Hunker Down

Northern Wyoming here. High today is minus 4 F. Today's agenda is apple pies from scratch, piecing on a flannel quilt top, reading, and a movie. Keep the coal fire stoked. Supper is chili (day number 2, will be even better than yesterday)

Dang it -35! Tonight. I don't want to do it any more! Sob wine wine cry!

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I'm so done here.

Be careful with the wine. There have been several fatalities this winter of tipsy people freezing to death right outside of their home.

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"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" Hobbs
"I'm not sure that man needs the help." Calvin

More so than tipsy, alcohol is a chemical depressant. It'll seem to "warm" you temporarily, but it actually constricts blood vessels and drops your body temp, particularly in your extremities.
Whining, OTOH, is probably like shivering; the exercise actually *will* warm you .

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

-30 again, plus some ungodly amount of windchill. This has become the dog's standard pose as of late...
We are used to cold (she is an Eskimo, after all) but the sustained cold this winter has even worn on us hardy Canadians.

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Nimrod; you might want to add to your list of supplies extra wool socks and wool blankets or a warm sleeping bag. If the cold spell lasts a long time and fuel gets low you will need them.
Here in Southern Nova Scotia we have had more winter this year than in the previous five years!~ For us that means -4 to -12 c [ 24 F down to 8F] and several blizzard snow storms. Luckily it warmed and melted between storms. That is until a week ago when it snowed but didn't thaw so there is a few inches on the ground. North of us in the province they have had colder temperatures and much more snow. Where I am in the south the ocean makes the climate a little more milder. When I was growing up in Ohio and Michigan we had tons of snow and fridged temperatures.

This morning, like the last few mornings, the temp is -22F with windchill of -34F. I went to work as usual all week and this morning I'm going grocery shopping after breakfast. Maybe some snowshoeing this afternoon (hey, at least the sun is shining today!).

Actually was warm this AM w/ temps around 36. But in the last three hours it has dropped to 22 and snow is falling. Supposed to get anywhere from 3" to 12" based on various forecasts......but no worries. Chores are done. Getting some deer thawed for a dutch oven stew.

I am prepared to survive the cold weather. I have several pairs of wool socks, 3 sleeping bags, lots of blankets, and a 70 pound wisenheimer (weimaraner) that likes to snuggle. I have 2 down parkas, a Carhart type coat, several wool shirts, a balaclava, several wool stocking caps, 2 pair of Sorell type boots, and 2 pair of US Navy flight deck pants that are canvas outside and wool lined bibs.

I have a cord of oak left that has aged for 2 years, a cord and a half of pine that has aged longer than 3 years, 4 cords of oak I cut and split last spring, a cord of oak I cut last fall but the splitter broke and a cord of oak in 8 foot logs that I will cut and split this spring. The propane tank has about 50 gallons left in it but that is only for the cook stove and the backup propane furnace to the wood stove.

I could eat from the pantry for 6 months but I would quickly run out of fresh fruits and veges and milk. On the up-side, I left the door to the freezer open all night. The temp was -30. I don't think anything spoiled.

I do wish we had warmer weather but I see that WI, MI, and Canada have it as bad or worse. Last night -30 and -55 windchill. Tonight -20 and less wind, a heatwave! So far most of the snow has gone south of me so I have not had a lot. I sympathize with the folks that are getting the snow this year.

MichaelZ Wood ran out a day ago so we started burning punky dead (wet) wood that I found - not too good! And the oil furnace did not start this morning but after two times on the reset it fired up . "Maybe start burning the furniture?" jokingly entered the conversation today - that is hunkering down!

With all the snow on the ground it's hard to find downed wood. The next best is standing dead trees. They have dried out some although the bottom 3 feet can still be pretty wet.

Dan B. Actually was warm this AM w/ temps around 36. But in the last three hours it has dropped to 22 and snow is falling. Supposed to get anywhere from 3" to 12" based on various forecasts......but no worries. Chores are done. Getting some deer thawed for a dutch oven stew.

Venison stew, yum.

The keyboard has a broken wire. Won't be back till I go to town and get a new one.

Just wondering, why do you have to "hunker down"? Is this really unusual weather for your area?

We have -40s in the forecast for the next two-three days, but it's business as usual around here... just people complaining lots. It's colder than "average" but nothing record-breaking.

I know we have been spoiled with mild winters for the last decade here and made us a little soft I think

Yes, actually, same here -- honestly I forgot just how bad winters could be... then we bought our farm and those old-fashioned winters came back with a vengeance!! I do find myself cursing and asking "What the heck was I thinking???".

Pretty soon, spring will be here and it will be wonderful enough that we will all forget how horrible this winter was!

I just keep saying -- at least the mud and mosquitoes aren't so bad this time of year

Nimrod your preparations are quite thorough. I'm going to copy some down for next year.
Last fall I decided to try an experiment in gardening. I took some heavy fencing wire and made a circle a little larger than our septic tank. I put cardboard around the inside of the wire and then filled in with dirt and compost. Planted Japanese mustard and I think something else. Then covered with clear plastic. In my overly optimistic delusions I thought the heat from the septic system would keep everything above freezing. NOOOOO not this year, maybe never. Anyway, usually there would only be about 6" of soil over the tank, but this year there was a foot of soil with a layer of plastic over it with an air space. I think that this may prove an unexpected blessing... I hope.

We've been having -40 at night and constant winds, but its been warming up during the day to -28C and the calves are in the shelter, stretched out in the straw soaking up the sun. I guess they don't think it's too cold!

But, if you don't have to go outside because of animals or work, there's nothing wrong with hunkering down.

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A wise person speaks when they have something to say but a fool speaks just to say something

What Sanza said. There is normally some warmer temps in between cold spells. I am retired and have plenty of food stocked up so I do outside stuff during the warmer weather (think highs above 0) and hunker down during the cold spells. There have been many more cold spells this winter than in the last several.