As winter rolls in and the frost starts to form, something clicks in the rural brain, a little alarm that whispers: \u201cBetter get ready. You don\u2019t want to run out of anything important.\u201d And suddenly, I\u2019m morphing into the ultimate squirrel, stashing away every imaginable \u201cnut\u201d\u2014but in my case, it\u2019s mason jars packed to the brim, firewood piles that could rival the Great Wall of China, and enough canned goods to feed a small army. Living out in the sticks has me going full-on winter warrior, and the first snowflake has just hit the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the middle of nowhere, winter prep takes on a whole new level of intensity. There\u2019s no \u201cquick trip to the store\u201d when a snowstorm hits, so the pantry and freezer start looking like an episode of Extreme Hoarders<\/em>. Canning everything from pickles to peach preserves? Check. Freezing every extra ounce of meat? You bet. Because when the world\u2019s frozen solid, the last thing I want is to risk running out of chili fixings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not just about food, either\u2014nope, this squirrel is stashing extra batteries, bulk toilet paper, and all the coffee that my rural budget can handle. You might laugh, but when you\u2019re one snow drift away from isolation, you\u2019ll be glad for the cases of ramen and a stockpile of coffee beans. Because, seriously, who handles a snowstorm without coffee? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Heating in the boonies is also its own special brand of prep. If you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ve got a woodstove; if you\u2019re smart, you\u2019ve started chopping firewood sometime around July. That woodpile? It\u2019s like a warm, crackling fortress just waiting for sub-zero temperatures. Stack it right, cover it well, and pray that every log splits smoothly\u2026though I can\u2019t say my aim with the ax hasn\u2019t led to a few \u201ccreative\u201d stacking solutions. Nothing like a woodpile collapse to remind you of nature\u2019s sense of humor. Hint: mother nature isn’t funny. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides food and wood, I\u2019m stockpiling everything winter-gear-related, from salt bags to snow shovels, along with extra blankets, propane tanks, gasoline and enough wool socks to outfit a football team. Because let\u2019s face it, if I\u2019m going to be snowed in, I\u2019m at least going to be warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So here\u2019s the real kicker: by the time I\u2019m done, the house practically glows with that \u2018apocalypse bunker\u2019 charm. Mason jars line every surface, pantry shelves are packed tighter than a clown car, and I\u2019ve even got emergency supplies squirreled away in the garage. Because when the snow drifts are ten feet high, the roads are closed, and the temperature plummets, I\u2019ll be inside with a roaring fire, enough homemade chili for a month, and the smug satisfaction of knowing that I don\u2019t have to go anywhere until the spring thaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if your house isn\u2019t full to the brim with canned goods and emergency supplies, are you even ready for winter?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As winter rolls in and the frost starts to form, something clicks in the rural brain, a little alarm that whispers: \u201cBetter get ready. You don\u2019t want to run out of anything important.\u201d And suddenly, I\u2019m morphing into the ultimate squirrel, stashing away every imaginable \u201cnut\u201d\u2014but in my case, it\u2019s mason jars packed to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Woodpile: My Winter Fortress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Winter Gear Check: Because Snowmageddon Is Real<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mason Jars Everywhere: Why I\u2019ve Embraced My Inner Squirrel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n