doubt the bundles would stay up on the roof.

Back around Christmas we almost lost the barn due to high winds
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But we managed to get it all straightend back up. It took about a extra week to get it back to the shape before the wind damage.

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So as it sits today trusses set, osb on roof and walls....just waiting for this nasty weather to leave so we can get the shingles on and move on to vinyl siding.
 
Dang, Frank, that was one visual I really didn't need. I've already seen you in your turning gear and that was scary enough.:eek::peek:

Don't worry, Billy. I keep the front tied closed.....most of the time. :rolleyes:
And my slippers are really neat things from Alaska, real cozy warm.
We got more snow last night but I'm going to get out today.
 
Getting hit pretty good here right now. Supposed to go over to Larry's tonight but the weather may put a stop to that.

Come on, Steve! you tell us you're getting "hit pretty good" and then you post photos that have NO snow in them!!

Here is my front yard, out the LR window at 7:45am.
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We're under a Winter Storm warning here covering all of Southern and Eastern Ontario. it's coming from Indiana, so I have to believe that my neighbours in MI/OH are getting it also. 15-30cm of snow in the forecast, and maybe freezing rain or ice pellets. Schools closed all over the place.
 
Come on, Steve! you tell us you're getting "hit pretty good" and then you post photos that have NO snow in them!!

You are correct that the pictures show no snow.....but I did say

"Back around Christmas we almost lost the barn due to high winds"

which was when those pics were taken.
 
Well I wish winter would hit here. Its on again, off again.

First we get 3 feet of snow, then it melts. We get another two feet and it melts. The same thing with this last two feet of snow. It melted in a 12 hour warm up period...just enough to ruin snowmobiling....then got cold again.

In the meantime, if you guys don't like snow,send it up our way. Snowmobiling is a 350 million dollar tourist season up here that Northern Maine folks rely on. It hardly seems fair that other businesses get huge sums of money from FEMA when rotten weather cripples their business. Two years ago FEMA laughed at a group of hotels, gas stations and restraunts when they said they were dying from the lack of snow. FEMA was like "so you want money because the winter was warm and sunny and no snow fell"....:rofl:

I think I'll head off in my snowmobile and try to find the Great Snow Yetti and ask him what's up.

Pittson_Farm.JPG
 
They had us under winter storm warning all night calling for about 4" of snow and ice. Luckily we only had about 1/4" of slush on the less traveled roads and the temp held at 37 degrees F.
 
Let me warn you what's coming your way....


As of last night around 9:00.....Interstate 90 closed in the Washington Cascades.......Interstate 84 closed in the Columbia River Gorge.....kinda hard to get across the state of Washington last night.....US 95 closed north of Lewiston.....US195 closed north of Lewiston.....US 12 closed east of Lewiston.......US 95 was open but closing south of Lewiston......

Boys.....there is some white stuff coming with wind!

My co-worker took his wife to Great Falls, MT last weekend. He was supposed to take today off and go get her......She might be visiting her daughter for another week.
 
snow is great stuff

it makes all the clutter in the yard disapear and the empty cans and bottle vanish as well just like good shower aftwer a month without oh what feelin.. its good to have the cleansing from snow ..makes you appreciate all the other days that are warmer or wetter..snow is dry water folks and natures way of of doing house cleaning just cover it up and have company come over,, dont lift any papers or quilts or rugs steve tonight you might get surprized and besides if ya get snowed in we got more than enuff to keep ya toasty and cheerful
 
You are onto something Larry. Around here the old timers used to say "snow is the poor man's fertilizer." I am not sure if it came from the minerals in the snow, or if the snow kept the ground temps up and kept the frost from getting so deep, but after a good snow year the crops typically did good.

Myself, I think Maine looks like a Bride...just plain better in White!! (okay maybe off-white :rofl::thumb:)

Warden_s_Cabin.JPG
 
As a long time gardener, I can tell you: snow does not add any more nitrogen than rain does, and adds far less than rain during a thunderstorm... ;) Even with the nitrogen increase due to acid rain over the last few decades, it doesn't amount to much.

The reason for the old saying is twofold:

1. It is true that a good cover of snowfall protects the soil, keeping nutrients in, and lots of alternate freezing and thawing in spring actually helps the soil structure. That's one of the reasons northern soils are generally better than southern soils (although heat is tough on southern soils as well.)

2. It's one of those things gardeners say to comfort each other when their new just planted seedbeds are destroyed by late spring snow. It's about as true as saying 'april showers bring may flowers'. Warmth brings may flowers!

Thanks,

Bill
 
That is interesting, I never realized the Northern soil was regarded as better soil then the south. I could see where it lays fallow for more months in the winter would help though. Still it can't be a whole lot better. Have you guys been to Maine and seen some of the rocks that we have? This is VERY rocky country,and why our ancestors decided to head out west.I know if I had to drag a plow through the ground via a horse, I would have too. :)

Where I live, (Thorndike, Maine) is well noted for having the best soil in the state. Its known as Gravely-Loam, and goes down to an average depth of 52 inches before hitting all gravel. Bedrock is about 22-40 feet down. The soil engineer who designed my septic system was just grinning when he did the perk test because the water just drains here. My leach field is like 20 by 20 feet, the smallest size you can have.

You have probably heard me say that this land was acre upon acres of potato fields right up into the 1980's, and the reason was the drainage. It could rain hard on Sunday,and you could have your tractors out in the fields on Monday and not have to worry about your potatoes rotting while sitting in a wet hole in the fields.

But man oh man do we have rocks. Here is a picture of what we call the "Davis Place". It's growing corn now instead of potatoes, but you can see we get some big rocks out of these fields.

Davis_Field_Over_Rocks2.JPG
 
What I 'know' about snow bringing nitrogen I got from the county extension services and a feeds and feeding class. 'supposed to be fact. But, when I was trying to raise cattle by feeding them Arkansas rocks ;) I often looked with envy at the results our northern friends got with their crops and cattle.
Northern growing seasons are shorter but (maybe) more intense. There is an undisputed northern effect. e.g. a certain breed of cattle raised in the Ozarks may top out at 1,000 pounds for a cow. (this is all hypothetical but typical results) In southern Mississippi, that same cow will top at 850 pounds. In central Canada it will go 1,300. In Bolivia, South America it would be lucky to make 700.
Where I live topsoil is something we often just dream about. I had places on my pasture where the 'topsoil' was only 1" before hitting bedrock. (try hand setting fence posts in that) Y'all in Maine and Canada go down dozens of feet before running out of rich black soil.
 
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