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Saturday, April 13, 2013

Prepared


During our first winter here, we experienced a mid-winter thaw. The pond overflowed, the wind garnered speed knocking the power out, and the basement started to fill up with water. When you're living in a 150 year old house, it's sort of expected a wet basement will be part of your life, but we weren't prepared for the fast rising tide that was threatening our furnace, our main heat source that year.
 
We carried bucket after bucket of water up the basement stairs and out the front door; an effort that seemed completely futile. Yet, we carried on, one step after the next, worrying about a furnace we didn't plan to use much after that winter but we'd been too slow to source enough wood during those rushed fall days of settling in, to see us through to spring.
 
I was still enjoying the gift of country living, in those heady first months here, amazed at the beauty and solitude that surrounded me but on this day, when it seemed like the pond was in reach our house and about to swallow us whole, I realized this was also a way of living that required respect and a good deal of planning. And so we planned. I quickly realized what colour we painted the farmhouse wasn't quite as important as procuring something as handy as a generator. Four years later, the house still hasn't been painted but we've had a generator, ready at our beck and call, should the need arise yet up until now there hadn't been much of a need. In fact, the standing joke with our neighbours was there would be no more long hydro outages now that we had gone out and invested in a generator, and they thanked us profusely for boosting their odds.
 
Thursday after a long day of freezing rain, changed all that. This entire area of the province was covered in ice. Still, all was good until the wind picked up that evening and for the next 24 hours, our generator became the workhorse of this little farm. Finally, we were able to flex our preparedness muscles. Our generator kept those sump pumps working, we had lights in the kitchen and we could run our furnace and water when required. It wasn't convenient but it was a lot less stressful than that cold day four years ago trudging up and down the basement stairs in the dark.
 
Each time I stepped outside, grateful for our extra 'farmhand', I was quickly overpowered by diesel fumes and the loud incessant hum of the generator, reminiscent of being at the fair. All I needed was some cotton candy.
 
~Be well friends

8 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

oh, good for you! glad you were indeed prepared!

Dan said...

You're frugal, savvy and of course Canadian... what's not to like. :)

Cheers from a fellow Canadian (Prince Edward County, ON).

Buttons Thoughts said...

Wow. I was wondering how you made out in the storm. Yeah preparedness...
We did not get too bad glad I was home to feed and care for the girls on the farm.Have not heard from the girls in the city No news is good news...
Finished the syrup everyone loves it now I want cotton candy:)
Glad you are all fine. Hug B

Lynne said...

Happy for you that four years later you are prepared and waiting for cotton candy . . .

cargillwitch said...

I live on my husbands family heritage farm ( since 1852) here in Ontario. The house is fieldstone built by his great great grandfather- so yes, an oldie!
We sit high and dry on our site but I know many of our neighbours have similar relationships with their sump pumps . what did our ancestors due prior to widescale hydro?

Anke said...

I'm glad you were prepared and had the generator! We've learned our lesson the hard way too, and just knowing we have it makes me calmer.

Candy C. said...

A generator is a wise investment! I sure wish I could convince my hubby of that fact...

Michelle said...

Country living can be tricky. We have had our fair share of issues. Glad you have a generator. They are life savers, for sure.