Monday, November 30, 2009
Well, the weather report seems to be true as it is sunny and clear with the temperatures rising to the low 40s by noon. Snow is predicted for tomorrow, so I will try to take advantage of the good weather work on the shed today.
After my usual morning routine, I changed into my work clothes, played with Zack and went to work on the shed by noon. I spent the entire afternoon working on the wiring and discovered that I must have a bad wire coming from the cabin to the shed, as it wants to short out every time I flip on the circuit breaker. I have isolated the wires and am in the process of rewiring and putting in new junction boxes to the breaker panel. After stripping out all of the old, brittle wire, I began rewiring and had to stop when the sun ducked behind the mountain and left me in the dark.
I played with Zack one last time and then fed him and the cats, before sitting down to relax and rest my aching lower back. I guess I did more bending than I thought, as it is stiff and painful right now. I built a fire and will now shower before fixing myself some dinner and resting for the remainder of the night.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
I can’t believe it is already December and only 25 days until Christmas. Where does the time go? I awoke to a thick blanket of new snow this morning. It started snowing heavily around 2 AM this morning and continued until I got up, stopping at about 9:45. The clouds parted and left that really blue Montana sky, with the sun making all the snow so white that it almost blinds me. It is only 16 degrees at 10:30, but now that the sun is out, I think it will warm up, especially without any wind.
It is now 3:30 and I have just come inside from working on the shed. The floor of the shed is raised and as such is colder than the ground. My feet burn and hurt so much that I couldn’t stay out there much longer. I managed to get the circuit breaker box wired, but I need a few things from town to finish the job. I can’t build the generator platform before finishing the electrical as it would be in my way, so if the weather is half way decent tomorrow, I’ll go into town and buy the necessary items to finish.
I played with Zack and then stripped off my work clothes and boots so I can thaw out. I will work on my art projects for the remainder of the afternoon and then relax after dinner and watch some television.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Yesterday’s temperature never got above the teens in the shade and while in the direct sunshine it got to 44.7 degrees, you couldn’t prove it by me. The temperature dropped quickly as soon as the sun ducked behind the mountain, and by 6 PM, it was 6 below zero. The low for the morning was -13.4 degrees and it was -10 when I got up at 9 AM, and for those that may wonder, yes, I did have my bedroom window open all the way.
My morning started off lousy as one of the first things I do, after turning on the water to heat for my coffee, is to start a fire. Because it was so cold outside, I knew that I needed to preheat the wood stove chimney in order for the fire to draw properly and allow the smoke to go up the chimney. I had a large wad of brown packing paper and I put it in and lit it. In a short period of time it seemed to heat the air and start drawing the smoke up the chimney, so I put on some wood and a fire starter square and lit it. From there, it all went bad and the smoke immediately filled the sunroom as the colder outside air forced its way down the chimney, pushing all of the fire and smoke into the room.
I have had this experience previously, so I grabbed the cats and put them in the living room, closing the sliding door that separates the living room from the sunroom. Zack was already upstairs napping on my bed, so he was relatively safe from the smoke. Some smoke had already gotten into the living room, but it wasn’t enough that I was concerned about the animals, so I opened the outside sliding door in the sunroom to hopefully allow the smoke to dissipate and the fire to draw in fresh air. While that helped some, the fire still wasn’t drawing properly and I was choking on the acrid smoke.
I placed my box fan in the sliding door opening and turned it on full blast, hoping it would clear the room of smoke, and I went into the living room to breath less smoky air. When the fire began to draw, it was 42 degrees in the sunroom and still smoky. I got out my survival candles and lit several, placing them around the room to help eliminate the smoke. As the stove slowly heated the room, the outside temperature was still -6 degrees. It took two full hours to clear the room of all smoke and heat it to 62 degrees.
Due to clear blue skies and sunshine, I will make my way into town today and buy the necessary materials to finish the generator shed project. I am disappointed at the problems and work involved in completing what I thought was a simple project that shouldn’t have taken more than a couple of hours. Judging from my past experience, I anticipate that it will take at least two to three days of work to set it all correct and finished so I can finally install the big generator.
Zack and I drove into town without any problems but got a late start, leaving the cabin at 2 PM. We stopped at Costco for a case of canned cat food. They have the best price and the way Rusty has been eating, I need a large amount to last awhile. Next stop was at Home Depot where I bought the wire, insulation, sheeting to cover the wall and some other incidentals. I took the Jeep as the generator is still in the back of the truck, so I had to secure the insulation and wallboards to the roof.
