Episode #6 Twas A Night

TWAS A NIGHT We are going to be doing something a bit different. A bit of a departure from the normally scheduled podcast and given the events of this last week I am glad I wrote this poem in advance. And now on with TWAS A NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY Twas a night at the country, and all through our cottage, The only thing running was the fridge, but that was low wattage. The wood was stacked by the masonry heater with care. In hopes enough for the long winter night, was there. There was more in the garage, in a firewood rack, But going to get more, in pajamas, was whack. In the dark you would probably slip on a giant ice mound, Then a slide of snow from the roof would pin you to the ground. Now cougar, now grizzly, now moose and black bear, On Fox, on skunk, on elk, and mule deer. From the top of the drive, to the clearing below, My trail cams see you all, come and go. The solar panels were silent in the darkest of night, Ready to jump into action at first morning light. The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow, Still wasn't enough to give the batteries some go. With all lights off, to see stars in the night sky, Aries, Taurus and Orion drifted on by. And giving full chase, was the Milky Way. I should get to bed before dawn reveals a new day. I jumped into bed with covers held tight, Adorned by long johns to keep me warm all night. A list of things done, ran through my mind Mixed in was a list of stuff to do, helped me unwind. Trail cam SD cards and data loggers collected. The batteries topped up and the well water tested. About the snow and ice, over the battery room hatch. A rubber mallet on a long handle, would soon dispatch. Tomorrow, I thought, I should rake off  the roofs snow, Brush off the decks to prevent ice mounds forming below. The panels as well, should be cleared of  white stuff. Check the oil in the generator, is there enough? With chores and tasks swirling away, I became drowsy at the thought of next day. I pulled up the blankets and covered my noses, Mental note for tomorrow,  take time, smell the roses. My mind now did wander from this and to that, A sure sign sleep was coming ,hey, was that a bat? Less and less made much sense, but that was OK, That is what happens when consciousness drifts away. Noel Noel, was simply not true! Our well provided lots of water for washing and drinking too. Ok, Ok, that was just a bit of fun. Just an excuse for a bad, dad, pun. With that I will wrap up this little ditty, Out here in the country, not there in the city. In the midst of the sticks, with beauty beyond wealth, At Our Country Cottage, The truth is slowly revealing itself. ********************************************** I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did, writing it. The next podcast is also going to be a bit of a departure as well. This past week I went up to Our Country Cottage on a nice sunny day expecting to do a few minor chores and maybe some snow clearing. We have been in a cold snap for several weeks (cold snap meaning -30C (-22F) at night and daytime highs in the -20Cs  (-4Fs)) . In the next podcast I will be telling you what happens when the power fails at those temperatures and your alert systems fails you too. We are still trying to figure stuff out ourselves so …. For pictures and more info, you can visit our website at ourcountrycottageanarrative.com If you have any comments, questions or if you would like to be added to the “Friends of OCCaN” mailing list, you can email me at [e-mail] Members on the mailing list will get website and podcast updates as soon as I do :). The Our Country Cottage a Narrative podcast is now on iTunes , Stitcher and  Google Play so you can subscribe there and get the podcast downloaded automatically when they get released. Till next time have a good one. I'll be working on it.