How much more can I comment on the weather? We have missed seven days of school since January started, and not to mention the numerous late starts. I can't remember a full week of school or even what it feels like to work a full five day week! And Mother Nature keeps socking it too us! More cold and snow! But there does appear to be a warm up in the future - maybe even above freezing temperatures?!
Observations on the winter of 2013-2014:
1). I think we have had more days of sun this winter. Yeah for the new solar panels! Last year one cloudy day would force me to run the generator that night, but not this year. I have only started the generator once since the wind turbine wasn't back in operation, which was mid January. Before that date without a working turbine it's hard to compare data. But I'm sure you can all attest to the clear skies, because they brought us so many days of frigid temperatures this winter.
On a side note pertaining to the wind turbine...we put it up on one of those -20F days in January. Why? Well, it was sunny, the wind wasn't blowing and I had the day off from work due to the low temps. The turbine went up fairly quickly and easily, but then the cold job of tightening all the nuts and bolts on the anchors. I'm sure you can imagine the frustration of maneuvering nuts and bolts with mittened hands, and I sure wasn't going to remove those mittens! A quick thought jumped into my head about using my mouth, which I always do with nails and screws while I'm working (in warmer temps, usually). And before I really thought about it, my lips were bleeding. Now, I'm not one to go out and lick a metal pole with my tongue, but I don't know what I was thinking...my lips would be dry and therefore the metal wouldn't freeze on contact? Lesson learned!
2). Another observation this winter, with the freezing cold temperatures and lots of snow, I have become a total home body. I guess I have saved quite a bit of "entertainment" money. I did get out one partial weekend...went to Baconfest. Of course, who wouldn't leave the hermit shell for that? It was a great time, except I worried about the heat in my house the entire time. The only heat source I have is the outdoor wood boiler. I had my dad scheduled to put wood in it Friday afternoon, and my brother Saturday. Easy, right? Apparently they filled the entire stove with wood Friday night and never checked on Saturday. When I got home on Saturday night, the stove was fairly full of wood, but it wasn't burning and the water temperature was very low. I had to pull out all of that wood and restart the fire. Luckily the house will retain quite a bit of warmth, even without heat. I usually just shut the stove off, but since it has been so cold I wanted to avoid that. I did pay extra for the dual fuel capability and I should be able to switch it to lp backup, but there must be a wiring issue because that keeps blowing the fuse. Time to call the repairman.
3). We have had a lot of snow, not all at once but an accumulation over the entire winter. So far there has been no mid winter melt. This means my driveway is an absolute mess. The snow on the actual driveway is about 3 feet in some places. The man with the blade gave up on that weeks ago and instead I have a plowed path in the cornfield. With the freezing temperatures it has been bearable, but the forecast is finally calling for a warm up. Melting snow and maybe even rain mixed with cornfields equals mud. I suppose it's time to test the capabilities of the 4x4 truck in mud!
The best way to enjoy snow is with cross country skis. Mine have been out of commission for most of the winter due to delamination. I have tried to glue them, but so far it hasn't lasted very long. Third times a charm, right? I have had my snowshoes out, but those seem like a lot of work and you seem to use the same muscles as walking. Xcountry skies just make the winter go by much more quickly! With the new snow today, time to get out there and enjoy before it all melts later in the week!
