No Accumulation
The forecast was for no accumulation. It didn't actually stop snowing all day long.
It’s cold. This morning was 16 degrees. In town. Probably colder here. Before this cold snap leaves it is supposed to dip into single digits for an overnight low.
Yep, that’s cold for us. We can usually expect a dip toward zero degrees at some point during the winter, but it doesn’t usually stay there for long. We usually have a couple dips to the teens for a couple nights in a row. When it is that low the high is generally not over freezing. Our average low temp is around 20 degrees and occurs the second and third week of January. It is cold that you can deal with. It comes in waves, it goes away, it kills the bugs, any snow adds to the ground water, etc.
We heat with fire and this morning our house was down to 52 degrees. That’s also cold you can deal with. Our first year in this house, with fewer of the drafts sealed up and during a long cold snap, the overnight inside low would be close to 40 and that was too cold. It took probably an hour to increase the house temp by ten degrees which is around where it will stays during the day most of the time.
Some things are harder in the cold, some things are harder in the snow, and some things just have to be done anyway. Milking is mostly harder -- harder to make myself go do it mostly. I always enjoy the actual doing of it. The frozen ground makes things easier than mud though. We have to cut wood, and more of it because we burn more to try to keep warm. Everyone stands around the stoves for a longer portion of the day. I make sure I take the animals a bit of hay.
My tasks for today included the usual household stuff (dishes, sweeping, food, milk), closing off one of the fields to the animals, and cutting down a couple pine trees so the goats can eat them. Cutting the pines is what I was doing around dusk when I took these photos. I had a blast in the perfectly winter winterness.
11 comments:
Those are stunning! I especially love the third in the series.
Kmoo - a long time ago when we were expecting (and got) a major huricane, my mother actually tried to talk me into moving the horses out of their perfectly servicable barn and into my living room. She lost that battle but we did end up moving them into the basement through the worst of it.
I was actually thinking of you and your new camera when I took these -- with my extremely OLD, extremely limited point and shoot digital. I still like them sometimes, and sometimes I can't get what I want. Still better than film. A thousand times.
kmoo, the animals have fur in addition to the nice snow blankets and didn't join us by the fires. Ok, last year the one goat did but that was an exception to prove the rule. And besides, you are supposed to be coming up here! You go further south you'll be in Cuba! (Ok, right now, Cuba sounds pretty good. And they know a thing or two about self-sufficiency too.)
I'm a film hold-out....though I see the advantages of digital and borrow my dd's digital camera on occasion.:)
The snow was lovely and unexpected. I thought of you milking the cow when I went out to fill the bird feeders yesterday morning. Brrrr!
Having grown up in a much harsher climate, these winters seem absolutely utopian. Florida didn't do it for me...too much heat for this Northern gal. They do have nice winters down there though.
Oh, and I meant to say I love the pic of your house from the snowy hill. It looks so snug and inviting.
That's not the house. That's the chicken coop. They have a light in the hopes of keeping them laying.
very peaceful scenes...and the cow is pretty!
Aahhahahaha! That is too funny. It looked to me, like you were a long ways from your house and it was all lit up and cozy hidden at the edge of the trees.
Well then. I'm glad the chickens are all cozy at the edge of the trees.;)
Oooooh, lovely pictures, but so chilly! You'll be glad to look at them in August.
no accumulation.
i read that title and thought for sure this would be about consumption or something other.
not disappointed or anything. i just especially love those rants.
=)
love the cow pic.
this is making me cold though.
Post a Comment