Perfect Snowfall

Yesterday morning, I drove an hour southwest to my Master Gardener training class.  It wasn’t raining yet but the wind pushed me across the parking lot and blew me into the door of the classroom.  Mid-morning, the wind rattled the windows violently as I listened to a lecture on plant cell structure.  By lunchtime, the rain was coming down in sheets and Brett was texting me that the rain at home was turning to snow.  At about the time we dissected a Brussels sprout, he said it was all snow.

Mid-afternoon, we took apart a couple flowers to look at the variations in stamens and pistols and sepals.  By then, the snow at home was starting to stick.

Right after we dissected a strawberry, Brett texted that the driveway had disappeared and I best head home if I wanted to make it up our lane and to the house.  Most of the drive home was in rain, but as I got to the outskirts of our community, I had snowflakes flying at the windshield.  A couple neighbors had driven up our road shortly before I got there so I was able to drive in their tracks until I got to the house.  The snow wasn’t too thick yet, but it was falling in earnest.  It looked like this late yesterday afternoon.

This morning the sun came out and made the snow shine.  Some of the snow melted during the night but there was still about an inch on the ground.

Sage couldn’t decide if she wanted to spin in circles, leap and land in it, or just eat the snow.

And, dang, it was just plain gorgeous out.

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

Wednesday morning, I packed the cooler, then Brett packed the car and we started on the long drive to my dad’s house on the California Central Coast.  The weather was wet — snow at home and rain down the mountain, but we arrived in time for me to put the apple pies in the oven to bake while we ate dinner with my dad.  The rest of the family arrived in trickles over the evening and Thanksgiving morning.  By Thanksgiving, at noon, we were all gathered.  So, while we were drinking champagne, our house and animal sitter was slogging through snow at the ranch.

The horses were in the barn so she didn’t have to deal with dragging hay to the pastures.

All the animals were happy, healthy and well-fed when we got back home this afternoon.  I’m sure Sage had a good time jumping in snow banks, one of her favorite things.  Kersey stays on the porch where its dry.  She’s no dummy.

A new storm started its path through our area shortly after we got home.  This one is not so cold, so we will get lots and lots of rain but no snow.  It’s a dreary grey color outside — not exactly like the brilliance of the Central Coast.  The kids took this photo while they were hiking at Montana de Oro, with waves crashing over the rocky shore and spraying them on the bluffs.

Snow Day

Guess what we woke up to this morning -- Snow!  Lots of snow.

It was soft, and dry, and fluffy.  It's kind of melty slushy now but it was sure gorgeous this first thing this morning.

At noon, we moved the horses back to their pastures.  We may get a bit more snow tonight and then we have sunshine on tap into the weekend.  Lucy walked very carefully through the snow.  She doesn't trust it.  Tex couldn't wait to roll and then play:

An Icy Morning

Sunday we had lovely weather -- for sitting by the fire with a coloring book.  In the morning, we brought the horses into the barn.  It had been raining a bit and the rain was flipping between ice and slush and something in between.  Jackson was wet underneath his blanket and happy to be rid of its soggy weight in the dry barn.  Meanwhile, Flash was squealing, bucking and rearing in the front pasture.  He was goading Tex who seemed a bit confused by Flash's sudden burst of energy.  Flash was a handful for Brett when we brought them into the barn.  Tex came in like a perfect gentleman.  Last, we brought in the girls.  Lucy was a bit snorty and tried to spin once but held it together for the most part.

We went to lunch with friends at the roadhouse a mile and a half away; where our lane meets the main road.  It wasn't raining or sleeting so I walked and met Brett there.  When we left, the temperature had dropped and it started to hail.  I didn't walk home.  During evening chores, it snowed.

During the night we had more rain and snow.  It was very cold when we went out to do chores.  After giving the horses their vitamin buckets, we moved them back into the pasture for the day.  We may get more snow tonight but they can enjoy the sunshine during the day.

Tex always wants to roll when we bring him back to the pasture.  This morning, the ground was frozen solid -- all those "puddles" in the picture?  They are puddles of ice, frozen solid.  Tex circled a few times before giving up on his roll and heading to his hay.

The girls wasted no time digging into their breakfast.

I let the goats out of their pen last, and they made a beeline for the horses and the hay.  Whiskey ran, jumping over the ice, while Thistle cautiously picked his way over the frozen ground.  Litte Bear went at a dead run.

