Some genuinely winter weather going on here. It isnt so much that there is much snow, its that the wind and cold accompanying it makes it interesting. Ever go to a beach and watch the sand blow across everything and create dunes? It is exactly like that here but with powdery snow. Since it’s so cold, there’s no moisture int he air…the moisture becomes ice, right? So the snow behaves as dry grains of sand.
Its blowing and drifting pretty heavily…I took the snowblower out about four hours ago and it looks like I never even tried. Being ‘that guy’ ‘I just had to break out the snowshoes and go for a walk around the neighborhood. Then, removed the snowshoes and tried the same walk. Short version: Spend the money and get those snowshoes.
This is an outstanding night to test winter gear. I’m tempted to break out the military sleep system and go crawl into it and see how it fares. Of course, I suppose its possible I fall asleep and the snow drifts over me and the GoreTex and I suffocate in my sleep. Hmm.
Excellent night to stay indoors though. Tomorrow morning will be all about snowblowing and travel travails. I’m not planning to go anywhere by vehicle tomorrow, and I may not go anywhere by foot either if this keeps up. I cant imagine snowshoeing to school.
But, I have food, heat, lights, hot water, and a king-sized down comforter on the bed, so i feel pretty cocky and full of myself at the moment. Watching a moderate snowpocalypse outside my door from the comfort of my warm and well-stocked abode does tend to promote the smugness.
You people in the southern states who panic when 3/4″ of snow falls and turns your highways into parking lots? Yeah, you’d crap your pants if you saw what we’re driving in.
For those of you in the region, skip the traveling about… a trip to CostCo for Brita filters and inkjet cartridges is not worth messing up your vehicle, your insurance rates, and your tibia. Why buy trouble? Stay home, enjoy your preps, and tell the spouse “I told you so”.
Loads of soft snow is just neat.
Back in my basic training we was at a place called Ånn close to the Norwegian border, it is a good place to be if you like snow.
As we stepped out of the BV206 the order was to remain on its tracks in the snow unless wearing skis.
The Punkrocker (and also general Punk with authority issues and a huge chip on his shoulders, actually a really nice guy, but…) in my squad needed to take a leak and i expect that he thought something like “Hey, that tree over there looks like a good place” He took one step of the track and sank down to his armpits in the snow.it took two guys on skis and me on the track to pull him back up.
Yup, warm home, with a cup of coffee and good book or two. My plan for the week, as we are forecast for snow, snow, snow.
Do you own a wood-burning stove or other “real” fireplace? If so, how does stocking and stacking wood factor into your winter preps?
Nope. I live in town on gas heat, but I keep a couple kero heaters and about ahundred gallons of kerosene on hand. When I get my next house it’ll have wood, propane, and oil heat.
Get the wood in early as you can. This season mine was stacked, tarped and ready two weeks before Halloween. And that was six weeks sooner than the year before. The sooner the better. Always buy more than you need because you never know what you might need. I had 6 face cord left over from the year before so this year I bought ten. Hopefully this year I will have 8 remaining and will still haul ten for next season.
My stove is a New Englander. Made in Virginia. Holds forty pounds in the firebox. Has a two speed forced air blower. Had it now do twenty years. Still gets the job done. The only thing I have replaced is the old blower. They are great stoves.
What type of wood do you burn? Do you store it any particular way to prevent the unused wood from deteriorating? I have some large stacks of hardwood I’ve stored between trees from 2-4 Falls ago that are starting to show signs of rot.
My wood is always tarped or covered with heavy plastic. It is under cover of a porch awning.
My favorite wood to burn is cherry as in choke cherry. Smells great and burns well. At present I have a mix of white ash and red oak. Red oak is the wood with the second highest BTU output. It burns well and lasts a long time. The white ash which we have lots of standing dead here in Michigan from the Emerald Ash borer infestation. Some have been standing dead for 8 years. Any wood will get punky once cut after about four years. I try not to keep any more than three. I make sure to cycle it through before it begin’s to have problems. Alot of the length of time you can store wood depends on what kind of wood you have. The hardwoods last the longest. And give the most heat. If you store wood in the open with no cover it will begin going bad sooner. But having said that I never burn wood unless it has been seasoned two years. I have been burning wood for forty years and learned from my grandfather who grew up burning wood and did so until he could no longer carry it in. He was born in 1908.
One reason you never lose buying extra wood is you can always burn it next year. And prices do go up. At present I am paying $50 per face cord and haul it myself. A face lasts me three weeks.
Overall my total heating costs and that includes my gas and electric is under $70 per month and that included our winter vortex adventure.
Around here, spring and summer are firewood stocking up times.
No need to deal with all of that in the middle of winter.
A USGI sleep system (the 2 bags and bivy) in conjunction with long johns and a fleece cap is comfortable down to the high single digits at least.
I parked the 2WD minivan and got out the 3/4 4×4 diesel. 4-low, 25 MPH, and snow drifts are a non-problem.
Most southern states, counties, cities, etc are unprepared and are unable to deal with any snow and ice…most poor kids dont’t own winter jackets…just sweatshirts…I use to live up north and remember not seeing the actual road for months…just a plowed, ice encrusted path….here if it snows everything shuts down until it melts…the electric grid must be held together by tape because we can lose power if there is an inkling of inclement weather…dixie
Where i’m at in Wisconsin this February has already set the record for snowiest month ever and we’ve got more snow in the forecast.
Woke up on Sunday and high winds had pushed a snow drift up against my storm door. I had to take the screen off the lower half of the door, lean though and dig myself out so I could open the door.
Had to work this weekend, also in Wisconsin. White-out lead to a 131-car crack on hwy 41. Regional hospitals were pushed to the limit with 70+ patients all at once. Fun day at work, but challenging and long. The system isn’t fully prepared for these types of disasters, but folks pulled together and did their best. Extreme cold weather made it harder on first responders.
I use hardwood, whatever is standing dead or live and in the way on my property. Most of it is ash due to the emerald ash borer. There are now a lot of recently fallen trees from the wind last weekend – more to cut, collect, and split for future winters.
This year my heating expenses were to top of the propane tank for backup heat, less than a gallon of gas for the chain saw, and some needed repairs to the log splitter since I finally found somebody to do it. If I buy the wood I need for a winter, it costs me less than $600.
My wood stove paid for itself in 2 years, and keeps saving me money.
Up here in the Great White North we are having a break in the weather. It is -11C up(down?) from -38 C. I needed to go out to my truck and went in a tee-shirt, no jacket got my package from the back seat and returned to the shop, not even cold! We Canucks really need to buy a better climate. Cheers!
It’s all about what you’re used to, I guess. We pretty much have two 1950’s era dump trucks with blades on the front to clear all the roads in the county (Appalachian mountains). They were already being used for that when I moved up here in 1986!
So 4 inches of snow pretty well screws up driving on our steep, twisting mountain roads. Some places, you slide off the road, it’s several hundred feet straight down!
So for the most part, unless it’s some dire emergency, when we have snow I fort up like you are. Seems the better part of valor.
Dixie is right. We just don’t have the money to buy the snow clearing equipment because we don’t get exposed to it as much as some parts of the country.
In the 70’s here but after torrential rains the rivers (we have 2 in town) are as high as I’ve ever seen them, the Corps dam is spilling like Niagara Falls, most of the state is under flood watch/warning. Spring’s definitely early. Trees are leafing out, bugs are swarming, and my garden herb perennials are sprouting. We usually have one more sharp cold snap though.
Best Regards