Hows the weather?

[Redoverfarm]

Well I think we bottomed out.  -8F at daybreak.  But some of the surrounding areas are recording -13 to -20F so it's really hard to tell who's reading is right.  I know mine is set against the flue so it may be affected somewhat from the actual temperature.  Power outages at nearby communities so I would imagine if the power is not restored that internet will be affected as out signal comes from that direction and is probably working off of batteries.  Time to throw another log on the fire.   

[Windpower]

Minus 20 this morning but not so much wind

at least the days are getting longer now   

[rick91351]

Minus 20 this morning but not so much wind

at least the days are getting longer now   

As my dear old dad was fond of saying this time of the year,  "As the days begin to lengthen, the winter shall begin to strengthen."  Sure true for most of the nation.  Except for his old stomping ground.  Still no snow and 26  --  that is above zero (F).   

[Rob_O]

Got down to -3 Monday night, now it's 54. Hoping that one of these days I will see the sun again!

[flyingvan]

How is it the IPCC can make dire predictions about global warming, with enough confidence that people will actually try to legislate the weather, but they can't use any of their modelling or supercomputers to predict a single cold snap? 

[Redoverfarm]

Need I say more.

[MountainDon]

We in NM are so jealous.  Never thought I'd ever be saying I want snow. 

[Redoverfarm]

We in NM are so jealous.  Never thought I'd ever be saying I want snow. 

Did you make it up to the cabin this past weekend?

[rick91351]

We in NM are so jealous.  Never thought I'd ever be saying I want snow.   

Strike NM insert Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Ca list is larger but

[kenhill]

Going to be in the 40's at least through Saturday in Anchorage, AK

[MountainDon]

Did you make it up to the cabin this past weekend?

Yes we did. Drove in all the way. It appeared to be late spring going by the snow, or rather lack thereof.

[Don_P]

We're doing about the same thing John with a twist, whiteout earlier then the sun came out and melted most of it, then another heavy dump up until a few minutes ago, which Michelle had to cross the knob in, said she had fun, the sun is back out now so hoping it'll melt again... we've got a community date at the courthouse again tonight with torches and pitchforks, I'd hate to miss the festivities 

[Redoverfarm]

Well it's not quite over but unofficially we got somewhere between 8-10" where you look.  It was a little wetter than I thought so I had to end up breaking out the "big guns" and use the tractor.  Still snowing but according to the predictions it is suppose to taper off later this evening.  Yes Don I watched the weather forecast for Wytheville and it looked like you were right on the edge of this one.  Actually I would rather have the snow than the cold artic which they say will dip to -6 for the next couple days. 

Rick & Mt.Don I wish I could import some your way but I am afraid you will have to fend for yourself.

[Don_P]

Yup, happily we missed the worst, maybe 2-3" stuck, we'll have to wait to go sledding. It was a little too icy to venture back out over the hills after dark but should clean up when the sun shines again. It's windy and dropping out there now. If it calms by morning we'll burn some piles.


We've been cleaning up and sawdusting the slope between the coop and the barn, hoping to put more blueberries in there. We had a meeting last night with a student that is moving into the county while working on her phd in non timber forest products. Up in the woods we might start planting medicinals, ramps and other wild crops. I walked into Lowes last year on my return trip after delivering a few hundred pounds of ramps... I can still make the ladies turn their heads 

[rick91351]

WOW that is beautiful Don

[Windpower]

we are having a 'good old fashioned' winter here in WI

there is book  and on PBS about growing up on a WI farm in the 40's  (Jerry Apps "A Farm Story")--- 'winter started in mid November and the snow didn't start melting until April'

'it was the season that defined the rest of the year'

sounds about right --- lots of below zero, too

- 10 yesterday but it did warm up to zero and I got the JD 855 diesel started and plowed the driveway including the nice frozen berm left by the snow plow at the entrance -- not complaining we would not make it up the hill without the plow truck and the sand

[flyingvan]

  As you can see, the weather in San Diego continues to make work difficult.  This guy was hiking at Torrey Pines Reserve and broke his leg---he was visiting from New York and may have been unaccustomed to such weather.  Look at the clouds everywhere.

