Well folks, I just moved to the mountains of W. Va. and am unacustome to ice, snow, ect. and am doing winter preps (in Fla. we just put on a long sleeve shirt). So far I have put on all weather radials, checked the heater and defroster, purchased spray deicer, checked antifreeze, added chains that fit, ice scraper, and have added extra clothes and blanket, plus instant energy food, bag of sand, shovel and tow strap and a track cell phone.

At home I have enough food for a month or more, the kerosene truck is due later today, there are two 20 pound cylinders of propane plus a new 100 pound tank on line. The furnace people have been here, the windows are freshly recaulked, salt has been purchased as has bird feed, there are no other animals here except the deer that I trip over when going outside- they sleep on the porch and rush the van when I pull in looking for quarted apples that the previous owner fed them. There is a 6.5 kw generator to yet install and establish fuel for, plus the double throw electrical box to be put in.

My driveway is a "mountain goat special" so I am going to park at the bottom and ride the garden tractor up and down; the pump house has a place for a heat lamp bulb and a back up is here, there are no outside water lines. I have a coleman camping stove and fuel and two extra 12 volt batteries, a manual can opener, 12 volt tv. and lights. I guess the question is: am I missing anything?

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), September 22, 2001

Answers

Nope, Mitch, sounds like you're done to me. Now that you have all the free time, wanna come up and winterize my place for me? LOL!

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), September 22, 2001.

you must be pretty far UP there. I didnt think WV got that much snow

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), September 22, 2001.

Mitch,Sounds like your thinking pretty hard about winter. Wva is a hit/miss state for snow. You get some or all of it. Several issues, First know how to use whatever your buying. Have you tried to put on the chains? In 3ft of snow is not the time to learn. I might also suggest a few bags of sand or kitty litter for traction. A few sand tubes for weight will also help rear wheel cars and light ended trucks. What is the propane for? I assume the kerosene truck is really a fuel oil truck. Dont know of any large kero furnaces. What fuel does the generator run on? YOu said no outside water lines. Your water lines enter a heated basement? What about water lines on outside walls?

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), September 22, 2001.

Hi Mitch,

Water pumps and water lines break at the most inconvenient times. Make sure you have both drinking and other water available. Been there done that. Also, I couldn't tell if you have a backup source of heat in case your furnace breaks. I bought a propane oven that requires no electricity to run.

Tho you may already have one, the full body cold weather jumpsuits you can get at farm stores are a must have in the country for cold weather. Also, if you don't have any rubber type boots/overboots those are pretty important also. Wet cold feet are not a good thing. After an ice storm your driveway may not be driveable even on your tractor. Ours wasn't.

-- Stacia n OK (OneClassyCowgirl@aol.com), September 22, 2001.

TP

-- jeff s (jpstreib@aol.com), September 22, 2001.

Another good traction addition to keep in your vehicle is a bag of kitty litter, empty large coffee can and a few candles and matches. You can use the candle can as a heat source to turn the kitty litter into a "frozen asphalt" if your stuck. And as always, be sure to learn from your neighbors.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 22, 2001.

I'm always amazed by how much better winter preparations are done by people who've not seen one before than those of us who have lived with them for years. The only thing I can suggest to add to your list is something I saw years ago and had to ask about. It was summer and I saw a terribly mountainous, twisting drive that took 4WD in July. Along the side of it was what looked like a rope fence with just one strand of rope about 4' high at the posts. When I asked, it was explained to me that the rope was there to hold onto while walking up in winter. I'm sure the posts had to be very well set but I thought it was a pretty practical idea. When I looked later I noticed there was stone underneath the rope and figured that was for foot traction.

Two other things come to mind I'll suggest. You might want to get a set of chains for your garden tractor. Also, for an easy way to install chains take a couple pieces of scrap plywood larger than the footprint of your tires. Lay your chains out on them. Now take some pieces of 2x4 and set those in between the chains on the plywood and attach them there.

Now you have a really handy way to install your chains. Just lay these in front of your drive wheels with the chains on them and pull forward until your tires are on the 2x4's. You're on the chains and they haven't slipped or bunched so all you need to do is pull them around and secure them. I'd suggest another set for your garden tractor, too.

There are two schools of thought as to attaching the 2x4's to the plywood. One is to simply use short nails and go through the ply into the 2x4's. The other is to use 16d nails and go through the 2x4's and then through the ply if you intend to use them on dirt so the nails keep the ply from sliding on snow or ice outside. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), September 22, 2001.

How much snow driving have you done? If the answer is little or none, I'd suggest driving out in one of the early light snow storms, finding a big parking lot with no cars and driving around like a nut. It's a lot of fun and you'll get a feel for what your car can do and what it can't and how to get it back into control when it skids. If you do get a big storm make sure to have a few good books and maybe a good handwork project.Otherwise it sounds like the only thing you are missing is a good arctic blast out of Canada and a nice wet front coming up from the Gulf...have a great winter. Oh, yeah, have you invested in a sled?

-- gilly (WAYOUTFARM@skybest.com), September 22, 2001.

Have a pile of COUNTRYSIDE's for long winter nights.

