Schierly Living

A four day break from work, but much to do at the ranch. Cold weather came up the valley, and the winds (from a neighbor’s log) peaked at 81 miles an hour overnight Saturday night. A nice night to stay inside and stoke the fire.

The icicles can let you surmise which way the wind was steadily moving.

One sided icing on the poles.

Living room window, Sunday morning, looking west towards Brophy.

Tee Shirt weather even though snowed in. It is only my little valley on the western edge of the lot, buried in tall trees, never getting sun; the rest of the park is navigable. Vehicles are being relocated, those with given features located for given needs within the park. Hiking home is part of the moves.

Seven hours, over two days, but the test drive turned out to be quite fun.

I have had two interesting and movement inhibiting snow storms since I arrived. Neither was normal, typical, and none of the locals ‘have seen anything like it for this time of year.’ Nonetheless, they have happened. I am eight miles from pavement (and maintained roads) so both times, it is hunker down and wait and see what happens. Inaction? Not typical for this man, but it forces the self to slow down, accept the world around, shift into watching mode rather than doing mode, being rather than producing.

It is safer here than anywhere I have lived, even denoting the above. I have two fuel sources independent of any need for electricity. I have calculated four days of reserve power without the influx of new energy. My off-grid solar system can fail, as can any electronic service, but is mathematically far less likely to fail during a storm as compared to conventional power loss during said same. My fiber optic connection to the outside world is fully underground, so home systems seem normal even when the weather is wild. I now have over sixty meals in canned storage with a five year shelf life, beyond what was already planned. There is safety in such.

Pushing, shoveling and blowing snow reminds me of an observation once read.

…while no two snowflakes look alike, fifteen feet of them all piled up at once produces an impenetrable similarity – John Gould

The snowblower is fixed. My dismay was based upon inexperience; a part readily designed to break to prevent long term damage did in fact break. A small bolt to the rescue, the demon beast on tracks is seemingly fully operational. It does not like my snow, however, heavy, thick, wet and deep.

Moon Bug loves the snow, sans tracks. It can move, shove, and pile this stuff readily. After work, I start putting the tracks on, so it’s non-operational until all four are installed. My first try, but I am equally excited to see it rise on the tracks.

The sun plays great games with the snow. Some drifts are shallow, some many feet deep. We are staying put this weekend, letting the melt continue. I’ve heard most of the park is plowed out (and saw some folks plowing on another ridge), but I also heard plowing is not allowed. There are rules, but there are no rules. My patch is lovely, nonetheless.

So much for buying a Honda. The VERY FIRST TIME it was used to clear the driveway, it broke. One of the augers in the front stopped spinning and it goes in circles. I thought I bought top of the line, but nothing is what it was any more. I could have bought one for a third the price that also could have broken the first time it was used. Honda online? Got four hours to be on hold? And the snow tracks on it? They might be nice for city folk and paved driveways, but spin, spin, spin, oh does this silly heavy beast just sit and spin. Not all our purchases can be winners, and hopeful somebody will buy it next spring, assuming I can fix it (less than an hour to break!)

The snow is deep, thick and sticky. It finally got above freezing, but barely. There is much to do, but I am learning.