My Old Snorkel Stove

Here are some pics of my old Snorkel Stove.  We had the tub for about 15 years, but 2 years ago we took it down because it was old and no longer held water so well.

The tub in its heyday, I think this is 2007

We demolished the deck to make room for the patio.

The deck being demolished

So now we just have a patio, and a used snorkel stove.

patio where the deck & tub used to be

Here's the pictures of the Snorkel Stove.

Snorkel Stove without cover

This is where I had it welded. Works fine now.

The other side of the stove

Stove with cover

Its just sitting out back.  I don't think we will ever use it, but I saved it anyway. Who knows.

Spring Time in New England!

Ya right!

We also decided today to take a ride to get some milk.  We purchase it at a farm stand in Hardwick, MA about 45 minutes from our house.  Here is their website: Misty Brook Farm.  The ride out there is always enjoyable and the scenery was amazing with the snow still sticking to the trees like frosting.

The milk at the stand

The farm stand 

The price of everything has gone up dramatically.  Raw milk is $5 for a half gallon.  The grass ground beef is $9.00 per pound.

After we picked up the milk, we stopped at the Hardwick Farmers Coop to pick up some shavings and chick starter for the meats birds that well be arriving on April 17 in the mail.  The prices there have also increased.  Non-medicated chick starter was $16.00 while the organic starter is $32.00, both for a 50lb bag.  This is why organic eggs and organic chicken are so expensive. Misty Brook Farm is charging $32 for a single 4-5 lb broiler.  That is why we are doing our own meat birds again this year.. 

More & More March Snow

You call this "global warming'?  Since we got back from California, all it has done is snowed.  Now it is the middle of March  (3 days from the beginning of Spring) and we are getting more snow.  Alright already!
 

We are where the word "ice" is on the map

We have already started cleaning out the greenhouse and putting out the patio furniture.  I guess that was wishful thinking! 

"Wishful thinking" patio furniture

 I guess the groundhog was wrong. This is the last time I will take any weather advice from a rodent.

More March Snow

It looks like we are getting more snow, thanks to the Nor'easter that came this way.  According to the forecasts, it look like we may get close to another foot of snow.

 Enough already!  Looks like we picked the wrong year to spend in California. The snow is supposed to last through noon on Friday, then it will warm up to the 50's by the weekend.  It's good that I finally got the snow blower carburetor issues resolved and the tractor is running fine.  I should be able to clear away this stuff without too much actual shoveling.

We are getting tired of the snow, the cold and the feeding of the outdoor boiler.  C'mon spring!

Afternoon Update:

Well it finally stopped snowing about 3:30 today.  It looks like we got about 18 inches of snow!  It was easy to clean up with the tractor and snow blower.

The front walkway

The snow pile at the end of the driveway.  There's no more room for snow.  This will be here until April

The back walkway

Me feeding the birds

I hope this is it for the snow.

Winter Wonderland!

After living in California for a year, we forgot just how beautiful the winter snows can be.  It snowed all day yesterday and last night.  But the temp were in the high 30's all day so the snow really didn't accumulate much. I tried snow blowing yesterday afternoon, but it was mostly slush.  As the temps dipped a little, the snow started to accumulate but it was a wet snow.  We woke up to these beautiful sights in our backyard.

These are fleeting moments in New England as once the warm February sun comes out, the "icing" on the trees will be gone!

Post Blizz-Pocalypse!

Our Patio before the Storm

 The snow started on Friday afternoon.

Snow just starting

 I had to go to the Post Office around 2:00 and the roads were starting to get slippery.

Downtown Sterling in the afternoon, roads still clear

 There was only about 3 inches on the ground when we went to bed.  We had a little hope that the storm may be blown out of proportion like it occasionally does by the weather man.  But we knew better because we say the radar on TV.

When we woke up it was still snowing and lasted until about noon.

The same patio picture as above. Still snowing at 8 AM

This is a snow drift against the back door

After it stopped snowing the clean-up began.  It didn't take too long, but we had to shovel a bit because the snow blower was acting up.  I thinks its a carburetor problem from old gas.  We haven't used this thing in over 2 years.  It was hard work, but its so quiet and so pretty!.

Patio with path to bird feeder for Elly

Path to the driveway

The back yard

Since we legally couldn't drive on the roads, we just stayed home.  Beside we had nowhere to go and nothing was open.  This is "down time" in New England.  Something we missed when we were out in California.  It nice to be back home despite the cold weather and the snow.  I think we missed it.

OMG! Nor'easter Blizzard Coming Tomorrow

This is the way New England welcomes us back.  Yesterday was the 55th anniversary of the Blizzard of '78 and for Friday & Saturday they are forecasting the largest snowfall of ALL time. Great!  The weatherman said that there are two lows that will converge off the Massachusetts coast forming a Nor'easter.  This is where the backside of the storm bring winds and moisture (snow)  from the ocean to the land (us!).

16-24 inches of snow forecasted for the greater Worcester area.

This is what the Blizzard of '78 looked like.

Interstate 495

Rout 16 in Milford, MA

Fitchburg, MA

  Tomorrow we plan to get the snow blower tested & ready, the generator tested & ready.  I also plan to fire up the tractor to assist  with the snow removal if needed.  We really hope it won't be that bad but who knows, this is New England after all, where the weather can change in an instant