Weather Alert in Real Time

 

Bridie and I were in the barn this morning when we learned from the Radio Station K102.5 that schools are closed in Lake Pend Oreille School District today. 

I had just finished cleaning stalls after feeding the horses in their barnyard shelter.

Today is the first time for using that venue.  

I remember too vividly last year's near debacle when I waited too long to switch them to the barnyard from the first pasture during their time outside. 

Last year, in order for me to get into the barnyard, I had to shovel out the gate, located right next to the barn where huge amounts of snow from the roof above would tumble down onto the gate rendering it immovable. 

On that particular day, I also had to shovel out a three-foot deep canyon several feet long in the barnyard so the horses could move somewhere besides the gate area. It took them at least a week to pack down some trails after that first day. 

Won't do that again!

Over the summer, Bill installed a new gate AWAY from the barn roof. 

And, yesterday, knowing about the impending "weather alert," I plowed a swath around the barnyard and cleaned out an area around the horses' shelter. 

Be prepared, they say.  

Well, by golly, this year I wasn't caught off guard with a substantial snow dump.

In fact, this morning's chore time was much easier than anything I remember from last year.  

So, I felt a sense of satisfaction, even though the snow will be falling all day. 

Maybe we can keep ahead of it this time. 

After finishing the chores, I dropped Bridie off at the house and walked out to get the paper. 

No paper. 

No surprise either.  

I'm sure it will come sometime, even if it is tomorrow or the next day.

So here we are living in real time during the first ever "weather alert," I've ever experienced.

We oldsters usually call them storms, but that's okay.

  Times and terms change. 

Yesterday I also shoveled out every essential trail around the house and barn, knowing full well they would get filled with snow. 

Again, I remember another "weather alert" we had last year where it snowed and snowed and snowed all night and then rained and rained most of the next day on top of all that snow.

That was our last major storm of the winter.  It happened in January, and, as my sister Barbara aptly noted, its consequences lasted ALL winter. 

As that day was unfolding I pondered priorities, knowing we'd be spending more than enough time with shovels.  We could not plow the snow nor blow the snow cuz it was like concrete. 

So, aware of how much time it was gonna take to clear out essential trails, including our long lane leading to the wood pile, I started opening a trail to the TV satellite dish. 

Crazy! 

Some might say, but I felt pretty wise about my choice of where to shovel first.

From past experience, I knew how ugly and how miserable we were gonna be once we started tackling all that white concrete around our house and barn and the lane. 

Hence, clearing a trail to the satellite dish would be most appreciated whenever we would come in the house dead tired and weary and mad that we still had a week's worth of shoveling left. 

And, to flop on the couch, grab that remote and have the TV screen light up instantly----that moment could dull a lot of those negative feelings. 

So, if any of you reading this know that you've got shoveling to do today, take my word:  get that trail dug and that dish cleared off. 

You won't regret it. 

I'm really happy during the winter months that we changed to Intermax a couple of years ago for our Internet provider because they installed the dish in an area where it doesn't get covered with snow. 

At least, we've made some progress in the two key situations that will ignite instant anguish once we've come inside exhausted, taken off all those layers of clothes and those big boots and sat down to enjoy some indoor entertainment----only to have a stand-off of who gets to grab a broom, step back into those big boots, head back outside and trudge through the snow to clean off the satellite dish. 

For us, it's only the TV nowadays, and at this house, the trail to the dish has been opened in advance!

Priorities!  

Very important to establish them during North Idaho winters aka weather alerts. 

Guess that's enough silliness for now.  

Enjoy the photos.  Stay warm and take it easy with the shoveling. 

Happy Wednesday. 

P.S. Birds do provide great winter entertainment, and they only require seeds in their feeders to make us happy.