It's about 3 AM central and the temp outside from my little cold weather command center LED readout says negative 2 degrees. I decided to get a few hours of sleep when the wood furnace was kicking out some great heat with a nice bed of coals and pushed it a bit too far. After four hours the coals had died down enough that kick starting the entire affair requires a bit of open burning. I should have set my sleep slice at 3 hours instead of four. The inside temp fell from 71 degrees to 65 and I am just now seeing it climb back up a bit.
Oh well gives me a chance to catch up on some reading and enjoy a nice quiet house. All the critters are asleep except one cat who keeps trying to steal my chair every time I get up. The most annoying dog in the universe is also asleep which is a real Godsend. She is a smallish border collie mix that was a rescue dog from years ago and has some serious mental issues. She is afraid of everything, can hear thunderstorms from four states away and starts loosing her hair if you show her any open kindness at all that lasts longer than 15 seconds. Seriously if you start petting her more than once she will run and hide yawning uncontrollably. She is also quite ancient now I think she hit 15 this year. The best way to handle her is to talk to her and an occasional pet but otherwise make her comfortable and remember to let her out every 30 minutes or so because her control of bodily functions is not as precise as it used to be.
Her mental problems combined with the natural need for activeness in her breed blend to create a real problem child though which more than likely is how we ended up with her. She needs to run, be walked and messed with but can't handle the attention at the same time. If she get's loose it's a foot race because she will end up in the next county with no idea how she got there and will not look around her as she runs either. You have to keep her under constant watchful protection but at the same time not appear to be showing her much open love but be gentle enough not to scare her either.
Takes a lot of practice.
Once I know the furnace is burning merrily again and can handle being closed off from the extra air flow I will go back to bed until it's time to feed the sheep. Talk about happy though. We may not like these sub zero temps but they love em. When I let em out of the barn in the morning they run and jump and flop through the air like a hooked trout. Yesterday one managed to get out of the electric fence and followed me around the place while I was forking hay over to the ewes in the ram's paddocks. It just followed me like a dog so I didn't run it back into the pasture but let him come with me. That's a sure sign that it is time to get em to market once they figure out their wool will protect em from the two strand electric fence. I can either run another strand or two or move em out.
Time for em to go.
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!
5 here so far and 66 inside with the main furnace on constant blower. Our border collie mix is scared of any wind blowing so I tell her it is the mythical dog killer creature shaking the trees as it looks for dogs. That doesn't help for some reason even though she can't understand what I am saying.
ReplyDeleteI should have put more wood in an hour earlier as well but it will soon warm up.
I am having a hell of time getting my furnace going well this morning now. Not sure what the problem is but it is not burning like it should right now. Prolly need to find that perfect piece of wood to get the flames kicking in and missed my window lol.
DeleteI have been putting a few pieces of poplar on each wheelbarrow and use them when I really want to get things fired up before going back to the heavier grades. The smaller wood stoves up in the house are getting mostly stuff cut this fall as they get too hot with the lighter grades and seasoned wood from last year. People think that I burn a lot more wood in cold weather but I'm sure you have noticed that at some point you can't physically burn but so much in a given time frame, so that is maximum load.
DeleteSf - You are 100% correct. I don't use Poplar but I use Elm, Old Locust or even Boxelder to get the flames kicking and set that Oak going. If not the Oak and even fresh Locust will want to turn into charcoal unless you open the door and let air in.
DeleteIt's just before sunrise on "only" 11° here this morning. I got up to put more wood on the woodstove around 1. Actually, getting 71° in your house is pretty good. We're not usually able to do that although this year is better with the insulation we've added plus energy star windows and doors. This is the "South" after all, so why insulate the house? Can't find a decent winter coat in any of the stores, either. What they sell for winter wear is spring and autumn to me.
ReplyDeleteLeigh - Ya you hear everyone clamoring about insulation and such but they just don't realize that some of these old houses further South were not even built for it as much as the ones up North and putting the new stuff is is sometimes next to impossible. I finally got the the ground around the foundation built up enough that my line of old square bales blocks most of the wind from hitting directly now and that has made a big difference.
DeleteI am far enough North though that we need Winter, fall/Spring and Summer wear here. I love my Carharts.
The cold sucks the energy out of me. WC here was -20 all day. Such is life in MN. My wife wanted to bump up the temp on the furnace. It doesn't matter what the temp is it will still kick on and off all night. I keep it set at 66. This place is cool anyway. just add layers.
ReplyDeleteRob - Well unless the temp get's into the low teens and high winds usually I throw some wood on and walk around in shorts all night. It's nothing to hit 80 or 85 inside here when it's 20 outside. Only the wind seems to put a damper on things.
DeleteIf I have a good bed of coals going, I can cram the stove with wood & get a full 4 1/2, maybe 5 hours sleep. Any longer than that and I'm in the same boat as you; keeping the door open for air, and keeing myself awake until it's roaring again.
ReplyDeleteStay warm! We're at 2 degrees now at 7am.
Carolyn - Back up to 15 here now by almost noon. Wind shifted and is coming out of the South and has caused me to have to re-adjust things a bit. If it is above the teens I usually put a load in and can sleep eight hours or more if I chose to although 6 is about all I really do and still have coals but when it's single digits outside I have to get up after four hours or so.
DeleteAfter too many decades of having to get up at least once or twice during the night to feed the wood stove I finally broke down and got a good one, a Woodstock soapstone stove. 12 hour burn time. It did a wonderful job of heating the big old 2 story farmhouse in Minnesota, but would be total overkill down here.
ReplyDeleteNS - Well having to get up after three of four hours is a rare occurrence with the wood furnace. Only something I need to do when we get these huge dips down into the single digits or below. Usually I can get six hours easily with coals and even eight if I don't mind the blower kicking in and out for a bit instead of running steady. That wind though is the pits.
DeleteWe've warmed back up to the 20s, with 30s later today (and freezing rain all morning). If Anchorage isn't going to be cold, we need to move further north. It's still subzero in the Interior.
ReplyDeleteYour description of the sheep enjoying the cold made me laugh.
RP - Oh ya the sheep LOVE the cold. Well all but the Bluefaced Ram. He has a part down his back and doesn't like it as much especially when it rains.
DeleteI wish you guys would keep your temps lol we don't want em down here. 20's and 30's are fine for me.
PP,
ReplyDeleteHow funny is that, were all colder than Rev. Paul up in Alaska.....lol.......
Stay warm!
Sandy - At least it is only happening a day or two so far this year. Last Winter it was like every day.
DeleteI think we crested at 33 F today, but was well into the 20's most of the day. Tomorrow and Saturday are supposed to be a touch warmer, but with the chance of sleet and freezing rain. Yay winter. I always admire for your dedication in the winter. That's quite a schedule to have to keep.
ReplyDelete