Thanksgiving at Oak Creek Ranch

Tuesday the first wave of a storm system from the Gulf of Alaska arrived.  It brought high wind and pounding rain, but no snow.  When the clouds cleared Tuesday afternoon, the ground was covered in leaves.

Wednesday morning, we woke to patchy clouds that cleared throughout the morning.  We decided to move the horses out of the barn and into their pastures.  The second wave appeared to be a non-starter.  As we led the horses out, the skies darkened and rain, then sleet, started to fall.  The horses have trees and a run-in shed for shelter so we opted to leave them in their pastures.

It snowed throughout the afternoon.  Not hard, but enough to cover the ground with a light coating of white.  Lucy wasn't sure what to make of the snow.  This is her second winter with us, here in the mountains, and we didn't get any snow last winter.  She sniffed it, pawed it, and then jumped sideways when it sprayed her.  Then she settled into her lunch, with a pile of snow building on her back.

Meanwhile, we waited inside for Kyle and Camille to arrive.

Brett wasn't feeling well so he spent the day on his recliner, with chills, worrying that his appetite wouldn't return in time for Thanksgiving dinner.  Fortunately, Thanksgiving morning he felt a bit better.  He's still far from 100% percent but he was able to join us for dinner.

My sister's kids, Kristin and Nick, arrived mid-morning on Thanksgiving.  My dad, sister and brother are travelling this Thanksgiving so I hosted those of us who didn't go, at our place.  I could have asked the kids (all 20-somethings) to bring parts of the dinner but everyone was traveling.  The easiest things for travelers to bring are rolls and pie, which can be picked up at the market on the way.  But, those are my two favorite things to make so I didn't ask them to bring anything.   I made the pies first thing Thanksgiving morning.

Then I stuffed the turkey and slid it into the oven.  We had a heritage breed turkey, which is very lean due to its life running around outside eating bugs and roosting in trees.  It was delicious.

We rounded out the meal with mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls.  Brett ate a little bit and went back to his chair.

The kids took Kersey for a walk after dinner.

I was on the couch, wiped out.

From Poppies to This...

Water, Wells and Winter

Last Saturday when the snow was freshly fallen, I delivered hay to the horses via sled.

Mufasa kept a safe distance from the funny green, careening, sliding, skidding, sled. Winston chased it, then tried to eat it.

Flash was bored and unimpressed. Jackson was initially curious,

then alarmed,

and finally came over to investigate.  Flash followed.

Today wasn't nearly as full of new adventures. I took the Subaru to work since icy roads and small sports cars don't go well together. The drive from our home to the freeway took 40 minutes instead of the usual 20 as I crawled across the icy snow, steering straight and slow - but not too slow - and taking a straight line across the ice. There was a steady stream of trucks coming the other direction, delivering goods to the market at the end of our valley; important goods like Doritos and Coors -- and a truck piled high with pink rolls of insulation.

Shortly after I left, the well company came to "fix" the pump. The pressure gauge was shot and, underneath the insulation, the pipes were frozen. The pipe from the well to the pump was split and shattered. The water in the holding tank was frozen. Brett was advised to get an electrical outlet installed so we could put a space heater in the pump house. We also needed to get a special kind of insulation for the pipes that has little wires embedded in it that are sensitive to the cold. When the temperature drops, they heat up and keep the water from freezing. We had no idea such things existed.

Brett started calling electricians and plumbing supply stores. The electricians were booked out for two weeks and the county was sold out of heat tape for pipes. He found a place in Sacramento and I left work early to snag enough for our well pipes. Meanwhile, he found an electrician who said he will come out tomorrow.

We are hoping for much warmer temperatures so the pipes and holding tank thaw. Until they thaw, we will STILL have no water.

After getting back home with the heat tape, I warmed some water on the stove for the goats. I poured the warm water from my stock pot into a bucket and walked out to the goat area. I unlatched the gate and stepped inside with my blue bucket of warm water. My foot slipped on the slick icy mud and I landed on my butt with a thud. The bucket sailed out of my hand and the water spilled at Thistle's feet. He looked at me, wondering what game I was playing, then came over and sniffed my face. I'm not hurt, but my shoulders are sore and I feel a bit... tweaked. And I still had to fill the goats' water bucket. Their water was frozen solid.  I turned it over and dumped a twisted ice sculpture on the ground.  I ended up setting a bucket under the down spout from the barn roof gutters and filling it with the water from the melting snow on the roof.

