Snowy, Winter Questions
I love how a simple comment can spark an entire conversation to have with you all. My blogger friend from https://willowcreekfarm.wordpress.com/ posted a comment regarding my comment on not being able to imagine people who live in snowy conditions for months at a time. They live in the Rockies and not only have snow on the ground for many months….they get into the negative temperature numbers. How do you all do it??
Staying Warm and Power Bills
The money saving item we utilize everyday in the late fall and winter is our wood stove. We would be broke without it. I mean truly….what do you all do in the bitter cold to stay warm? I know there are different ways to heat your homes. What do you find makes the most financial sense?? We have no gas options up here on the hill, unless we want to truck in propane…at this point we do not do that because we have a forest full of trees that provide us heat free of charge (besides the fuel for the chainsaw and tractor.) Basically, if we run the wood stove, the forced air heater/heat pump (electric) never comes on. The peripheral rooms get a little chilly, but blankets and a little portable electric heater in one room, takes care of that….getting out of the shower can be a little chilly…LOL.
Work, School, and Driving
Maybe it’s because we don’t really experience the accumulated snow here in the Pacific Northwest (at least west of the Cascades) but it seems that schools close, buses stop running, and people (including myself) make other arrangements in their work day when it snows. How is it managed in those areas where snow and ice stay on the ground for months? Remember, I am a California girl who came to her senses and moved to this beautiful State of Oregon. I brought with me zero snow/ice skills….totally zero!! So do you all just leave chains on your tires all the time?? Are huge traffic jams that last several hours just part of your regular winter driving life?? What are the tricks you all could share in maneuvering when the roads and sidewalks turn white?
Livestock and Chickens
I’m getting the idea that livestock / chicken chores are just messy tasks in the winter. In a lot of ways, it is harder. Freezing water is always an issue, and you just can’t really avoid muddy, poopy muck…it goes with the territory. When there is snow, however, the outdoors is cleaner….until it melts. So what do you do with the muck?? Is there anything you can do to minimize it?
Well there are a thousand more questions I could ask, but guess what….it snowed again last night….big time. It is totally Narnia everywhere you look….we need a lamp post!! So I have pictures to take, and ideas to gather….let alone dogs to run, chickens and goats to get cleaned up and settled in for the night. I hope I can get off the hill for a Starbucks….if they only had their red, holiday cups still stocked….<sigh>!!
Thank you for visiting on this cold winter day. I hope you are warm and doing wonderfully today!
Your friend from Oregon,
Tami
Build Me a Dream 