Sunday, December 18, 2016

Sunday Reading - The Alberta Clipper Returns

I had a couple of readers that suggested or asked if I could keep doing Sunday Reading posts and I hafta admit the request seemed reasonable. I may not be doing much except daily chores these days but perhaps a weekly recap is still possible so I will give it a try.

Of course since my last post I haven't made much progress at all on anything. The holiday season means everyone and their mother wants vacation or days off and I been filling in left and right at work. Then my supervisor decides he has had it and resigns which now opens up the question what my job will look like come the new year. Truth is I may not even have one depending on how the new manager views things. The old one tended to over staff and it's entirely possible the new one could decide having an extra fill in/floater like me is overkill.

Who knows?

This weekend of course it was time to dust off the old Alberta Clipper gear. It's been almost two years since this stuff has been needed. Last Winter was mild enough I never put on my Carhart overalls that I can remember, never needed the remote thermometers operating and barely required water tank heaters. I also did not hear Mrs. PP whining about being cold much but this weekend our old friend came a calling like 90% of American's know and brought with it ice and snow as well.

It got cold enough last night and this morning that even the sheep were not too happy about it. When the sheep get a little on the uncomfortably cool side you know it is cold. Each group, of which I have three now, one for each ram being bred and the invalid/slaughter lamb/bachelor-ette group pretty much huddled in their enclosures out of the wind and would only come out for grain.

I did manage to keep the wood furnace blower going even with the cutting North wind but it was all I could do to keep the house temps in the 60's range. Usually when these clippers arrive the wind causes the internal furnace thermometer to stop kicking the blower on but this time that hasn't been the problem it's solidly a lack of sub-zero rated insulation in this old house now. On the plus side the room closest to the furnace is staying relatively warm however so I can banish the wife into that room when her complaining gets to be too much.

As I said other than dealing with extra hours at work and preparing for this latest frigid blast nothign else has been accomplished around here. All the tractors got put away but I never did get the final barn scrapping and manure spreading done nor have a touched the old rotting fence line that remains inside the control paddock.

The control paddock, even still totally uncleared as it is, continues to be to date the most useful bit of new fencing I have done. My mother uses it to feed the useless old nags their geriatric feed mixture of beet pulp and grain because you have to separate the grumpy nags from each other when feeding them. She used to have to catch two of them and lead em into the barn to keep them apart but now she only has to open two gates and they have already learned which one goes where.

With luck I can finish up the last two major fence runs by Spring and be ready to get back to gardening and bee keeping this coming Summer. The last two runs are pretty straight forward affairs that require no gate hanging or any real brush clearing so all it really requires in warm enough temps and unfrozen ground.

Got to get through the coldest part of Winter though yet.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!



18 comments:

  1. It was actually about 60 yesterday as we are in between cold waves, the older I get the more I enjoy the warm days. One of the weather babes (Lindsey Anderson) from the Roanoke station moved to a station out your way (ch41 KC) so I still get her weather report which is pretty much your area. Anyway I have been watching your cold weather and figured you were burning some wood for sure.
    Reading the Fourth Turning now and have Atlas Shrugged downloaded, something to do on the cold days.

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  2. Its been more like spring here, still waiting for the cold to come, we could do with it, damp mild days breed bugs

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  3. Blue Norther for us last night Preppy: Temp fell from 71 to 36 in an hour. Mid-20's to low forties through next Sunday.

    When I heard about the cold front coming, I wondered about your travails with the wood furnace blower. I recall some of the issues it has given you.

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  4. bitter cold here over night -33 below and to top it off the power went out. yep i think it will be a long winter here in the north woods.

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    1. Brrr. Keep warm fellas. Got to 7 degrees here in southern Idaho. Not too bad.

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  5. Thanks for the update
    Stay warm
    We are shivering out here in socal--down to 37 last night

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  6. Fingers crossed for your furnace blower and the job situation!

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  7. The grove owner across the road dropped a wind machine into place around two months ago... around three hundred feet from our house... The thing has kicked in for the past two nights. Sounds like a helo hovering right outside the bedroom window. They only run those things when they have to, 'cause they chew away at the bottom line. We're seeing 30* lows here, so far. 'Sounds warm, compared to your locale...

    Merry Christmas and God bless...

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  8. Thanks for the Sunday Update, PP. I will continue to look forward to these tidbits from your life / homestead journey. I do hope that everything settles at your job, Lord knows we have all experienced uncertainty like that at least once in our life. We got down to -17 here in northern Indiana last night, and my chickens did not like that one bit!

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  9. I always enjoy your work stories. Although the current setup is not as entertaining (to the jaded observer) as your old work place.

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  10. Being in Alberta, I can say ourcold snaps usually start a few days before you get it.

    Expect a second wave for christmas.

    Exile1981

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  11. I'm glad you're still posting. Sorry about the job uncertainty. That sucks.

    We're still under frosty temps and snow. Old houses have their challenges. We have one room that gets frost on the walls and requires wiping down. Parts of the house they insulated but that side of the house obviously didn't get it. I think it is still the old lathe & plaster. Someday it will get remedied.

    Stay warm!

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  12. yo wiener - git up off yer butt and give us an update or something. and check yer email.

    sending love because i can't help myself...your friend,
    kymber

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  13. Have you gone down the rabbit hole?

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  14. Although the current setup is not as entertaining (to the jaded observer) as your old work place.

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  15. I think it is still the old lathe & plaster. Someday it will get remedied.




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  16. Its been more like spring here, still waiting for the cold to come, we could do with it, damp mild days breed bugs

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