#C7131D - winter preparation guide

[cutlery]

[ color and with apologies for the length i'm so sorry about sebastian ]

All,

Before I get to the matter at hand, please allow me to introduce myself if I have not yet met your acquaintance. I am Sebastian Michaelis, the head butler of the Phantomhive household, though from my conversations thus far, I do expect that this may not mean anything.

Regardless, as the season seems to be autumn, I have some inquiries and matters to bring up with regards to winter. After speaking with Mr. Arisato, I was given the impression that this may not be being prepared for. So first, if you are making preparations for the upcoming season, please let me know. This brings us to the main reason that I am reaching out.

From my understanding, no residents have experienced the winters here, and so I would believe it to be of critical importance that we over-prepare with the idea that the winters may be quite harsh. It is better to assume the worst and have extra rather than the opposite, after all. As such, here is a list of the most important tasks that should be undertaken to ensure a survivable, if not comfortable winter:

• Firewood - Wood should be collected and cut for firewood at a steadier rate than current. While it is not impossible to collect firewood during the winter, if there is a snowfall, it is much more difficult and could not be used immediately. I am used to preparations for a manor, so my estimation may be off, but I expect that for a particularly harsh winter, the houses here should expect to keep between nine and eleven cords of firewood. Storage for keeping the wood dry should also be built if you do not wish to or do not have room to keep your stockpile indoors.
  
  
• Chimneys - Similarly, all chimneys (should your home have one) need to be cleaned in preparation for increased use. If you do not know how to clean a chimney, I offer my skills for this, since it is not a straightforward task.
  
  
• Winter Clothing / Blankets - The clothing that can be found in the town may not be glamorous, but it is a good start for clothing more suited for the cold season. As you are running errands, pick up the clothing you find, since simply layering clothing is the best option to beat the chill. If you truly despise it, keep the fabric and begin making blankets, or donate it to someone who has the skill to do so. Similarly, for those of you hunting, please take care when skinning your animals to keep the fur as solid as possible. This fur can be used to line existing clothing, or larger pelts can be combined to make quite comfortable blankets once it has been treated.
  
  
• Garden Preparation - While there are some crops that can be grown in the winter, they will not be as simple to undertake, especially in the case of snow. As the garden seems to be staffed by quite competent individuals, I will not delve into this topic too much unless requested, but I bring it up as a reminder, should it be needed.
  
  
• Food Preparation - And most importantly, a portion of the food being currently harvested needs to be preserved. There are many methods with which to preserve both crops and meat alike, but the methods to best preserve each are dependent on the type of food it is. For example, some crops are best dried, while others should be pickled. If you would like my recommendations for a particular item, I will be happy to provide it.
  
  
• General Maintenance - If your house is in a rather dilapidated state, now is the time to make any repairs you may need. The less sealed the house is, the more cold will seep in. It is especially important that you try and repair your roof if it is in poor shape, since it will help the most in keeping your home warm.
  

I personally have begun with these tasks, so if you would like instruction or simply company for them, either would be my pleasure.

And finally, as a general offer, if you are ever in need of assistance, do not hesitate to reach out. The nature of my profession has left me with a great many skills, and so I would imagine that I would be able to help with a great many tasks.

Thank you,
Sebastian Michaelis

Comments

#D32F2F

[girod]

That's a very helpful guide. Thank you for posting that up.

[cutlery]

I am glad to hear it. Considering the rather basic state of things in Chroma, it seems quite necessary to at least offer a reminder that a difficult season is just on the horizon. I hope it will not be harsh, of course, but if it were, I imagine the situation here could become quite dire...

#9E8D50

[promissum]

[In this shade]

If you need company with firewood or general maintenance of buildings, I can help for those.

What do you recommend for fish?

[cutlery]

It is appreciated. I have been slowly going through the process of collecting firewood first, though it is slow work. I usually undertake this in the morning should you ever wish to assist.

