Funny guys. Let me try and explain the rational. In that area at the time of this story, that was when I spent most of my time there, there was a lot of snow. I'm talking 10 to 12 inches. There was one main road, that road was where the Red and White store was located. The other main road was the one out of Clarion, it was the the load from the south. These two roads were plowed, when there was time, they were not the primary roads. The town essentially shut down in the middle of winter. Couple that with Alan's experiences in New York City. A city boy going to the country, he didn't know what to expect, he listened to the farmers, he wanted too make sure he was covered. In my way of thinking not bad. Full stock pantry, a fire place for heat, a comfortable chair and a good book. That would be all I needed too last the winter. Not worried about going out. I guess to me it makes sense.
When I spent time at my cabin, I was glad I had canned food, some I took from home in glass jars. I even had meat that I canned. A fireplace, I did venture into the woods behind my cabin to gather wood. I was comfortable. I saw deer tracks and one time a bear at my garbage can.