Weather forecasts

I am not sure that the advance in weather forecasting is good for us. There are good and bad things about knowing a week ahead that there is a bad storm coming, but we oldsters survived before that and frankly I think we had less anxiety about it. 

The weather can affect me quite strongly. A string of cloudy days can make me grumpy and out-of-sorts, but knowing it is coming only makes me anxiously anticipate it. My reaction isn’t something I can prepare for. I just happen to be like a chicken and NEED sunshine. When I don’t get it, I am not good company. 

Knowing about a bad cold spell, like the one forecasted last week, can be a great advantage. We were able to get some extra wood in the house and the wood box close to the back door. I was able to get extra bedding in the chicken house. We got the cords ready to plug the vehicles in, but honestly, I found myself feeling anxious because I knew it was coming. I guess I prefer not knowing. 

Eons ago, when I was a kid, forecasters didn’t even try to forecast anything past about 24-hours. They might take a guess at 48-hours out, but we all knew they were stretching it at that point. So when bad weather came, we just had to roll with it. We might go to bed at night to 20º and snow and wake up to -35º and sunny skies. The stock still had to be fed. The cows still had to be milked. It made it harder because we also had to start the kerosene tank heaters and we still had to make time to walk to the bus. Yes, even at -35º, we walked to the highway to meet the school bus. In fact, I always liked it when it was below 0º because I could wear pants under my dress. I had to take them off in the classroom, but could put them on for recess. Yup, another thing we did was go out for recess no matter how cold it was. The teachers might let us come in a little early, but we still had to go out for recess. I don’t think it hurt us any. In fact, I think it made us stronger and more resilient. 

We were very fortunate to have a stay-at-home mom who always made sure there was something hot for us as a snack when we got home from school. We would come in to hot fry bread with cinnamon and sugar on it, or biscuits and honey, or fresh cookies and hot chocolate. After a time to get warm on the inside, we headed out to feed and water the animals. 

I am glad I grew up then, but I must be getting old because the cold just seems colder now than it did back then. 

Hot Jell-O

It sounds simple, but when I mention it to people it seems that they have never heard of it. A great hot drink that is easy, tasty and a favorite among all of the kids that have been at our house. 

A tablespoon or more of any flavor Jell-O

Hot water. 

Mix together adding more Jello to taste, stir well and serve hot. 

Orange is one of our favorites, but we also like cherry and strawberry.