What Do You Do When There's a Blizzard Outside?

The Weather Service wasn't kidding when it predicted frigid cold, snow, and fierce winds. We battened down the hatches, and prayed for the safety of our farm animals. Our dog Samson has found refuge in the house, and loves to lay by my feet as I work in the kitchen. I have to be careful not to trip over him, but I must admit that I enjoy having a dog in the house.

Jim checked up on the main floor this morning for signs of the temperature getting too close to freezing, and everything seemed okay. We are storing our potatoes, pumpkin and squash up there until they are consumed. We have a small hole cut in the floor just above the wood stove, so apparently that heat source is enough to keep the area where the produce is located above freezing.

Jonathan took another look right after lunch, and discovered the water bottle we keep up there as a makeshift thermometer was now frozen. We moved into high gear, and brought everything down. And the photo below is what took place all afternoon:

David was in the back, washing more pumpkins in the laundry tub.

I usually bake the cut up pumpkin pieces in the oven, but that would have taken forever. So, we also chunked pieces and boiled them on top of the stove. We must have a hundred pumpkins to process! I then mashed the pulp and placed it in bags that will go into the freezer.

There's more to do tomorrow!