Well, after a lovely week of wonderful warm days and crisp fall nights, winter came in last night like the KoolAid man. Heavy blowing winds, light snow, and the thermometer making a run for the bottom.

Time to transfer the winter gear to the truck, make sure the winter module is in my Bag O’ Tricks, and drive much more carefully.

And, you know, part of driving carefully means knowing when not to drive at all. Is picking up a couple frozen pizzas at Winco when the roads are icy really worth a trip to the ER and buying a new truck? Probably not. Thats one of the reasons we stockpile food to begin with – to eliminate risk.

Not sure what this winter is going to look like. (And, really, no one does…the notion that you can forecast how severe a winter will be seems akin to telling the future by squeezing the goat’s scrotum or something.) But you usually can’t be too wrong with “cold and snowy”. Really, the only variable is the quantity.

With all the stuff going on (and about to go on) in the Middle East, perhaps stocking up on fuel for heating mightnot be a bad idea this winter.

Some genuinely winter weather going on here. It isnt so much that there is much snow, its that the wind and cold accompanying it makes it interesting. Ever go to a beach and watch the sand blow across everything and create dunes? It is exactly like that here but with powdery snow. Since it’s so cold, there’s no moisture int he air…the moisture becomes ice, right? So the snow behaves as dry grains of sand.

Its blowing and drifting pretty heavily…I took the snowblower out about four hours ago and it looks like I never even tried. Being ‘that guy’ ‘I just had to break out the snowshoes and go for a walk around the neighborhood. Then, removed the snowshoes and tried the same walk. Short version: Spend the money and get those snowshoes.

This is an outstanding night to test winter gear. I’m tempted to break out the military sleep system and go crawl into it and see how it fares. Of course, I suppose its possible I fall asleep and the snow drifts over me and the GoreTex and I suffocate in my sleep. Hmm.

Excellent night to stay indoors though. Tomorrow morning will be all about snowblowing and travel travails. I’m not planning to go anywhere by vehicle tomorrow, and I may not go anywhere by foot either if this keeps up. I cant imagine snowshoeing to school.

But, I have food, heat, lights, hot water, and a king-sized down comforter on the bed, so i feel pretty cocky and full of myself at the moment. Watching a moderate snowpocalypse outside my door from the comfort of my warm and well-stocked abode does tend to promote the smugness.

You people in the southern states who panic when 3/4″ of snow falls and turns your highways into parking lots? Yeah, you’d crap your pants if you saw what we’re driving in.

For those of you in the region, skip the traveling about… a trip to CostCo for Brita filters and inkjet cartridges is not worth messing up your vehicle, your insurance rates, and your tibia. Why buy trouble? Stay home, enjoy your preps, and tell the spouse “I told you so”.

Well it is genuinely nasty out there today. Yesterday was rain and some snow melt…and then around three this morning it was followed up with the bottom dropping out of the thermometer and the heaviest gusting winds I’ve seen in a long time. So, what you have here is ice everywhere and a tremendous amount of wind. I’m going to go ahead and get the generator staged because I’d say it’s 50/50 that there’s going to be an interruption of service.

However, last night I did some grocery shopping so I have no need to leave the house. My plan is to sit here and listen to the wind rattle the windows and watch the carnage on the news.

I’ve food, heat, water, internet, and strong sense of self-interest… so, yeah, not a problem.Should make for some interesting listening on the police radio today.

…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM SUNDAY TO
2 PM MST MONDAY…

* WHAT…Mixed precipitation followed by heavy snow and blowing
snow expected. Ice accumulations of a light glaze Sunday morning
with the arrival of the arctic. Total snow accumulations of 4 to
6 inches in the Missoula Valley, and 5 to 8 inches in the
Bitterroot Valley. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph in the
Missoula Valley.

* WHERE…Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys.

* WHEN…From 3 AM Sunday to 2 PM MST Monday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Travel could be very difficult. Areas of
blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The cold
wind chills as low as 15 below zero could result in hypothermia
if precautions are not taken.

So apparently there are some places in the midwest that are experiencing soul-numbing cold. I’ve been reading articles online about what to do if your car gets stuck, how to dress if you go outside, etc, etc. And, while these articles have some utility, here’s the short version of how to deal with life-threatening cold weather: Stay indoors.

That’s it.First rule of a disaster: Don’t be there. If it’s -25 outside with a windchill of -100, Don’t. Go. Outside.

There are no victims, just volunteers. You have plenty of food on hand, right? You have alternate heating solutions for your living space, right? And clearly you have the internet. So..why go outside? I suppose if you have to go to work there’s that. But, otherwise, why buy trouble?

Weather like this reminds me that it’s always a good time to repost these gems: Winter Vehicle Stuff I, II, III, IV, V

And as someone pointed out in those threads, a rubber mallet and a five-gallon-bucket from Home Depot, with lid, will do a perfect job protecting a sleeping bag in the back of your rig.

But, otherwise, if its life-threateningly cold in your AO….stay the heck at home. Thats what you bought a house for.

Between rain and snowmelt, western Montana…esp my little area of it…is experiencing a rather heavy amount of flooding. Rivers are way, way up and low-lying (or is it low-laying?) parts of town are underwater. Fortunately, I live in an are that is pretty much immune to such things. The city would have to be several feet deep in water across its breadth before I’d have to worry.

Nonetheless, it’s a good example of how when you purchase your little chunk of paradise you really need to investigate all the possible threats. “Oh, it only floods once every 200 years” is not as good as “it never floods here”. In addition to floods, you need to think about things like forest fires, rockslides, avalanches, wind storms. and a few other donkey punches Mom Nature likes to administer.

Oh, sure…you can build resilient housing, but better to not be in the path of the train rather than develop a train-proof suit.

On the bright side, the homeless camps (and hopefully some of the homeless) were completely washed away as the river rose about a dozen feet higher than normal. Folks downstream will be inundated with sleeping bags and tents when this thing finally dies down.

In the meantime, I’m just watching it all for the entertainment value. But I kinda did wanna go shooting this weekend and the rain is spoiling that.