We are supposed to be on our way to the casino right now. The Pony has the MLK holiday. Farmer H has nothing to do at the flip house, and lunch is not being served at the Senior Center.
It was Farmer H's idea to go to the casino. Who am I to veto such a trip? I'm the CHIEF SAFETY OFFICER, that's who! The high temperature today is supposed to be 7 degrees. Wind chills below zero. AND there's a 76% chance of snow! Only a dusting to an inch. But at this temperature, nothing will melt that snow off the road. IF the 15-20 mph winds blow it off, our trip might be okay.
Here's the thing. The first 30 miles are on hilly, twisty, 2-lane blacktop. With no shoulder, and some steep drop-offs without a guard rail. No way do I want to take a chance on slipping off the road and freezing to death! There is no cell phone reception on this road. IF we made it those 30 miles to the interstate highway, we'd likely be fine for the rest of our drive. IF...
The Pony was not sad to hear that I was re-thinking the trip. He used most of his casino bankroll to pay us for his part of the flip house air conditioning unit. So he's amassing more throw-away cash for a casino trip next month to celebrate our birthdays.
Farmer H said he's going to spend most of the day working in the BARn on his fishing poles. He buys them at the auction, and fixes the broken ends. There is a furnace in the BARn, so he'll be fine. AND he lets the dogs come in! So I'm happy for that, they can get warmed up all day, and Scarlett can lie and watch the object of her ADORATION.
My Dear Departed Juno developed an aversion to going in the BARn, since she was shut up in there more than a couple times by Farmer H. She tore the door up trying to claw her way out. One time Jack got closed in, and destroyed the foam insulation Farmer H had put on the inside of the door.
"Do the dogs come in the BARn?"
"Yeah. They come in."
"Do you have a rug for them to lay on?"
"Yeah. But the part I'm in has a wood floor. So it's not concrete."
"Will they be okay? Do they behave? Do they just lay around?"
"Scarlett is fine. She's been in houses before. She lays down and watches me. Jack is the problem. He gets into things."
"He's a chewer. I just don't want him to bite a fish hook!"
"He'll be okay."
I have told Farmer H to send me a text when he gets home from Casey's, and is in the BARn. The cell phone doesn't work in there. He can stand in the door and send a message. I've told him to text me every couple hours so I know he's okay. I don't want to worry that he got SilverRedO stuck on the snow, and tried to walk back to the Mansion, and slipped, and was slowly freezing to death on Shackytown Boulevard.
Still, we will be safer than on the road to the casino.
The temp is supposed to shoot up to 17 on Tuesday, and to the low 40s with sunshine on Wednesday. Then I can go back to town for my precious scratchers!
5 comments:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who manages to come up with hypothetical situations to worry about in inclement weather and otherwise. I would have driven in below zero temps and snowstorms, in my younger days but now I worry about the darndest stuff. I blame a delay in my DNA due to my moms' worry expertise. If there was any chance of any wind blowing, she would have blankets and snacks and transistor radio (it was the 1960's) next to the basement door, ready to fling it and us down there, for our own safety. This was while my dad stood at the open front door, watching the storm move in. I wish I had gotten his gene to stay with me through my elder years. Stay safe and warm. We have minus 7 now with a high of minus 3 but no snow, just a bit windy. Ranee (MN)
Rae,
That reminds me of one summer when we had a tornado warning. Farmer H was at work. Genius was in 6th grade, The Pony in 3rd. We went down in the basement to Farmer H's "safe room" that he had insisted on building into the foundation. A concrete room with a steel door and steel plate ceiling. Oh, it wasn't for tornadoes! It was to store his valuables, heh, heh. THAT kind of safe.
Anyhoo... he had a desk and two chairs in there, and glass cases with display items, and some of my childhood toys like the Johnny West people and horses. We were listening to the radio, and Genius said, "I think I'll run up and check on the weather here." He went up the stairs and opened the front door. Just then a gust blew the metal porch chairs the length of the porch, and off the end. Genius slammed that door and came running back to the safe room. "I think we'd better stay in here for a while!"
I really miss my basement when the wind is screaming through the trees. We didn't have one in Missouri and the wind seemed to follow I-70. I missed it then, too. I like a nice place to hide in a storm. We had two rooms in our basement. One had a king bed and TV and all the comforts to sleep the night away and the other was my sewing room with a double bed elevated above my three sewing machines while three walls were lined with shelves holding fabric separated by type and color. The grands could play in the bed above while I sewed. I loved that room!!
At 7 degrees I wouldn't even get out of bed unless I had to pee and then I'd be back under the covers so quick I'd be like a flash of light, here and gone. We're in summer here and last night's overnight temperature was 24C which is 75F.
I'm glad you all decided staying home was the better option.
Kathy,
The Mansion sits atop a hill. Our basement will never flood, but we're easy pickins for a tornado. Many a night, we took the boys to the basement to wait out a warning. They were small enough to sleep at each end of the couch. Farmer H and I used the two recliners. If we heard the wind roaring, we'd take them into the safe room to wait it out.
***
River,
I sit under my fleece throw on the short couch. I have a heater under the kitchen table for my computing time. I am worried sick about the dogs. I even changed our menu, so I could make something with hamburger, and give them bread drenched in the grease. Of course I asked Farmer H about bringing them into the house, but he denied them access. They sleep together, at least, and have deep cedar shavings in the doghouse, which is on the porch and out of the wind. Farmer H says when it's really bad (as if it could get worse than this!) Jack goes over to the BARn lean-to, where he has a hole burrowed in the haybales. Copper Jack has been over here drinking from the heated dog bowl. I think he might have gone into Juno's house. Little Jack was in there for a brief time yesterday.
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