Monday, December 23, 2013

Merry Christmas Ya'll

   I've tried and tried to get some pictures of the ice, but it seems my poor camera has some sort of power problem.  I've changed batteries several times, bought new batteries just in case and tried with them.  Nothing.  All I get is a black screen saying Change the batteries.  Geesh.  

I've shared my photo's for pretty much the entire time I've been writing this blog.  It feels so strange to post without one so I found an older one today!

The storm that is moving toward the east coast left us here with everything covered in ice.   It looks like a winter wonderland around here.  So beautiful.  Boy is it ever cold though!  Temps haven't been above freezing in a few days.  Mars has been keeping the water turned off most of the time.  He'll turn it on and I'll refill the containers that need to be filled and get the dishes washed up.  Then he drains the lines and shuts it back off.  So far we've not had frozen pipes.  Keep your fingers crossed will ya?  Every time he goes out there to turn it on I sort of hold my breath till water starts coming.

There is a half an inch of ice covering everything.  It looks like a winter wonderland around here.  Absolutely stunning.  Especially when the sun comes out for a half a second!  hehehehe   The two little Redbud trees we planted last spring are bent over in half, icy limbs touching the ground.  All I can say is they haven't broken yet so that's a good sign, isn't it??  I've got my fingers crossed.

We lost electricity here  on Sunday for about 24 hours   Let me tell you it was COLD up in here huddled in multiple layers of clothing. I'm sure glad we both have our insulated coveralls.   We really are going to have to  work on getting another type of heat beyond the electric heaters.    We've put it off much to long and this isn't the first time we've been caught unprepared for the electricity going out. We're ok with the lights as we have oil lamps and a couple of battery type lights. but we've got to address an alternate heating arrangement besides the stove. .  Hey if it came down to it we'd just fire up the stove in the barn and hang out. I'd rather not have to do that So it has now moved higher on THE LIST. 

I'd really like to thank the reader who hit the donation button. You know who you are.  What an awesome surprise!   Your thoughtfulness has put me into the Christmas mood. 
Thanks so very much.

10 comments:

  1. i dont like nor recommend kersone heaters. but, it is a handy thing to have a camping propane heater handy. a propane heater for camping is small and of course you have to use the normal precautions when using them but they will warm a small room up enough where you wont freeze to death.they are also not too expensive. after we had a major ice storm many years ago i swore that i would not stoke a fire in the fireplace 24/7 nor cook on the gas grill in my long johns for two weeks ever again. we had our fireplace converted to propane and when we could afford it we replaced the electric range with a propane gas range. this gave us two sources of heat as well as a way to cook. propane is alot cheaper to use than electricity and we check the gauges twice during the year to make sure we dont run out of fuel. also, unlike natural gas if you have a leak in the gas lines you will know it by the smell. even when we use the electric furnace, we can keep the thermostate turned way down and supplement with the fireplace and a ceiling fan for air circulation. (the combination makes things really warm and cozy without breaking the budget)

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  2. I hope you have a merry and WARM Christmas!

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  3. Merry Christmas Sci ! I hope you and your family have a fun but warm holiday ! Just think..it does make for some great snuggling..

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  4. I just got myself a good kero heater. I like them for really cold weather, but the fuel is pretty costly!

    Merry Christmas...and stay warm!

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  5. SCI,

    Merry Christmas To You and Mars!
    We wish you everything merry and bright through Christmas and the up coming year.
    This ice is terrible, we have chunks falling hard. It sounds like a war going off around here.
    Thank God we didn't lose electric, everyone around us did though.
    We pulled out the below zero sleeping bags and the oil lamps to be prepared.
    Stay warm, and safe.
    Sending hugs your way.
    Sandy

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  6. Merry Christmas! I've been thru lots of ice storms in Portland, Oregon. Stinks, losing power, big trees breaking and falling over. We keep (I bought) both kero and propane heaters. You can buy them used, and use very cautiously. Make sure you have a working c02 alarm, and vent your windows a bit. We haven't had to use them yet, but I like having them on hand, just in case. I got my kero ones on ebay cheap, and they work. I learned a HUGE amount form this guy's website- http://www.milesstair.com/kero_heaters.html What to buy, how to buy wicks, etc. I bought 2 old "brooder heaters", cute! And they work.

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  7. This was really helpful too-
    http://www.milesstair.com/Mini_Kerosene_Heaters.html

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  8. We had massive wind and very heavy rain. Some flooding down on the river and the creeks, but not much damage up here on the mountain top.

    Kerosene heaters are cheap and mobile for alternate heat.

    Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you and yours.

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  9. Have a Blessed Merry Christmas!

    Mamma Bear, Papa Bear & The Marine

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  10. Merry Christmas! Hunker down, keep warm & keep safe :)

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