Speak up, Atlanta:

[Oxankle]

I know we have members all over Georgia. How are you doing over there?

Our TV reports make it sound as if you are still on the highway trying to get home after work last Tuesday.

I've just been out putting out hay. Fenced some of it off so that when our promised storm hits Tuesday I can simply open a gate rather than getting out the tractor and hauling hay.

Ox

[Ramblin Wreck]

It's getting better here. The sun is out and we're above freezing for the first time in a while. I can actually see a few blades of grass. They're trying to get all the stranded cars moved off the freeways/streets, but the last report I saw indicated that about 2000 vehicles were still on the freeways alone.

The problem was created when the new fallen snow was quickly melted by traffic and then immediately froze into a sheet of ice by rapidly dropping temps. My brother said his thermometer was at zero at day break today. I checked mine about nine after the sun came up and it was at 3. It's just been a lot colder than they thought it would be.

Lots of finger pointing between the Governor, Mayor, and National Weather Service. But I don't think that does any good. It seems that about once every thirty years (last time was in 1980) we get a mid day snow just before rapidly dropping temps. It creates havoc. Not a lot of $'s are spent here on salt/sand/plow equipment, because since the mid 70's, we have not needed it that much.

On the homestead front, I just let my cows into one of the main sections of the round bale barn. They're eating and content. The new calf has been playing in the snow. As soon as I get some banana bread out of the oven, I'm checking to see if there are any new additions. There's a lot of heifers due any time now.

[Oxankle]

Wreck; I talked to my old buddy who lives three or four miles N. of Winder. Said it was only 21 there at noon and they needed to get out and get a few things. Both old and unsteady on their pins, so the word was that if they got to Walmart and the pavement was not dry they were not even getting out of the car.

Supposed to be wet here tomorrow, then a winter storm by Tuesday. If need be we can last several months without a trip to town. We might be bored to tears, but not hungry.

[Ramblin Wreck]

Yeah, same here. I've been staying inside, except for a couple of daily walks to check on the animals. There's plenty of food here. We've had no loss of power, so the water is fine (although three siblings who live up the hill, down the hill, or up the other hill had frozen pipes early this AM). I've flipped the mattress, done as much laundry as I can stand, baked banana bread, made soup, and finally got the house to a reasonable temp. Tomorrow I plan to venture out to the post office, and the market, mainly to use my gas points before they expire on February 1.

While the whole mess here has certainly been a bad thing, it reminded me how blessed I am to live on a rural farm and not have to venture into the city on a daily basis. And it looks like February is going to start off warm. No freezing temps after tonight in the five day forecast.

Hope that next Winter storm out your way slides North, but it always seems the middle of the country gets the brunt of everything, except for maybe hurricanes.

[Oxankle]

Wreck: What are "gas points"?

Spent the afternoon tinkering with my 3'' .410 loader. Seems that when I last used it I had it set up for Hercules 2400. Now all I need to do is get some 3'' hulls.

I found the receipt from Mec; I sent that thing in to have them equip it with 3" dies in 1995. We lived in an apt. between selling our house in town and moving out here, and all I had to do was play. Then in Oct. of '95 we moved out here and the thing went in a box.

Now I'm going to play with it a bit more before I go in a box.
Ox

[viggie]

Ya'll have been a big topic of conversation here, everyone worrying over ya. Although we're also very confused as that happens all the time up here...we got more snow than that today while below freezing *scratches head* but glad to hear things are rolling again.

[Ramblin Wreck]

Ox: Some markets down here give you gas discounts if you purchase a certain $ amount of groceries. I've got all my gas cans in the back of the truck to fill up, which should get me through about half the Summer on grass mowing.

Viggie: A lot of us are embarrassed by the traffic problems, for lots of reasons. I was out in a 4x4 truck when the snow came, but got by fine with two wheel drive. There was a load of fence posts in the back which helped me keep traction. A little weight and a little sand/kitty litter will get you out of most problems.

[trish4prez]

I was stuck in my office Tuesday. By 2, when I had enough work done that I could work from home for a couple days, the local roads were packed. I stayed Tues and Wed night with a coworker who lived on the train line, so we were two of maybe 20 others able to be in the office on Wed and Thursday. I finally got home last night about 6, and I stayed put today. I have enough work for today from home, and I'm on call for the weekend, so I'll most likely be on the computer most of the next three days. I'm very happy to be home doing this though!

[Oxankle]

Lucky you; happy to hear that you were not among those stuck on the highway.
Ox