Well, this morning was a great example of why I do not need a refrigerator this time of year. I was told quite a long time ago, a house is healthier if the temperature fluctuates. I guess that is why some of us who lived with wood stoves were quite healthy. I like to use this as a guide to heat my house. But in all reality, it is just because I try to stretch all my resources as much as possible. Occasionally, I can even hear ole George Washington just a sobbing because I squeezed them so hard to get what I can with what little I have. Some call it frugal, others call it just being cheap. I call it spreading my wealth. I don’t have a lot so it needs to be spread as thin as I can. But, anyway, I don’t see any need of heating the house much while I am sleeping. It is almost nice to wake up and feel that cold air as you begin to stir about. I am quite used to that style of life. My only guide is that the water does not freeze in the pipes. I think my plants like the ups and downs of the heat cycle in the sun room. Makes them feel as though they are actually outside. I can definitely remember those cold mornings with, frozen water pipes. The kids had to brush their teeth with orange juice that morning. While I was feverishly working to warm things up to get the water going again.

Luckily, these mornings, I don’t have to worry about the pipes freezing solid. Having worked outside the majority of my life, I always check the outside temperatures when I get out of bed. This sets the stage of how I should prepare for the day. I have remote temperature sensors all about the castle. Inside, outside, here and there. This morning, the temperature in my living area was a nice cool 46 F degrees.  Outside it was a cool 5 degrees and in the food storage it was 37 degrees.  This is just right for a December morning. These numbers are a need to know. Do I put on one or seven layers of clothes to venture outside.

Hopefully, today, I don’t have to chase my new car port this morning.  Yesterday ole Mother nature was showing me just what needed to be done to anchor it. She and I have a contest almost every year.  If I plan on anchoring something but it will wait another day, she proves me wrong. It was supposed to be a nice sunny day so I waited for that sunshine.  The first thing when daylight arrived I peeked out at the car port and things just didn’t look right.  Well, guess we have to fix that. The next time I looked out, the car port had moved considerably a bit more to the East than I wanted. Luckily the extension cord I was using held it back quite a bit. Five minutes later, it looked like an old dead animal with its feet up in the air. The extension cord was doing its best to hold it back, but it was dancing around way too much. I wanted to finish my second cup of coffee first. No need to rush things, it was going to be one of those days. I donned a light jacket and ventured outside. I found some rope to anchor  the car port to a tree. I wanted to keep it in the general area at least. When I came back inside, I checked the wind gauge. It indicated gusts up to 20 mph.  I sat there by the window watching the wind play with the car port. It was wildly dancing around on its slippery back. Again, I saw no need to rush. I knew from past experiences, wait for Mother to slow down a bit. I had everything ready from the day before to anchor it in place. But Mother wanted to play with it first.  She has in the past taken off the metal roof on my wood shop. She has three times now taken off the covering of the green house. Now she just wanted to play with the car port. Each time I put something back together, I just add more screws and more lumber. I was ready to do this to the car port, but she acted first. I knew sooner or later, she would change and put things back. Maybe not quite where or the way I had it before. But that was how Mother did things. I was ready and waiting for her. But finish my coffee first. The car port is anchored three different ways and is not going anywhere.  It was just on its back and needed help standing up right again. There is still no need to rush, wait for Mother to get done playing with it. As I was getting ready to go outside and make things right again.  Mother picked that car port up and set it up right again.  Now is the time to rush. Like a mad hatter, I dashed outside and began to tie anchors everywhere I could. I had that car port hooked to trees, cars and snow machine. Tying that car port in place was like tying an angry bull.  But I was having fun, so I kept at it. I even paused a moment to send some pictures to folks.  Finally Mother stopped to take a deep breath and I got the best of the dancing top. There, now I can finish that last cup of coffee and get properly dressed for the day. This is not how I planned my day, but how it goes up here in the woods. No need to get up tight, just go with the flow. Wait for that right moment and do what needs to be done.

This is how life is supposed to be. No need for a thousand words or a lot of action. Wait for the right moment. One word, or one action at just the perfect moment accomplishes much more. Now, I am not sure if this is wisdom gained with age but old time farming sense. Some folks refer to this as common sense, but it is from doing what needs to be done. Doing it with what you have when you have it. There is much in my life that dictates what to do and how to do it, and what to use and when to do it.  In the old days, ladies used to make dresses out of flower sacks. We need to bring that thinking back again. Stop being a throw away society.  ( putting my soap box away).   Ken White mountainman   COB

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Snapshots in Time: December 12, 1895