I had heard we may get a freak snow storm over the weekend, and to expect 4 – 8 inches of snow, and even though it started snowing at 8PM Friday night, I really refused to believe it.
Until we woke up Saturday morning to this……
I don’t think the goats chose to believe it either…..
And Dolly definitely chose to ignore it…..
The chickens and turkeys totally ignored it and stayed inside their coops all day long.
Bernie got a nice fire going in the wood stove.
Diesel called dibs on his spot right in front of the wood stove.
And then we lost electricity.
*sigh*
I couldn’t let that stop me, though. I had a bunch of peppers to get ready for canning. And I ended up with several bowls of very pretty peppers.
Like these jalapenos.
And these assorted hot peppers.
And these wonderful pepperoncini.
But, with snow steadily falling, and no electricity, canning them had to wait. And this is where the peppers waited it out….
And here…..
And when Bernie shoveled the deck, he left me a little cooler for my wine.
That made me very happy.
When it started to get dark, I got to use my wine bottle lamp, with my nifty rooster wick holder.
And we lit the house with oil lamps.
And enjoyed the pups by candle light.
We heated up leftover hamburgers on the wood burner, and warmed water to wash with, but I didn’t get pictures of that. I must say, those were some of the best hamburgers I think I’ve ever eaten though.
And when we woke up this morning, we had electricity.
Which is nice.
And we celebrated by canning those peppers on the deck.
How odd to be canning with snow in the background.
But the peppers look so pretty.
October is going out like a Lion.
I’m just a little afraid of what November may bring………
I was so thankful the snow missed us. Your peppers look so pretty in the jars and how nice is it that you can can outdoors? We are lucky to have a basement kitchen to can in but when it gets really hot it would be nice to be able to do it outside.
Our dogs love to sleep practically under the woodstove too.
Happy Halloween.
No Snow in Texas but I do wish we would get some, Penny I love the Picture’s you took it made it so Nice & warm & Cozy, stay Safe & Warm
Bummer to be without electricity but having the oil lamps and the wood stove sure makes for a cozy evening.
Your peppers are beautiful. How do you can them, Penny? Like pickles?
The snow makes for pretty scenery! Your peppers look wonderful. When did you get goats? I somehow forgot that you had them. We’re thinking about getting goats in the future instead of cows. Are they pets? Or do you raise them for meat? As much as you dislike the snow, think of what good moisture it is for the ground to grow your awesome garden next year! I love the oil lamps too. We want some pewter ones. I would get them for my hubby for Christmas but I think we’ll be buying bee equipment for Christmas this year.
Karen – Happy Halloween to you! We’re supposed to get temps in the high 50s or even low 60s this week, so the snow will hopefully soon be only a memory
I do get tickled at Diesel for loving that wood stove so much – he does not care for heat in the summer at all, but he gets so close to the wood burner that his fur feels as though it will spontaneously combust!
Cristy – thanks for your kind words. I sure wish it was possible to send some snow your way. I know y’all are happy it’s cooled off a little out there though.
Susan – it really was a cozy evening! Yes, we pickle the peppers. We froze several quarts of sliced bell peppers and a couple of quarts of hot peppers. It’s really nice to have them in the freezer to quickly add to soups or stews, or to sprinkle on top of pizza.
Cheryl – We got the goats about 1 1/2 years ago and planned to breed them for milk. But they’ve ended up as pets instead. Both our sides of the family are many states away, and family emergencies require a lot of travel, and a long stretch of time away. It’s difficult to find someone to look after all the animals when we leave, and I’m afraid asking someone to milk a goat would be out of the question! And too painful to leave a goat to dry out that abruptly. Oh, and you may not be able to tell in the pictures, but the oil lamp to the left (in the picture with the American flag) is a pewter oil lamp, with a little handle to carry it room to room. It was actually a Christmas gift from me to Bernie shortly after we married
Oh my! I would be so afraid that the storm was just the beginning of what’s to come. Time to move! Texas would welcome you, and I’m sure someone WA would welcome you as well.
your peppers are beautiful! Being without electricity is fun…at least for just one night
Your pepper look wonderful. I love our oil lamps too when power is out.
Yes, Penny, I’ll take some of your snow too! It is beautiful, if early for you. Nice to have all those peppers for this winter. They are pretty. I love my oil lamps and am sure they will come in handy this winter, too. Your puppies are soooo cute!
Blessings!
Oh, Penny! Gorgeous pictures! Very sweet post you make it all look so comfortable and peaceful! I’d be right beside Diesel with a glass of that wine!
Love you!
Well…I have to say that I do not like snow. Let me repeat. I do not like snow. Wait…its actually the cold that I do not like…its not the snows fault.
I loved seeing the pups all laid out and taking it easy….you must work them really hard…:-)
And of course, I loved to see that Bernie so kindly left you a spot to chill your wine. Now thats true love.
I think my most favorite part is seeing the house all aglow in lamplight. How beautiful.
I’m jealous! Snow and beautiful bowls of peppers. No snow in South Florida.
Do you use a brine for pickling your hot peppers, or just can them? I ended up with tons of them this year, used the same brine I use for pickles (cucumbers), and was not really fond of it. Looking for a good alternative
I honestly prefer to make hot sauce out of most of my hot peppers, but I do pickle several jars of jalapenos to use during the year. I use a pretty standard brine – for about 3 pounds of sliced peppers I use 6 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, minced garlic (I don’t really measure – maybe 4 heaping teaspoons or so), and salt (again, I don’t measure – maybe a tablespoon?). Cold pack jars with the peppers, pour the brine over them, and then water bath for 10 mins for pints, and 15 mins for quarts. A friend sent a recipe for Cowboy Candy made with jalapenos and I made several pints last year that I loved. But it was a bit of an ordeal to make, and due to time constraints this year, I didn’t make any. If you are interested I could try to find the recipe again. They are basically hot and very sweet jalapenos. An interesting taste – and one that I really love!
Penny, we lost power during the storm, too, and I also had to put off canning peppers! I was making green pepper jam and I had to put it off until the next day. Turned out more sweet than heat, but I had to use what was still left in the garden. Your peppers are gorgeous!
That night we threw a few comforters on the bed and invited the dog up there to warm us up. Just as we settled down, we saw the light pop on in the hallway and the power came back — thank goodness!
I’m so happy to find another canner nearby. Maybe we can have a canning party sometime! I’m hoping to make up marmalade this weekend while baking cookies. If I had two more hands it would be a little easier
Stumbled across your blog today much to my delight…. My two sons and I loved your pictures of the snow! We live in Albany Western Australia, and the 3 of us have never seen snow in “real life” love it!!!!