Oil Lamps and Snow, Lots of Snow

Proof of this saying by Volaire, "Canada, a few acres of snow."

We just endured a winter snowstorm and oddly the city didn't shut down but it did have to slow down.  Hundreds of cars off the roads and people stranded all over the place.  You would think common sense would prevail and more businesses would close up for the day.



Below, this was taken from our front door around 5 pm and it oddly doesn't show the snow falling.  The tracks I made filling the feeders earlier in the day.

The storm dumped  just over 50 cm of snow in our area.  School buses didn't run for two days so Older Grandson got an unexpected school break.  I heard he was ecstatic. LOL


Tuesday evening we also lost the electricity for about 3 hours.  I wound up roasting potatoes in the wood fire and made a salad which we ate by the light of oil lamps.  Then I roasted marshmallows something I do about once a winter.

These lamps get pressed into service at least once a winter as we seem to lose our electricity often in bad weather.  I don't mind using them; brings back memories of being at my grandparent's house when I was a young girl.
 I also had to use them my first year of teaching on the coast of Labrador as the tiny settlement I was living in didn't get electricity till part way through that year.  It was remarkable to share that experience with the people actually.  What an adventure.
Now whenever I write that, I think- just how old am I!

 What's really remarkable though is how your eyes adjust and you can read and write and stitch to the light of these oil lamps and I did lots of all three that winter. Of course, my eyes were much, much younger then.
 But the women did it, think of Little House on the Prairie and Half- Pint's Ma who was often pictured stitching to lamp light.  I loved those stories, by the way.




Tuesday evening, I felt like I could barely stumble around to this light, find plates and cutlery, etc. I had to keep reminding the dogs to stay out of my way.

It reminded me of what I'd read once; a fellow saying for safety measures we should all know how to get about our house in the dark.  He suggested practicing this blindfolded which I thought sounded a little unsafe actually.  Imagine the irony if you wound up hurting yourself practicing a safety measure.

Anyway, we are digging out which at least is exercise.  Smile