Ok my homesteading lesson number 512

[deberosa]

Been at my farm for only three months and had been snowed in for two days (18 inches of snow blocking my 200 ft. driveway). I supposed if I would have thought this would ever happen in western WA that I would have gotten a four wheel drive!

Any how - I closed the gate on Monday night!!!! When out to go to work this morning - the road - 200 ft away is clear. Thought I would walk out and open the gate to get a running start - well, I had to dig it out!!! Heavy wet snow blocking a 14 ft gate - who did I think was going to be getting in?

Oh well, had to laugh and call in for a third day - my truck just fishtailed foward from where it had kept the snow off the road and stopped - will need to wait until spring thaw. For a once every 10 year storm I guess it's a small price to pay.

Did save my deck cover though - cranked up the wood stove and opened the sliding door to the deck - raised the temp out there to 40 degrees and the water started to pour off!

So next time it snows real deep I'll leave the gate open!

[cc-rider]

Originally Posted by deberosa

Been at my farm for only three months

I'd say that if you have had 512 lessons already in just three months, you've been awfully busy!!!!

[deberosa]

Oh, you better believe it! Every day is many new adventures - I LOVE it! This one was just funny - sort of the Duh, now that was stupid. :no:

Originally Posted by cc-rider

I'd say that if you have had 512 lessons already in just three months, you've been awfully busy!!!!

[HilltopDaisy]

This reminds me of my first snowstorm on my homestead. I had moved here in Dec., and taken a new job a few weeks before. I had done my very first double-shift at the hospital. I pulled up to my driveway at 8AM, and the snow was hip deep. And packed rock solid from the plow! I stood there and cried, because I was never so tired in my life, and I had not yet made plans for keeping my driveway plowed. I called the only person I'd met out here so far, and he recommended someone. The fella was here in 15 minutes, and we now have a plan in place. One of many, many lessons! I can relate to the gate situation, too. I definitely need to do something different about the door to the chickenyard!

[Surveyorwill]

OK, that is a good lesson but I think I can top it. When your dog wants out at 4AM don’t just stumble to the door and open it, you have to look first. Christmas morning I just didn’t want to wake the kids to early, well that didn’t happen.

I went to the laundry room with the dog to let him out as he ran out I heard a hiss, thinking it was a cat waiting to come in I held the door open and looked out to see a skunk running at me through the door. Woke up fast but still not fast enough, he was now in the laundry room, I jumped back through the door into the house and closed it before I got sprayed. I ran to put some clothes on, when I got back there was the dog looking at me though the glass panel door, no sign of the skunk, but you could tell that the dog had be sprayed, drooling and nose was running.

Well I got the dog out side and started to clean the room, but every time I though the smell was going away it would start getting stronger again, then it occurred to me to look behind the washer. Well there he was, so I had to get him outside before our company came and clean up all the smell. It wasn’t easy but I got him out by moving the washer so he could see the door then he was very casual about leaving.

Now I don’t let the dog out without looking first

[deberosa]

OK you win. :haha:

But I can see lesson 513 on the horizon - I put a dog door in for my dogs when I moved in.

Originally Posted by Surveyorwill

OK, that is a good lesson but I think I can top it. When your dog wants out at 4AM don’t just stumble to the door and open it, you have to look first. Christmas morning I just didn’t want to wake the kids to early, well that didn’t happen.

I went to the laundry room with the dog to let him out as he ran out I heard a hiss, thinking it was a cat waiting to come in I held the door open and looked out to see a skunk running at me through the door. Woke up fast but still not fast enough, he was now in the laundry room, I jumped back through the door into the house and closed it before I got sprayed. I ran to put some clothes on, when I got back there was the dog looking at me though the glass panel door, no sign of the skunk, but you could tell that the dog had be sprayed, drooling and nose was running.

Well I got the dog out side and started to clean the room, but every time I though the smell was going away it would start getting stronger again, then it occurred to me to look behind the washer. Well there he was, so I had to get him outside before our company came and clean up all the smell. It wasn’t easy but I got him out by moving the washer so he could see the door then he was very casual about leaving.

Now I don’t let the dog out without looking first

[earthship]

Next time - not only leave the gate open - but park your car/truck at the entrance and walk the 200' to it ;-)

[Marchwind]

I usually carry a #50 bag of poultry grit in the back of my car. It's great for those slippery fish tail times. Better that any cat litter or cardboard. Crushed granite has sharp little points so it diggs into the ice and snow.