For fish, I would recommend smoking or pickling it. Smoking is a bit easier, as the tools and ingredients necessary are easier to find, but it does not keep as long. But provided you can find at least the jars and vinegar, then pickling works just as well. That said, smoked fish tends to be more palatable. Would you like a recipe for either?

#FF8080

[queenofminiskirts]

how much is nine cords of firewood?

and how does cleaning a chimney work? i never thought it would be something complicated...

[cutlery]

Quite a lot, I am afraid. One cord is a volume of four feet wide, four feet high, and eight feet long. A cord of firewood is approximate, since naturally you would never fill the space perfectly, but needless to say, it is no small amount. It depends on the trees, but a cord is usually a tree or two, so at least nine trees worth, but likely more.

As for the chimney, it is a rather manual process unless someone has the skill necessary to engineer the usual brushes... I am admittedly not very familiar with them since this is a service that we hire people for in the manor, but I may be able to experiment and come up with at least an approximation. Regardless, the general idea is to scrub the walls quite thoroughly to rid it of the soot buildup.

#2471A3

[unfatalist]

The garden has been quite fortunate to have Dave Strider assisting in ensuring an accelerated output of crops, though I'm now wondering if it might not be a crucial time for expansion. Assuming it wouldn't overtax him to do it, we might be wise to squeeze in a few extra harvests from a few extra fields while the fruits of the first are being preserved.

Meanwhile, we seem to have an abundance of pumpkins lately. Do you have any thoughts on how one would best go about preserving those? Jams or spreads, perhaps? Can they be dried?

[cutlery]

My, is that how it is done? I had noticed that the growth was far more than could be expected in a few months, but I was at least correct in assuming it was someone's ability, it seemed. If I may, just how does he do so?

I am admittedly not terribly familiar with pumpkins, so you will have to forgive me for applying a bit of knowledge of different sorts of squash instead. But quite luckily, squash can be kept through the winter whole, provided they are cured. So long as the stem is quite long (as I believe this prevents it from spoiling sooner?), let it sit in a quite hot place for ten days to cure it--the skin should be quite hard at that point. Then so long as it is kept in a cool, but not cold place, it should keep for about three months.

#CC3300

[allweather]

(hello)

Thank you, this is very thorough.

[This is the best post he's ever seen in his life... even though it basically confirms that he's going to die pathetically this winter. Chop down a tree? He can't fathom it.]

Is there anything someone less physically inclined could do to help?

[cutlery]

Of course. Though firewood is of the greatest priority, in my opinion, I do realize it is not simply a task one can pick up in a fortnight! But at the very least, I doubt I am the only one capable. I will donate any excess to the community.

[ Which tbh would be 100% of it because he doesn't need it, but alas, he has a squishy human roomie. Bummer. ]

Do you have any skill with handicrafts, by any chance? Blankets and the like will be quite important, and I can easily create a wheel with which to spin thread.

#99FFFF

[usedlick]

[color]

Thank you for these instructions.

[They're so concise and laid out, wow! Connor is impressed.]

If you're willing to teach, I'd like to learn how to clean chimneys and perform general house repairs.

[He definitely never considered he would need those things... but might as well pitch in, while he's here.]

[cutlery]

Of course. Considering my rather wide breadth of knowledge, it only helps us all to share it.

[ and his reputation, which is, uh. what he really cares about... ]

But I would be happy to. Cleaning chimneys can be a bit complicated, but luckily, I doubt we have the labyrinthine sorts that London is so fond of... Perhaps I could teach both by way of improving your own home?

#B90B3C

[ifionlyhadthecourage]

(Color!!)

Ciao, Sebastian! I'm Caramia.

While it wasn't winter at the time, we used to not have the sun around. It snowed then. I imagine it'd be worse given the season was right, but it was pretty cold regardless.

That said, this was when the first of us just arrived here, so we were at the mercy of what the town had to offer us. Most of the homes whose basements that haven't been picked clean (so, most of the unoccupied houses, I imagine) have firewood in the basements already, so we should be golden on that front. Hell, I've found preservatives too, so I can imagine we can gather those together for storage.

