December 2023| Practical Self Reliance
Ice, Snow, Sleet and More Ice....Plus Holiday Projects
December is usually the time we get caught up on all the inside tasks we’ve put off all summer, and get things in order before the holidays. Half finished projects get put up, right before holiday baking and crafts turn our tiny space to chaos once again.
Most years, we don’t have much in the way of snow, just enough to turn things white, so outdoor maintenance work is at a minimum as we focus on our indoor work. This year, however, we’ve had three storms this month already, all with high winds and heavy wet snow.
Grid power’s been knocked out almost as many days as it’s been on, and I’m awfully thankful for our solar panels, batteries and generator.
Three Sundays in a row, like clockwork, the winds have come in and we get a dump of slush, sleet and sticky snow that coats everything…bringing trees down everywhere in the process.
Our orchard has taken a hit, with trees splitting in half as the snow load bends two sides of the tree in different directions. Usually, when you’re pruning fruit trees you remove limbs with narrow crotch angles to prevent this…but clearly we missed a few, and our trees paid dearly for it.
Stocking up on snow thrower shear pins at the hardware store before the last storm, as we’d run through a few this season already, the checker nodded and gave a knowing look. He said, “Getting ready for the next storm I see. Our power just came back on Thursday from last Sunday’s storm, and here we go again. That’s the north country for ya.”
Snow, sleet and ice are just some of the ways we pay for the life we have here.
No tornadoes, grizzly bears, hurricanes, poisonous snakes, volcanoes, alligators, earthquakes, traffic jams, minimal pests and biting insects…but Ice we have in abundance, at least 5 to 6 months of the year.
I’d take Ice over alligators any day, but if you look at Vermont’s population density compared to Florida’s, I’m clearly in the minority. I know one thing though, cinnamon rolls taste lot better when you’re sitting warm by the fire after a few hours shoveling snow.
Still, ice or not, holiday preparations are coming along nicely.
My daughter made this lovely hand made wreath, we’ve made dozens of beeswax candles and our homemade soaps, Christmas jams and holiday liqueurs are all infusing or curing, waiting for gifting.
Somehow though, our holiday projects never seem to make it onto the blog. I’ve got tutorials for every other season, more than 800 at this point… but this time of year, the littles and I get ‘er done without any of it ever making it to the web as tutorials.
None the less, these quick guides are a great place to start:
Canning Lemon Curd (Tested Recipe for Shelf Stable Gifts)
Books are always some of my favorite gifts, and here I’ve laid out my very favorite books in just about every DIY category:
My blogger friends out there on the internet have plenty of wonderful ideas too. Here are some fun ideas I’ve run across this month:
Kris at Attainable Sustainable has plenty of wonderful ideas for homemade gifts in a jar. All of these can be put together in minutes with a cute jar, a bit of ribbon and dry goods from your pantry:
Colleen at Grow Forage Cook Ferment always has something wonderful cooking, be it in the kitchen or apothecary. These all make wonderful gifts:
What are you making this holiday season? And what would you like to make, but don’t know how (yet)? Maybe I’ll work up a little tutorial for you in time for next holiday season.
Leave me a note in the comments below!
Until Next Time,
Ashley at Practical Self Reliance
Your split fruit trees can be bolted together. I had this happen to an apple tree (about 3 years ago) that was full of fruit and a big wind storm caused the split. I first took all the fruit off and cut all the branches back to remove more weight, then with heavy duty bungee cords I pulled the 2 sides back together and bolted the trunk with heavy duty bolts and stainless washers. I have left the bungee cords on to give support at the branch crotch while it continues to heal and grow. It did continue to put on apples but the most damaged side I pulled the fruit blooms off until this year and it did put on some nice apples. I'm thinking about cutting off the one side then staking the tree and pulling it more upright to start a new canopy.
That wreath is fabulous!