-- Sandy Davis (smd2@netzero.net), September 22, 2001.

The coveralls sounds like a good idea, I have insulated boots and rubber boots. This place's well house is an extension off the back and there is a flap where a 6 inch opening can be opened to heat the well house, the propane is for the cook stove and the generator and a back up heater.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), September 22, 2001.

Don't forget the fuzzy socks! Get several pairs of thick wooly farmers socks (at the feed store or tractor supply). It's amazing how miserable you can be if your feet are cold!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 22, 2001.

Hi Mitch,

It almost sounds as if you're looking forward to being snow bound. You'll want some entertainment for those cabin fever days & nights. Board games, cards, jigsaw puzzles, books and a huge stack of Countryside magazines can help pass the time. Make sure you have an Aladin or other kerosene lantern to use. Remember....this too shall melt.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), September 22, 2001.

Hey Mitch,

Find a good place to park that garden tractor. There will be some periods of time when you will not need it. For the folks who consider WV a hit or miss state (for snow) I contend that they do not know just where you are. You are in the hit part. A pair of snowshoes would not be out of line. If that seems like overkill ask your neighbors.

It does sound like you are fairly well prepared for bad weather. I would suggest planning on some times when you can not get out, and to keep the appropriate extra supplies. One more thing you will probably need a shovel of some kind.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.com), September 22, 2001.

Around thanksgiving think about turning off the water to the outside so you don't get burst pipes. For that matter. Insulate your hot water pipes in the house (best bang for your energy saving bucks).

We learned the hard way (twice) about burst pipes.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), September 22, 2001.

Hi Mitch,

A BIG stack of books is a must for me. After moving here from Texas a couple of years ago, I heartily second the suggestion about laying in a big supply of thick, wooly socks. They are wonderful, believe me. Five pounds of popcorn. Plentiful supplies for working on a hobby/handwork. A stack of new cd's - music can really brighten up a cold, gray winter day. Or week. Adopt a cat or dog from the local animal shelter - marvelous company for winter shut in time. Choose a musical instrument to learn to play, get it and some instruction videos.

I'm _really_ looking forward to this winter! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

-- Carol - in the mountains in Virginia (carollm@rockbridge.net), September 22, 2001.

AH Mitch all you need now is someone to snuggle with on those cold winter times. good luck Bob se,ks.

-- Bobco (bobco@kans.com), September 22, 2001.

Hi Mitch,,you have done a great job,,,and will learn more as time goes on. Didn't you say you lived in a trailer now? Something I would suggest if so,,is to get electrical tape to wrap around water pipes under trailer. It sure decreases a lot of headaches. Those tapes are helpful in many situations....

I love hearing about your new place there in WV,,,I hope to find one there soon,,,as I mentioned before, I am still looking,,,may have to rent for awhile,,or caretake,,til I find something. Take care and enjoy your wonderful "FAll" weather.

-- Patsy, MT (cozyhollow-gal@care2.com), September 22, 2001.

One 'just in case' think that I always keep on hand is something called a pipe repair system, from www.gemplers.com All of our plumbing is against outside walls, so we have to be extra careful on this one. (Can't wait until we finish redoing it!) In spite of some fairly serious weatherproofing, heat tapes, insulation, etc... we have had to deal with the pipes freezing a few times, when the temperature and wind got really ugly. This stuff fixes the damage right up, and is easy to do yourself. One of the repairs is several years old, and still going strong.

Other things that I always do include -

*Lots of wool socks, legwarmers, good gloves, artic weight coveralls, waterproof boots, etc... There's nothing more miserable than trying to do your outdoor chores when you're too cold to feel half of your body, and the other half is aching. An inner layer of heavy spandex can be a bit pricey, but it is very long lasting, and WARM.

*If there is even the slightest chance of your water freezing up, get something that you can fill with drinking water, so that you aren't doing without until you get it fixed. If things look really scarey, we bring in a large plastic drum and fill it with water to use for washing/flushing.

*Install a second light socket in the pump house, and make sure that the bulbs are of different ages. If they are both the same age, there is a possibility that they can blow at the same time. If you have only one light, and it blows right after you check it, you can still have frozen pipes by the next morning. If you want to get really high tech, there are temperature monitering gadgets that will sound an alarm if the temperature dips below, or above, whatever you set it to detect, and can even turn the lights off and on accordingly. If you are in a remote area, adding a surge protecter in the line can help keep power spikes from blowing the bulbs. That can be as easy as using a surge protected power strip to plug in your backup light. Make sure that you have several backup bulbs stashed in the house. In nasty weather, it's possible to lose several bulbs before being able to get to the store to replace them.

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), September 27, 2001.

Mitch, sounds like you are fully prepared for winter!!! Other than perhaps adding an Aladdin lamp for ambient lighting, you seem set!

Your part of W.V. doen't get too much snow, more ice than anything, other than a few inches normally, baring a Nor' Easter plowing in from the coast, then you could get a foot or so, but it won't last long.

Now on the other side of W.V., Preston and Tucker counties, they can get up to 260 inches a snow per season, that's snow!!!!!!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), September 27, 2001.