Apocalyptic Homesteading (Day 1111)
Hello Everyone!
Surprise its the weather, Lifestyle habits, Hunting season in full swing, Awaiting a hard freeze & A wee berm!
Alright, I got my nightly espresso brewed and am all settled in to begin the writing... so even though I am off track (with my routines) it is not by much. I keep zoning out on Hive and then losing track of the time... and more significantly what I am supposed to be doing with it.
Part of that 'distraction' came in the form of looking at the radar... and more specifically at the inbound storm system... and whoa it sure is a big one whose outer bands will start moving through this area throughout the evening. Currently, the brunt of the storm is rather far south of here but from the looks of it... it is going to affect this area one way or another over the coming days... and just hope it is mildly!
I am glad that I gave a closer look to the weather forecast because I had tuned the weather out for a brief time after that recent cold snap. Things sure can change fast and something like that particular storm could easily turn into a multi-day weather event... that caught me by surprise.
When it comes down to it, I often pride myself on paying close attention to the weather... but generally speaking my 'lifestyle' accommodates being prepared for most things... most of the time. Whether or not that I am 'paying attention' is a total 'crap shoot' and there have assuredly been many times when the weather 'began to suddenly turn' and I found myself scrambling for a weather radio... to find out what the heck was going on.
Alas though, some things like 'watching the weather' (or listening to it) make for great habits to have in the larger skein of things... and have largely paid off over the years. Granted that the winters are much milder where I am now... and I tend to slack a bit... that said though... I have never forgotten the lessons that I learned in the colder mountainous regions.
Anyways, it is that time of the year where folks are actively hunting so I have been keeping the dogs up... and of course not wandering off the beaten path unless I have to. All throughout the day there has been plenty of gunshots... but none from that area that I mentioned in one of last week's entries. Most of it sounded like the usual target practice shooting... but who knows what folks are up to... and as long as they are not doing it 'here' then it is not any of my business and I tend to largely ignore it.
I even avoided running the dogs on the rodents during that recent cold snap... because it happened to land near the beginning of hunting season. There just was no point in disrupting all the wildlife (just after dawn) and potentially driving them places that they would not normally be. The best bet seemed like avoiding it all together... and counting on doing it no matter what during the next cycle of freezing weather.
On a different note. I got caught up on my routine chores this afternoon... and was even able to get the beginning of a new berm built to help divert the water runoff from the solar shack. Basically the berm will divert said runoff from mixing with the runoff from the shelter itself... thus solving part of the problem of too much sand getting in the topsoil trap at one time.
In its simplest form this is achieved by evenly distributing the runoff along the downhill fence line... which (considering its length) should be more than sufficient for the task at hand. The berm is mostly comprised of a long skinny log (set at a near twenty-two and a half degree angle off the shelter) that has been back-filled on the downhill side with a mixture of leaves and topsoil. As a side note, we will see how it hold up to this first round of stormy weather!
While I was 'out and about' doing stuff I also got the chickens setup with a larger water bowl... so that there is more water that needs to freeze before there is nothing but ice. Given the way that I have that coop setup near the ground... and also 'prepped for winter' it tends to hold heat rather well. Also, given how often they peck their main 'water nipple style' bottles... I have yet to see it turn to ice but having a backup system seemed like a good idea.
Well, I had some other stuff that I wanted to write about on this oddly numbered day... but I am a bit fatigued from my earlier activities... and want to get this entry edited and posted before fading out. The only thing worth noting is that I did finish working on that latest Something Different: Entry 8 post and although it is much shorter than some of the others... I like how it came out nonetheless.
I hope that everyone is doing well and has a nice time.
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You sound like Donny, remember how he always listened to the weather radio., now he looks at the computer, he can see the winds at the inlet.
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