Yes, we’re back, sorry for the delay. Been suffering in silence with these cold temperatures. Our “new” car has an outside thermometer, and it’s fascinating to watch it during these cold days. Today started out at 17 below F, then went up to 11 below F by the time we got close to the Lake, which is not frozen over yet. We went out to a friend’s house (at night!) over the weekend, and watched that car thermometer dip to -20 F in the low spots. It’s not been TOO bad, but we did wake up to a 55 F (instead of our usual balmy 58-62 F) house this morning; one of the heating zones is not working. Blah. More repair guys needed.
But these cold temps are partly a product of CLEAR days and nights, which means lots of passive and active solar power for the house. This weekend I managed to wash AND dry some new heavy flannel sheets in one day; quite impressive. They were literally steaming in the sunlight coming through the window onto the drying racks, adding some nice humidity to the dry house.
Sun is also good for chicken egg production! Tough old birds, we’ve gotten up to as many as 3 eggs a day in these cold temps. Recall these are “natural” chickens, with no supplemental heat or light, just a big south facing window. They haven’t taken WF up on his offer of outside time on weekends, but seem to enjoy the sun indoors. We’re all tough northerners, and I do appreciate the sun even if it comes with sub zero complications. At least we have enough snow cover to keep the septic system from freezing, etc. Whoo, the things we get to think about this time of year!
More on the short NE trip in a bit…
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