We picked up my mail and then stopped at Ace Hardware to pick up a couple of items, then on to Safeway to buy groceries and get gas. It was dark by the time we left and I decided to stop and get a Papa Murphy’s pizza so I wouldn’t have to fix anything when I got home. Have you tried their Cowboy pizza? I absolutely love it.
We drove straight home and I was a little concerned about ice on the Divide stopping us, but there was enough snow to give us traction and we made it home without a problem. By the time I got all the groceries unloaded and put away, fed the crew, stoked the fire and poured myself a V-8, it was 8 O’clock. I baked the pizza and enjoyed it while watching some television before bedtime.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
I managed to keep the fire going all night so I wouldn’t repeat the problem of yesterday, and I am glad I did, as it was 16 below zero when I got up at 9 O’clock this morning. The low temperature for the morning was -19.4 degrees at 7:45 AM. While it is clear and sunny, it is way too cold to be working outside, so unless it warms up considerably, I opt to stay inside and work on my art projects.
While doing my morning grooming, I turned on the hot water tap, to rinse out my toothpaste filled mouth, and nothing came out. I thought the accumulator tank was just empty, so I went to the closet and flipped the water pump switch on. I was surprised when the pump didn’t kick on, so looked at the gauge and discovered I had pressure. I went to the kitchen sink and turned on the hot water tap and nothing came out. I turned on the cold water tap and had running water. If the sub-zero weather was going to freeze anything, it should be the cold water lines, not the hot water lines. I checked to see if the pilot light on the water heater was on and it was. I decided to wait and see if the increasing outside temperature would have any affect and sure enough, by noon, the hot water ran freely. I have no idea what happened and have never had this happen before. The only thing I can figure is that the inlet or outlet hose on the water heater, which is close to an outside wall, may have froze.
National Weather Service is prediction snow for tomorrow and through the weekend, but they don’t estimate how much snow I’ll get. If I get a lot, and if there is wind, I need to move my Jeep down to Marysville or I may be snowed in and unable to get over the Divide. I’ll keep a close eye on it and make a decision as more information becomes available.
Well, after checking two other sources regarding the weather, and finding that NWS just issued a storm warning for lots of snow and low temperatures, I decided I should take the Jeep to Marysville today, without delay.
I took the insulation and paneling off the roof of the Jeep and put it in the shed, hooked the tow bar to the truck receiver and then to the Jeep and off I went, leaving Zack at the cabin due to him breaking a claw close to the toe. I had to cut it off and control the bleeding, wrap it in gauze and then put on a sock to keep it clean and dry.
I debated whether to put chains on the truck or not, but decided that I should be able to make it without them. As I started down to the creek crossing, the truck slid one way and Jeep another. Once at the creek, I was unable to pull the Jeep up the other side, even in four-wheel drive low, so unhooked the Jeep and drove each vehicle up to level ground. After that, I was able to make my way to the spring, where the Jeep started sliding all over the place and the truck was just spinning its wheels. I unhooked the jeep, ferried each vehicle to the top of the Divide separately, and then decided that I should go ahead and put the chains on, as it can be very slippery going down the hill to Marysville.
I was glad I had the chains on as several spots were difficult and without the chains, I wouldn’t have made it. I finally got to Marysville, unhooked the Jeep, and parked it at Guy and Mary’s place. They were in town, so I headed back home, arriving at 5 O’clock.
I fed the critters and stoked the fire as the temperature was already dropping fast and was at zero. I decided to finish this update before having my dinner or showering.
Friday, December 4, 2009
While it is clear, calm and sunny this morning, NWS is predicting a 90% chance of snow this evening. The weather warning for this storm is listing a possible 2+ feet of snow with wind chill temperatures at 25 below zero. It is the wind blowing the snow into impassible drifts that will keep me from driving in and out until this coming June. I will need to use my Argo from this point forward and will install the snow tracks today.
Last night’s temperature fluctuated between -5 and +2 degrees until I went to bed at 12:30. The overall low was -6.9 at 7:40 this morning. With the sun out and no wind, it had reached 16 degrees by 11 AM. I am going to put the tracks on the Argo and then make sure everything is secure in preparation for this coming storm.
