Cold and Colder
The temperature here on the mountain has not been above freezing since the Canadian cold front moved in mid-morning on New Years Day. The high yesterday was 16°F and the low this morning was 6°F. The average wind speed yesterday was 15mph with a maximum gust of 40mph. That, folks, is cold.
I awoke about 2:30 this morning for an urgent visit to the facilities. When I turned on the faucet for a drink of water, there was none. How could we be out of water ... again ... in the middle of the night? Then I realized this was the same faucet that was afflicted with frozen water pipes the last time it got really cold for an extended period. The pipe are in the bathroom floor, near an outside corner of the house against which the wind blows, adjacent an unheated attic space and above the unheated Trout Room when no one is sleeping there. It's easily the coldest spot in the house.
Indeed, last time the pipes burst, requiring removal of the bathroom cabinets and the cutting of a hole in the floor under them to make the repairs. The boys that did the work applied extra insulation and assured me the problem would never return. Right.
So, there I was in the dark of the night draining the pipes and rounding up anything that would produce heat without burning down the house: lamps, heating pads, hair dryers, ceramic space heaters, you name it. Twelve hours later, flow was restored and water isn't running down the hallway as it did last time. Yet.
The wind subsided about 6:00 this morning, resulting in silence for the first time since New Year's Day. And, when the sun came out, the temperature reached a sweltering 22°F. With no wind, it was downright pleasant outside and Sam, Murphy and I took a nice hike on the Sunset Ridge trails seeking evidence of the cold. We found some.
Stone Lake is now Ice Lake with Sam Walton, 28 Cents, Plain Jane and Forrest Gump laying low. Sam and Murph use the pond as their primary source of drinking water and keep a hole open through the ice for the purpose.
This is the little ledge from which I fell last year when the ice was under the leaves.
The moss covered rock near where I landed is covered with ice in winter, water seepage from the rocks being responsible for both the moss and ice.
Rhododendron leaves curl up in cold weather. The lower the temperature, the tighter the curl.
The waterfall behind us is frozen over with water still flowing beneath the ice.
Our little brook babbles coldly.
And, ice crystals along the trail grow from the earth beneath them.
Sam and Murphy thoroughly enjoyed their romp through the woods. The ability of dogs to adjust to a wide range of temperatures is a constant source of amazement to me.
With little wind blowing, the air temperature was sufficiently warm by mid-afternoon to finish the compost bin. I've since added wood ash and the first batch of kitchen goodies (egg shells, banana and orange peels, tea bags, coffee grounds, etc.). And, of course, I gave the whole thing a quick ceremonial application of Household Compost Activator for good measure.
I awoke about 2:30 this morning for an urgent visit to the facilities. When I turned on the faucet for a drink of water, there was none. How could we be out of water ... again ... in the middle of the night? Then I realized this was the same faucet that was afflicted with frozen water pipes the last time it got really cold for an extended period. The pipe are in the bathroom floor, near an outside corner of the house against which the wind blows, adjacent an unheated attic space and above the unheated Trout Room when no one is sleeping there. It's easily the coldest spot in the house.
Indeed, last time the pipes burst, requiring removal of the bathroom cabinets and the cutting of a hole in the floor under them to make the repairs. The boys that did the work applied extra insulation and assured me the problem would never return. Right.
So, there I was in the dark of the night draining the pipes and rounding up anything that would produce heat without burning down the house: lamps, heating pads, hair dryers, ceramic space heaters, you name it. Twelve hours later, flow was restored and water isn't running down the hallway as it did last time. Yet.
The wind subsided about 6:00 this morning, resulting in silence for the first time since New Year's Day. And, when the sun came out, the temperature reached a sweltering 22°F. With no wind, it was downright pleasant outside and Sam, Murphy and I took a nice hike on the Sunset Ridge trails seeking evidence of the cold. We found some.
Stone Lake is now Ice Lake with Sam Walton, 28 Cents, Plain Jane and Forrest Gump laying low. Sam and Murph use the pond as their primary source of drinking water and keep a hole open through the ice for the purpose.
This is the little ledge from which I fell last year when the ice was under the leaves.
The moss covered rock near where I landed is covered with ice in winter, water seepage from the rocks being responsible for both the moss and ice.
Rhododendron leaves curl up in cold weather. The lower the temperature, the tighter the curl.
The waterfall behind us is frozen over with water still flowing beneath the ice.
Our little brook babbles coldly.
And, ice crystals along the trail grow from the earth beneath them.
Sam and Murphy thoroughly enjoyed their romp through the woods. The ability of dogs to adjust to a wide range of temperatures is a constant source of amazement to me.
With little wind blowing, the air temperature was sufficiently warm by mid-afternoon to finish the compost bin. I've since added wood ash and the first batch of kitchen goodies (egg shells, banana and orange peels, tea bags, coffee grounds, etc.). And, of course, I gave the whole thing a quick ceremonial application of Household Compost Activator for good measure.
Comments
Post a Comment