I think we've had someone offer to cure meats in the past, so that's definitely something we can up the production of before winter hits. I can help with hunting.

[cutlery]

A pleasure, Mr. Caramia.

But I am quite glad to hear both! Whatever firewood we do not have to chop is quite a blessing, and preservatives are especially valuable. Considering the care required to jar things properly so they do not spoil, I have no problems leading that particular effort. It is something I undertook at the manor yearly, after all.

At the very least, meat is a bit easier, though there may be some construction needed to make it a bit more efficient... Has anyone made a smokehouse, by any chance?

#FFF59D

[photoshooter]

oh man could you teach me about cleaning chimneys and fixing stuff too?? i'm probably an okay size for getting in there and i can swing a hammer about as well as anyone.

i think even besides winterproofing our own houses we should try to make some of the ones close to the well safe and cozy too, if people are gonna keep showing up in the well even when it's freezing. if they're wet they're gonna lose heat way too fast!! we'll need somewhere close by to help them get warm again slowly. Σ(,,oΔo,,*)

[cutlery]

Absolutely. I am glad to see there is such willingness to learn such menial tasks. They really are not difficult to pick up, but there is a certain finesse. Chimney sweeping is straightforward enough, but is there a particular thing you have in mind to repair?

Though regardless, that is an excellent idea. I believe I was told people appear about every two months? In which case it would indeed be the height of winter. I doubt it would be a burden to temporarily share our spaces, but having homes well-repaired for their arrival would be much preferred.

#FFDF00

[inheritance]

Thanks for this, Michaelis-san! A lot of us aren't familiar with winter preparations so this is really useful.

Do you think we should set up another place especially for storing the preserved foods? Special conditions to keep the food from spoiling, that sort of thing. It looks like you're already discussing methods to preserve the food and that seemed like the next thing we should have ready, if it's needed.

[cutlery]

You are quite welcome. Admittedly, it was somewhat my impression, hence my wanting to share at least some of my knowledge and ideas. I thought about writing quite a bit more, but my draft was rather unwieldy. I thought it best to keep it relatively short and simple to be certain it was read.

I do, yes. I am already planning to build a smokehouse, but on the opposite, an icehouse is also something I would recommend. They do take a bit more engineering, as they need to be quite insulated to be effective, but it is not too hard. The most difficult part about it will be starting it, as it will hardly work well without ice to be harvested.

#FFFF80

[goldenwords]

[color]

I can help with supplies if need be. Just bring me something of a similar size and I'll take care of it for you - I picked up something rather useful not too long after I got here.

Aside from that, if you're a butler, I don't suppose you could make a proper cup of tea sometime, Mr. Michaelis? Before I wound up here I had to move away from London to live in America and let me tell you, the Americans are terrible at tea. It's quite appalling.

[cutlery]

Is that so? I admit, you have certainly piqued my curiosity! What is it that you have found?

As for tea, it would be my pleasure, though there is the issue that there is little I have seen to make much of a brew. While I am sure I could go through the process better than an American equivalent, alas, the flavor may not be ideal.

#40E0D0

[uselessgoddess]

Eeeeeeeh. That sounds like a lot of work.
Can you just do all that for me? I'll make it up to you later.

[cutlery]

It is indeed quite a bit of work, but it is of crucial importance. They are things to be taken care of lest the winter potentially take you...

That said, I may be able to offer some assistance, but it seems I will be quite busy with a few other projects. I can hardly promise my full attention.

#1A2367

[nascere]

uh hey
do you know how to preserve fish

[cutlery]

That I do. Admittedly, there are not too many ways with the resources we have at hand, but it is quite possible.

#DA4718

[heirofembers]

winter?
its going to get cold?

[cutlery]

Very likely so, yes. Apparently when people first arrived, it was quite chilly, and with the changing of the leaves, it is reasonable to assume that winter is well on its way.