Well, it took me just over four hours to get the tracks on the Argo and that was with only one 15 minute break to change the Little Hotties in my boots. They are a small chemical heat toe warmer that sticks to the bottom or top of your socks. While the package says that they last for up to 5 hours, mine only lasted 2, but they did keep my toes from freezing.
After getting the snow tracks on I had to air up all eight of the tires, so I used my small portable pump that plugs into the light of the Argo to do so. I carry one of these in all my vehicles and have had occasions to use each of them to air up tires or inflatable items.
I came in at 4:30, and before taking off my outdoor wear, I went on the deck and played with Zack for a while. His nail has healed over the end so it doesn’t bleed and he isn’t favoring it, so I tossed the disc a few times to make him happy and then we came in. I fed him and the cats and then showered before settling in for the evening.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The predicted snowstorm came in early this morning and I kept the fire going enough that the cabin stayed comfortable. I stoked the fire, let Zack out to pee, fed Rusty and Zoey, and had my morning coffee while checking my emails.
Boy am I stiff and sore this morning. All of the bending, stooping and kneeling to put on the snow tracks yesterday, really took its toll.
Due to the weather, I stayed inside and found plenty to keep me busy. I have been working on a wood carving and purchased some additional Dremel tool bits for the job while I was in town last week. I am disappointed in how they cut the wood and now must think of some other way to finish this project.
I played inside with Zack, but he wasn’t satisfied and demanded I throw his disc for him. I did so a few times, but the cold is too much for me just standing around outside. He seemed satisfied, so we came in and I gave him his dinner. I also fixed Rusty’s usual, with all the supplements that I put in Zack’s food, but he didn’t come into the kitchen as he normally does. I went to check on him and found him asleep in his bed. He was drooling and looked totally out of it, like the last time he went down hill after finishing a round of antibiotics.
The little guy is totally a rag and doesn’t seem to have the energy to even stand up. I took him into the kitchen and put a small amount of his food on his nose, but he ignored it and just sat there with a blank stare on his face. I encouraged him to eat, but he didn’t. I then warmed up a little milk knowing that at least that would keep him hydrated, but after putting some on his nose, he just laid down on the floor. He looked totally miserable, so I took him back to the sunroom and held him in my lap the remainder of the evening.
His nose isn’t running and he doesn’t seem to have labored breathing, so I am not sure if this is a relapse of the upper respiratory infection or not. I am beginning to think that he may be having seizures, not showing much outward signs, as my vet books list the drooling, and the stupor behavior as possible effects from seizures.
There wasn’t anything else I could do for him, so I decided to leave him in my chair and went to bed. Sometime during the early morning hours, he appeared in bed with me, so he had the strength to climb upstairs and into my bed. By daylight, he was acting like his normal self, chasing my toes and running around the cabin. When I got up, he was playing and had eaten some of his food and most of the milk, or someone else did. I know Zoey didn’t because she doesn’t like the additives in her food and won’t eat it, but Zack may have helped himself, who knows?
Sunday, December 6, 2009
This morning is only minus five degrees and the overnight low was only -6 degrees. I will be staying indoors all day today as NWS is predicting the possibility of a wind chill factor of -35 today.
Rusty seems normal, so I am just going to monitor his behavior and intake before deciding if I need to get him to town and back on antibiotics.
I am finishing this update at 5:30 PM, and not much about the weather has changed from this morning. It remained minus five degrees all day, dropping to -10, as it got dark. The wind that NWS predicted never appeared, for which I am thankful, and the wind chill factor stayed the same as the outside temperature.
I tried to encourage Zack to play inside, but he insisted on chasing the disc, no matter how cold it was outside. We played briefly and he was glad to come in and warm up. I had to shovel a pile of wind-blown snow from the sliding door and deck just so we could go out, and I shoveled a path from the cabin to the generator shed to start the generator. In this cold weather, the generator oil is so thick that it takes several pulls to get it started, which always scares me because if it won’t start, I currently have no other means to charge the batteries and would be without power.
I spent much of the day cleaning out and rearranging my kitchen cabinets, and then cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, while doing four loads of wash. The generator stopped a couple of times without explanation, but started right away and charged afterwards. Doing the wash usually keeps the water pump running and that drains the batteries, so I was glad that the generator was reliable.
I will now shower and fix some dinner before settling in for the evening.
