Sunday, December 27, 2020

Christmas Week

We had a terrific snow/wind storm on the night of December 22nd.  All in all, not much snow accumulation, only 3" if that.  But the wind!  Oh, my.  Supposedly gusts of 70 mph were recorded.  No downed tree damage for us, but we did have wood stove chimney damage.

Of the three wood stove chimneys on the roof, two were affected.  The stove pipe on the stove in the heated part of our attached garage lost its cap.  No big problem there.  But the complete chimney on the wood stove in the kitchen went down.  When Papa Pea went up on the roof to survey the damage, he found the whole roof covered with glaze ice.  Ugh.  Carefully crawling where he had to go, he made temporary repairs which he feels are quite safe until conditions change and he can secure the chimney with guy wires to insure this doesn't happen again.  

The storm left a drift of snow at least two feet high, maybe more, along the south side of the house.  This meant I needed to shovel it off the deck (we keep this clear all winter as a safety precaution in the event we wouldn't be able to get out of the back door for some reason) and walkway for a good distance.  I was very thankful the snow was light and not the heavy, wet stuff.  But, yes, my lower back was a smidge bit ouchy and grouchy before bed that night.


The blowing snow made the wreath on our (protected, if you can believe it) back/main door picture card perfect.


The morning after the storm, Papa Pea was out on the tractor moving drifts of snow when Chicken Mama and her little charge stopped by to open a couple of presents.  He LOVES big machinery of all kinds and begs to sit on the tractor at times even when it's in the shed and not moving.


Chicken Mama had a new fox suit for him (He's outgrown the old one that he dearly loves).  Here she's reading him the Little Blue Truck book we gave him.  The series of Little Blue Truck books are great for little ones.  Especially if they like trucks, bulldozers, tractors, dump trucks, etc.!


I'll close with a picture of the mints dear daughter made for me at Christmas.  Each year she makes her dad "healthy" Mounds bar candies and when asked if there was a candy I'd enjoy, I told her some nights after dinner I'd like just a wee little mint to end the meal.  She came up with these and they are WONDERFUL as witnessed by the immediate taste testing.  The good news is that there is a double layer in the tin.

Hope you're all able to enjoy this coming week between Christmas and New Year's.  Stay warm, safe and healthy.  Sending hugs. 

13 comments:

Michelle said...

I'm so, so glad Papa Pea didn't do a repeat tumble, this time from an icy roof! Taking your hugs and sending some back.

Mama Pea said...

Michelle - Oh, Michelle, I have to try so hard not to get sick to my stomach or to really, really nag at him when he gets into those situations. It makes him upset with me(!) and feels I don't know he has the sense to be extra careful. My retort is to remind him he's the worst patient in the world and I don't want to have to suffer through taking care of him! (Men! Can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em!) ;o)

Michelle said...

Trust me; those are ALL familiar sentiments!

Nancy In Boise said...

Glad you're all ok!!!

Mama Pea said...

Michelle - Of wives everywhere!

Nancy - We're all fine! And warm. And safe.

Cockeyed Jo said...

No snow for us, just rain that iced over. We had to replace our stove pipes this year but couldn't find new caps. Apparently they are on back order until February! We had the foresight to install guide wires. Glad with the wind gusts that blew through here also.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Oh dear - sorry to hear about the storm damage. Wow - she makes her own chocolate mints?? She's a keeper! -Jenn

SmartAlex said...

Bad weather always necessitates going Up On The Housetop! I think there should be an age limit on that. Nothing like going out in the morning and finding your chimney cap on the driveway. We got probably 10 inches of snow starting Christmas Eve through the weekend and now the winds are here. It was a good excuse to be a couple of lazy lumps. We usually have a quiet Christmas, but somehow this year it felt like we should be doing lots of socializing. We always want what we can't have.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

WE had a white Christmas, but it's melted as of today. Those mints look good. One year I made homemade peppermint patties. Sorry to hear about the wind damage. Hopefully you can get it repaired soon.

linnellnickerson@gmail.com said...

We had the same storm here! Awful winds and snow. THe winds here were around 70 miles an hour. We get them off and on. The tip of the Cape is stuck out in the water. Thank goodness we didn't have any damage . We just had to have a new roof put on last spring! the wind does a job on it. Thank goodness or insurance. Take care and stay safe!

tpals said...

I'm not surprised you got the same storm we had as fast as that wind was pushing it along. More snow expected tomorrow here.

Mama Pea said...

Cockeyed Jo - Our chimney that lost just the cap was tied down with guy wires. (At least we were smart enough to do that one.) Because of its placement, we didn't think the one that blew over needed the support. Duh. Apparently it did! :o/

Jenn - Opposite of her mother (moi), who is too impatient to do those putzy, creative things, daughter makes several kinds of lovely candies. We're the lucky recipienta of many of them. :o)

SmartAlex - Yep, always wanting what we can't have. But that's probably a side effect of the social distancing and quarantine time we've all been going through right now. I've always thought the week between Christmas and New Year's is the perfect time to have friends over for casual get-togethers. And if a meal is served, what's better at that time than homemade soup and bread. No more sweets, please!

Kristina - I think your weather is more like the weather we used to have in Illinois . . . snow one day and melting the next. When we do get our snow here in Minnesota, it stays until April! Or May. Sometimes June. Or July. ;o)

linnellnickerson - You really are in a spot that can get the high winds! We get enough where we are and wouldn't want more. I guess not matter where we choose to live, there are the disadvantages right along with the advantages!

tpals - Yepper, we're forecast to get snow tomorrow night and Wednesday. I wonder if it will just go south of us as it has been?

Retired Knitter said...

Oh my!! I held my breath when your husband got onto the icy roof! Even the most skilled and experience person has a small error in judgement now and then. That is why accidents are called ... accidents. They aren’t intentional! Anyway, what a strange storm. We had a ton a wind just recently and folks way north of us had snow with that same storm. Odd, odd weather.