[rick91351]

Prairie continues its sort of boring weather forecast.  Low forties during the day with drop dead gorgeous blue skies - nights high teens and beautiful unobstructed night skies.  Mean while the Boise Valley is in its winter inversion.  Fog - then dense fog - then a little hope clearing then back to dense fog and little hope of ever seeing the sun until the high that has the western US in this drought  breaks down.....   

[Redoverfarm]

I am glad the forecaster were wrong a little.  Didn't quite make it to -6 but it was 1F at 6AM.  It has warmed up to 14F here at noon.  Good time for a walk to the mailbox.  Along the way I took a few photographs.

Geese don't mind cold weather.



Good place for mice to get out of the cold.



If this keeps up my daughter can go ice skating on the creek



Warming up in the sunshine.  I call them snow birds.



Enough sun got to get me some of that bird seed.  I think it is safe as those lazy cats are snuggled in the barn.



When I returned I threw a couple more sticks of wood on the fire.  Got a whiff of Cherry smoke  when I opened the stove door.  Smelled like an old timer that I used to know that smoked cherry tobacco in his pipe as he made gunstocks in his shop.  Think I will have me a cup     and savor the moment.

[Don_P]

We were +4 this morning and pretty windy so I didn't lite any piles. Wandered down to the barn which is really more my indoor shop and threw wood into the stove. Probably could have left the door open and just thrown wood at it. I'm usually down to a shirt in an hour or so but not today. It was 16 just a minute ago when I came up to let the cordless batteries charge and warm my toes. Hopefully the wood will be warm enough not to just freeze glue on contact in a little bit. This time of year it's easy to bring the glue up and down the hill but the wood itself is frozen so gluejoints become more difficult. I left everything I'll glue this afternoon up higher on benches during lunch to help it warm up. The ladies have managed to squirt out 5 cackleberries so far today... I'm rather impressed they ventured outside.

[Redoverfarm]

Minus 9F this morning at daybreak.  Approximately 5,000 customers w/o power in the county.  I know that doesn't sound like a lot of population by others standards but with a population of 8,900 that is over half the county.  I am on another grid and still have power.  This is turning out to be a memorable winter as it pertains to the temperature.  Being a rural county I would say that the majority of the people have a wood alternative or wood primary heat cource. If there is an upside unlike summer outages not much food spoilages will occur.   

[rick91351]

Minus 9F this morning at daybreak.  Approximately 5,000 customers w/o power in the county.  I know that doesn't sound like a lot of population by others standards but with a population of 8,900 that is over half the county.  I am on another grid and still have power.  This is turning out to be a memorable winter as it pertains to the temperature.  Being a rural county I would say that the majority of the people have a wood alternative or wood primary heat cource. If there is an upside unlike summer outages not much food spoilages will occur.   

That is what I like about you John - always looking on the up of things.....

[Don_P]

Makes me glad to be down south, we were a balmy -4 at daybreak 
We just hit plus 4 and the phone line came back on. I called Frog and Dawg the techs to cancel the repair ticket. We're at the end of the longest line in the county and in the last 2 cold snaps the line must be trying to pull itself apart. It's kind of fun to pick up the phone and hear them chatting from the ends of the line "I dunno Frog, it seems to be good here" "Well Dawg, I guess we ought to go shinny up the next set of poles, talk to you in a few"

[Redoverfarm]

Makes me glad to be down south, we were a balmy -4 at daybreak 
We just hit plus 4 and the phone line came back on. I called Frog and Dawg the techs to cancel the repair ticket. We're at the end of the longest line in the county and in the last 2 cold snaps the line must be trying to pull itself apart. It's kind of fun to pick up the phone and hear them chatting from the ends of the line "I dunno Frog, it seems to be good here" "Well Dawg, I guess we ought to go shinny up the next set of poles, talk to you in a few"

Thats funny.  Sort of like my post here concerning the mail. Seemed only fitting given the cold weather.  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=2529.msg176334#msg176334

[kenhill]

I wish we could take back some of that cold.  47 above in Anchorage, Alaska.  Discouraging to see our snow melt.  Reports of 2 feet of water on top of ice on some lakes.   Poor snowmachining conditions....