It's 9 degrees this morning. Our three-plus feet of snow didn't melt yesterday. We've dug ourselves out from the barn almost to the road, and then we have to go back up our quarter-mile-long driveway.

I'm glad we have plenty of hay. And coffee. And I have enough food for a good month or so. That's what you do when you live in the boonies.

Unfortunately, Dennis has hit rock bottom on the chewing tobacco supply. (Imagine, if you are a smoker, being trapped in your house suddenly with no cigarettes.) When we break through to the road this morning with the tractor, one of us is driving that Kubota to the gas station a couple of miles down the road (uh ... as fast as she will go ... ) and buying every can of Skoal Straight off of the shelf.

If we can't get the tractor out, I will be walking there. No kidding. Happy New Year.