10 Things Farm Wives Did to Sit Tight a Week, Like Hauling Snow In

In March of 1966 a blizzard buried northern Minnesota, and up there you went nowhere for a week. The house down the road made the bread and milk run. My mother stayed home and had everything else ready by dark, and by Saturday only one of those two kitchens was still calm. These are the ten things the farm wives I grew up with did to sit tight through a storm like that, and every one of them still works tonight. 📋 FREE Fridge-Door Checklist, "The Night Before a Blizzard" (all ten on one page, big print, for your fridge): https://socxly.me/6ky9qr **In this video** · The thing people laugh at that kept the fuel man paid · Why the Weather Service says your car kit belongs in a coffee can · The list that still works when your phone battery dies · What a half tank of gas is really for (it isn't storm driving) · The one phone call to make the day you hear a storm's coming · How I lost a whole freezer of Walt's venison, and the little thing that would have saved it · The toilet plan nobody likes talking about · What sat on Mother's kitchen windowsill · Number one: why Mother hauled snow in by the pail, and what it was for **Chapters** 0:00 March 1966: two kitchens, one blizzard 0:45 A coffee can of small bills 1:36 The coffee-can car kit 2:28 A paper list by the door 3:19 Never below half a tank 4:11 Biscuit's week 5:03 One call to the pharmacy 5:52 A thermometer in the fridge and freezer 7:02 A toilet that needs no water 7:54 The radio on the windowsill 8:42 A pail of snow by the back door 9:16 What happened down the road 9:34 One bucket tonight **Tell me in the comments:** what did your mother do the night before a storm? I read every one. **Sources** National Weather Service Duluth, *The March 2–5, 1966 Blizzard* (up to 2–3 feet across northern Minnesota; impassable highways) — weather.gov/dlh/March1966Blizzard Ready.gov, *Build a Kit* (cash; hand-crank radio and NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert; moist towelettes and garbage bags for sanitation) — ready.gov/kit UW-Madison Extension, *Keeping finances safe after a disaster* (cash in case card readers are not working) — climate.extension.wisc.edu/files/2026/01/Keeping-finances-safe-after-disaster-fact-sheet.pdf FDIC Money Smart, episode 1-4 (ATMs and cards may not work until power is restored) — fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/podcast/documents/mspn-1-4-disaster.pdf National Weather Service Twin Cities, *Winter Hazard Awareness Week* (winter car kit in a large coffee can with a plastic lid; keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid gas line freeze) — weather.gov/mpx/winterpns5 Minnesota HSEM, *Safe winter driving* (red bandana as a distress signal; blankets) — dps.mn.gov/news/hsem CDC, *Stay safe during and after a winter storm* (carry extra warm clothing and blankets; don't rely on a car for heat) — cdc.gov/winter-weather/safety/stay-safe-during-after-a-winter-storm-safety.html American Red Cross, *Power Outage* (keep a paper copy of your contact list; keep your gas tank at least half full) — redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/power-outage.html American Red Cross, *Pet Disaster Preparedness* and *Pet Winter Safety* (food, water, bowls, litter, manual can opener; bring pets inside) — redcross.org American Red Cross, *Winter Storm* (gather food, water and medicine before a winter storm; stores might be closed) — redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/winter-storm.html Paul Bunyan Communications, *Our history* (party lines shared by up to 9 other customers) — paulbunyan.net/cooperative/our-history/ Minnesota Department of Transportation, *Historic Context Study of Minnesota Farms*, Vols. 2 and 3 (privies; phones and storm warnings; the battery radio as the first modern thing in farm homes) — dot.state.mn.us/culturalresources/docs/crunit/ USDA FSIS, *Food safety tips for areas affected by winter storms* (appliance thermometers in the fridge and freezer; 40 °F or below, 0 °F or below; group food together) — usda.gov/node/16533 CDC, *Keep food safe after a disaster or emergency* (40 °F / 0 °F) — cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/keep-food-safe-after-emergency.html Washington State Department of Health, *Toilet use during emergencies* and publication 337-147 (two-bag toilet with kitty litter; pour-flush; septic pumps need power) — doh.wa.gov Lorain County (Ohio) General Health District, *Septic systems and power outages* (buckets of water to flush; limit water use) — lcghd.org U.S. Census Bureau, *1960 Census of Housing, Minnesota*, Table 2 (about one farm home in three without a flush toilet) — census.gov PrivateWellClass.org (well pumps in a power outage) — help.privatewellclass.org National Weather Service, *NOAA Weather Radio receivers* (tone alarm before warnings; battery backup) — weather.gov/nwr/nwr_receivers All checked 2 Oct 2026.