A few more things
Dec. 15th, 2008 03:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenThe fuel in my in-laws' lamps was really old kerosene, which didn't burn cleanly or well. We'll be picking up some fresh lamp oil and new wicks for them, and as well I'll see about cleaning the chimneys on the lamps. We were talking about types of fuel for lamps and one I mentioned was olive oil. Her immediate reply was that olive oil was expensive, to which I said, what about when it goes rancid? What else can you do with it then? And she gave a bit of a start because one of her older relatives (I forget if it was L or E) had had a jar marked 'rancid olive oil'. Now she's wondering if it had been kept for just this sort of emergency... she also remembered there being a bag marked 'moth-eaten woollen long underwear', and we guessed that could have been saved for stuffing pillows (or quilts says L), patching clothing, or cut into strips for making rag rugs.
We went into town today to have lunch and catch up with folks there. Lots of cheery conversations and passing on of news, both at Country Pie and Ashfield Hardware. The ladies who run the hardware store still don't have power and may not until Saturday -- a transformer got knocked over on their road -- have been working like crazy getting in whatever supplies folks need, even if it's something they don't always carry. They're doing all right so far, but we offered them freezer space if they need it.
One of the things they had at the hardware store was a box of old-style telephones. I don't know if they were for sale or if they were just being given away (quite possible in that store), to people who had phone lines but only had battery-operated phones.
Most of the trees immediate to the farmhouse and barn seem to be doing all right, but there are trees that will need tending to one way or another in the woods. I did my best with offering prayers to give them extra strength and resilience this weekend, starting with our youngest trees and working my way out. All from indoors though since people weren't supposed to be outside unless necessary. The landscape is changing and will change more before winter's end.
We'll have to sit down and make a list of things to get and things to do to improve on our preparedness. UPS for the computer network (fortunately we were already shut down, this time), some sort of generator for the furnace, a second crank lantern would be nice, and maybe we should look harder into stovetop cooking equipment.
Tomorrow the weather should be reasonably clear so we may take our first walk on the hillsides then.
[EDIT} Been so busy, wanted to mention impressions of the trees from Friday/Saturday. They were so coated with ice we knew there would be more problems, especially if the wind picked up. Friday afternoon we did start to get some wind, yet even though we knew it would be bad, there was a strange loveliness to the movement of the branches, like seaweed or anemones swaying in the ocean's current.
Saturday the sun flashed through the ice like diamonds, but more unusual, at least for me, was that sometimes they would shine with a rainbow of colors, not just the bright white light I'm used to seeing in ice.
We went into town today to have lunch and catch up with folks there. Lots of cheery conversations and passing on of news, both at Country Pie and Ashfield Hardware. The ladies who run the hardware store still don't have power and may not until Saturday -- a transformer got knocked over on their road -- have been working like crazy getting in whatever supplies folks need, even if it's something they don't always carry. They're doing all right so far, but we offered them freezer space if they need it.
One of the things they had at the hardware store was a box of old-style telephones. I don't know if they were for sale or if they were just being given away (quite possible in that store), to people who had phone lines but only had battery-operated phones.
Most of the trees immediate to the farmhouse and barn seem to be doing all right, but there are trees that will need tending to one way or another in the woods. I did my best with offering prayers to give them extra strength and resilience this weekend, starting with our youngest trees and working my way out. All from indoors though since people weren't supposed to be outside unless necessary. The landscape is changing and will change more before winter's end.
We'll have to sit down and make a list of things to get and things to do to improve on our preparedness. UPS for the computer network (fortunately we were already shut down, this time), some sort of generator for the furnace, a second crank lantern would be nice, and maybe we should look harder into stovetop cooking equipment.
Tomorrow the weather should be reasonably clear so we may take our first walk on the hillsides then.
[EDIT} Been so busy, wanted to mention impressions of the trees from Friday/Saturday. They were so coated with ice we knew there would be more problems, especially if the wind picked up. Friday afternoon we did start to get some wind, yet even though we knew it would be bad, there was a strange loveliness to the movement of the branches, like seaweed or anemones swaying in the ocean's current.
Saturday the sun flashed through the ice like diamonds, but more unusual, at least for me, was that sometimes they would shine with a rainbow of colors, not just the bright white light I'm used to seeing in ice.
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Date: 2008-12-15 09:08 pm (UTC)