Well, here in Warren this AM, the temperature was a balmy WOW IT IS COLD! I was awakened at 5am to a wood stove that had gone out, despite filling it at 10pm. The temp in the house was low enough to not register on the thermostat. We have an oil furnace, but choose not to use it unless it is unbearably cold, like last night. With wind chills well into negative numbers, I kicked the old furnace on.
This is one of those nights when I am glad the baby sleeps in the bed with my wife and I. Naomi, our youngest, is a little BTU machine when she sleeps. That little 9 month old, 30 lb bundle has kept me from frostbite more than one night. The older children seem to be unaffected by the cold unless the icicles form on their noses.
We have a lifetime supply of free wood to burn. With multiple friend owning a total of over 100 acres of mostly oak, maple, and assorted other hardwoods, I simply have to manage the woodlots and take home whatever I want to keep us in heat. Unfortunately, we seem to have miscalculated the amount of wood needed for a winter such as this. As the woodsman guru of the family, it is entirely my fault that we have less than half the wood needed this year still in the shed. Last winter was nice and calm, with little snow, so I got lazy this year and will be paying for it come April when we have to turn on the oil sucking, wallet diminishing machine more often.
When it is this cold, I am glad we have more chickens than we need. They keep each other warm, and with the addition of a couple bales of hay for insulation, they are toasty warm in their little coop. Unfortunately for Nathaniel (almost 12 now) he is the one in charge of all things chicken. The waterers must come in at night and sometimes need to be thawed mid day. Between helping with wood, shoveling snow, and chicken duties, he is a pretty busy kid.
So, today we will make our weekly trip to a local church that allows us to hold a playgroup for home schooled children at their gymnasium. We meet weekly with a group of families to play basketball, soccer, or other games. It is a great time for all, and a welcomed break from the Arctic freeze that is our front yard.
Hope everyone stays safe in the cold.
This is one of those nights when I am glad the baby sleeps in the bed with my wife and I. Naomi, our youngest, is a little BTU machine when she sleeps. That little 9 month old, 30 lb bundle has kept me from frostbite more than one night. The older children seem to be unaffected by the cold unless the icicles form on their noses.
We have a lifetime supply of free wood to burn. With multiple friend owning a total of over 100 acres of mostly oak, maple, and assorted other hardwoods, I simply have to manage the woodlots and take home whatever I want to keep us in heat. Unfortunately, we seem to have miscalculated the amount of wood needed for a winter such as this. As the woodsman guru of the family, it is entirely my fault that we have less than half the wood needed this year still in the shed. Last winter was nice and calm, with little snow, so I got lazy this year and will be paying for it come April when we have to turn on the oil sucking, wallet diminishing machine more often.
When it is this cold, I am glad we have more chickens than we need. They keep each other warm, and with the addition of a couple bales of hay for insulation, they are toasty warm in their little coop. Unfortunately for Nathaniel (almost 12 now) he is the one in charge of all things chicken. The waterers must come in at night and sometimes need to be thawed mid day. Between helping with wood, shoveling snow, and chicken duties, he is a pretty busy kid.
So, today we will make our weekly trip to a local church that allows us to hold a playgroup for home schooled children at their gymnasium. We meet weekly with a group of families to play basketball, soccer, or other games. It is a great time for all, and a welcomed break from the Arctic freeze that is our front yard.
Hope everyone stays safe in the cold.