After chores, we went to Marv's house to use his shower. It felt wonderful.

Living in the Sierras in winter is beautiful but it's hard work too.

What Me Worry?

The fact that we had no water didn't bother Flash in the least.  Heaven forbid something should interrupt his nap.

Something as trivial as broken pipes at the well.

(Frozen) water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.

The water troughs are half full, the jugs of water are empty and hot showers are a fantasy.

"I wonder if its dinner time yet.  I'm sure its dinner time.  Its always time to eat... or sleep.  What me worry?  I'm living in paradise."

At Least It's Warm in the House

The pipes in the house froze again last night despite Brett wrapping every pipe he could find between the house and the well. We had the space heater on in the bathroom where we think water comes into the house. I packed the wood stove full of wood before we went to bed and it was still warm this morning.

However, outside it was 11F this morning when we did chores. The animals were all fine, with their heavy winter coats (and blankets for the horses). The dogs prefer to be outside and I have to coax them in with doggy treat bribes. They get hot in the house, even in the freezing cold laundry room. So, their beds are on the side porch next to the door. Inside the door, is the wood stove. Outside the door is the wood pile. They get some heat from the wood stove - I suppose that is a benefit of a poorly insulated house. I watch them sleep, stretched out across their beds, snoring softly. If they curled into tight balls, or tried to come in the house when I go out for wood, we would bring them in. Instead, they lift their heads for me to pet and then go back to sleep. Sedona has fur like those wolves in Yellowstone. Kersey has a thick layer of blubber.

I took hay to the horses, donkeys and goats using a method I remembered from Lori Skoog's blog: a sled. It works great. Brett refuses to use the sled and instead pushes, shoves and swears at the hay cart as he plows it through the snow. The price of being macho; heaven forbid he should be seen by the neighbors pulling a girly green sled.

I wanted to take hot water to the goats, but we have no water. Brett used his hammer to break the ice on all the water buckets and troughs but we couldn't do more than that.

We decided to go out to breakfast so Brett scraped the snow and ice off of the truck windows. The driver's side door lock was frozen shut so he used my blow dryer to melt the ice. We needed 4-wheel drive to get out the driveway and onto the icy road. The snow plow had come through last night so it was like driving on a skating rink. Slow going.

Back home, the pipes were still frozen. All of our planned activities for the day were cancelled. No water = no shower = no church. The contractor was going to come by and work on the kitchen but decided to play in the snow with his family instead; which was the right choice. Riding lessons were impossible with the arena frozen and buried in snow. Not to mention the fact that Katy couldn't have driven here in her small car. There was a function at one of our favorite wineries this afternoon, but they cancelled due to the road being inaccessible.

Brett watched football. I did some yoga. We checked the faucet every hour or so. The water never started running. We never got out of the 30s so the snow didn't melt much at all; just some dripping off of the eaves.

But, we had a gorgeous day with the sunlight glinting off the snow. Quail scurried across the drifts, falling into the holes left by our footprints. The sky was bright blue and the pine trees stood tall with heavy white frosting on their boughs. The oaks look like pieces of sculpture with snow accentuating their twisting limbs. The power didn't go out. Snow slid off the satellite dish so Brett could watch football and the internet didn't go down so I could read blogs and download a yoga class.

Tonight is supposed to be just as cold. It may be awhile before we have water. And I may be working from home tomorrow.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Dogs in the Snow

Hey, Sedona and Kersey!  Wake up, it's time to do the morning chores.

The sky was grey and ready to spit snow as Brett fed the horses and the dogs and I measured the snow depth.  We had 7" at 7am.  Sedona didn't have any trouble making her way through the snow but Kersey was belly deep.  She ran out of steam pretty fast.

At noon time the sun came out and we thought the storm was breaking up and moving out.  Brett found a snow shovel and started shoveling in front of the gate so it could open.

Sedona waited for me while I fed the horses hay.  I had forgotten how much Sedona loves the snow.  She was in her element.

We brought the tall Christmas tree into the house for me to trim this afternoon.  The snow started falling again in large thick flakes.  The dogs settled back into their beds and I threw a few more logs on the fire.