...EXTREME COLD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...

This is a very dangerous situation for the homeless and those who have inadequate living conditions. A lot of people try to live in vans, cars and RVs in hopes of saving money to build in the future or out of necessity. The winter months are brutal here and this is definitely not the place to live without proper housing. The cities help by bringing people in out of the cold and setting them up in hotels or shelters. 

Out here there are no shelters or hotels. There is nowhere to get out of the cold. 

* What... Dangerously cold wind chills of -35 to -50 degrees below zero.

* When... From Monday evening through Tuesday morning,

* Impacts... Hypothermia will occur with prolonged exposure. Frostbite is likely after several minutes. 

It was -24 this morning. It's been colder, but the winds are going to make going outside unbearable. We have not seen a weather warning like this before. I think that the weather service has updated their warnings. I think that we will heed their warning. 

I don't think that our cars will start at -50 below zero. We have turned up the heat to ensure that we won't have any issues. We are also running extra hot water into the septic. Hopefully it won't freeze along with our water source.  

Traveling under these conditions is not advised. There is no help out here. The roads will be desolate. In the winter, under normal conditions there are very few cars if any on the roads. The blowing snow will increase these dangers. 

I am grateful that we were able to finish up our shopping. We already have drifts, and the inbound winds will make them even worse. There was a wreck not too far from here on flat ground yesterday morning that sent four to the hospital. Traffic was diverted around the accident for hours. Imagine sliding off the road in a ground blizzard at night without any cell service in this area and no traffic on the roads. It can turn into a life-or-death situation in the blink of an eye. 

If you have to travel, be prepared with an emergency car kit. You can find my post here: Emergency Winter Car Kit . Better yet just stay home until it's safe to travel. 

Thanks for visiting the blog,

Mrs. Smith

Emergency Winter Car Kit And Quilts...

• • Saturday
    Night

    

    Chance
    Rain/Snow and
    Breezy

    Low: 30 °F

  • Sunday
    
    

    

    Breezy.
    Rain/Snow
    Likely then
    Chance Snow
    Showers

    High: 46 °F

  • Sunday
    Night

    

    Chance Snow
    Showers and
    Breezy

    Low: 22 °F

  • Monday
    
    

    

    Chance Snow
    Showers and
    Breezy

    High: 40 °F

Trying to make it to November1st before turning on the heat was just a pipe dream. The heat has been coming on every morning for a little over a week now. It was 20 degrees one morning last week. The chicken water freezes over every night. The daytime temperatures are still warm. It was 71 degrees today. That's a 50 degree swing in temperatures within a few hours. 

I spent most of the day washing blankets and afghans. We already have our heavy comforter and Winter blankets on the bed. We put our flannel sheets on the bed yesterday. A couple of the blankets I washed today will be going into the Emergency Winter Cart Kit. We have extreme sleeping bags, but since we wear our Winter gear whenever we go out I decided to use fleece blankets instead. I hope that I don't regret that decision. 

This is the first quilt that I had a hand in making. My Grandma Ruby and I made it together. I'm pretty sure that I have seen her in most of the polyester pantsuits that she made the quilt squares out of. 

The backing is a wonderfully soft flannel material that I chose from her scrap box. I decided to add this quilt to our Winter Car Kit also.

Freshly washed quilts, blankets and afghans. I still have a few more items to wash.

One year, my "Secret Sister" gave me a number 10 can decorated with fabric on the outside and a car kit on the inside. It was such a cool idea that I decided to continue using it in our car. The fabric faded long ago, so I re-decorated the can with a black and white print out of a truck.

Everything fits nicely inside.

So far I have crackers, peanuts, a candle and matches inside the can. I will purchase and add hand warmers and some candy from the Dollar Tree the next time I go by there. 

We both have a small reusable bag that we keep our gloves, hats, neck gators and scarves in. We carry these to the car whenever we leave the house, because we also use them everyday during the Winter months. The blankets that I am using are king sized fleece blankets. We have sleeping bags made out of the same material, but they are stowed away somewhere. The size of the blankets offers us several layers of protection. I wear fleece pajamas under my ski pants when I'm outside for added warmth. Fleece really keeps the body warm.

I added two pairs of heavy duty Winter gloves to the Kit. I put the contents of the kit into this sturdy basket and placed it in the car. Other items like a shovel and other Winter tools are placed in the back of the car too. 

Grandma Ruby made this quilt when she was a young girl with her mother.

It has warmed many bodies over the years. It is faded, thin and well worn in places.

I need to make some repairs to the quilt. I probably will not use it anymore. I will just display it in our home somewhere.

Things To Be Happy About:

Fresh sun dried blankets

Old memorable quilts

Grilled split chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper

Loving God and loving each other

Writing notes on scraps of paper

Bubbles in boiling water

Watching a front loading washer wash clothes

Nail polish colors

Pottery

Mrs. Smith