Unchained Preppers
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: JohnyMac on December 31, 2017, 10:04:14 PM
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Last night Jackalope and I were trading emails mostly about ham radio stuff when I started whining about the cold here at the redoubt. The numbers are in the negative digits and I have to get up ~ 0300 hrs each morning to feed the wood stove. Whine, whine whine.
I went on to complain that it is tough working on my 160 meter project when the temp is 3 degrees, snowing, and a stiff breeze is coming through in the 8-12 mph range.
Then Jackalope writes that yesterday morning it was -23 degrees and he has several feet of the white stuff on the ground with more lake affect snow coming along daily. Our lake affect snow is only around an inch a day not measured in feet.
Perspective JohnyMac.
MrsMac reminds me daily this time of the year that we use to live on our sailboat in Florida and now we live in the frigid north where she wears long johns just to go to the store instead of a pair of shorts, flip flops, anda Joe Jackson T-Shirt. Brrrrrr.
Yeah well when she brings up our current life I bring up her/our life on our sailboat Mad Max.
Making long passages across busy shipping lanes in the fog, the nauseous feeling when the wind pipes up over 30 knots and the seas are in the 6-8 feet rage. Not to mention being boarded by M16, pimply 18-year old Federales on your vessel in 30 knot winds, with 6-8 foot seas. :lmfao:
Anyhow, on the eve of the new year - 2018, when the temp in our neck of the woods now reads -3 degrees, MrsMac and I wish you all a healthy & profitable 2018.
And remember, if you think you have it bad the guy down the street may have it worse.
Perspective folks!
God Bless!
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JM when the temperature gets that low it should be WINE. WINE, WINE
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:lmfao: JoJo!
Got up at 0330 hrs to load the wood stove. The temperature outside was -5 out and the cabin was a toasty 60 degrees. Our dog got me up a little after 0600 hrs to be let out and some breakfast it was -10 degrees out and a balmy 66 degrees inside. Fed the wood stove and crawled back into my warm bed.
Made some pork roll (PA THING) for breakfast and just sipping coffee right now. Wine, wine, wine will be for later ;)
:cheers:
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Well it was -31 F (-35 C) here this morning, that's the actual temperature, not the wind chill. I've been waiting to go out to the chickens, because I'm hoping that they're all huddled together to keep warm, and it's still -25 at 9:00. The chicken coop is heated by a cozy coop electric heater, so I'm hoping we don't have any losses. Unfortunately, the weather service is forecasting temperatures in the -25 range later in week, so I'm guessing we're in for an old fashioned winter. I keep thinking, yup, the days are getting longer. I'm glad we have lots of firewood, but then again I have to go outside to bring it in...
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Seems to be nice it was a balmy 13 this morning at 9:01 and up 3 degrees at 9:21am. (Per phone report) Its expected do get up in the mid to upper 20s today and up around 35 or so midweek.
I guess W. Central Va is not as bad as you yankees. But you could come south. :fuckYeah:
Nemo 8)
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Oh we'll be moving South either this year or next year at the latest. We just need to find a suitable homestead on the Cumberland Plateau. The nice thing about days like this is that our solar panels are putting out maximum power, plus they get a little boost from the light reflecting off of the snow. The moon was gorgeous last night, and it should be spectacular tonight. It's so cold that I haven't even heard any coyotes howling at night.
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Were I to move from here to anyhwhere else, it would be the Plateau. But I am a Virginia Gentleman and you know what they say about that. IF not, keep reading-- To be a Virginian, by birth, marriage, adoption or even on one's mother's side it an introduction to any state in the union, a passport to any foreign country and a benediction from above.
Nemo
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4 degrees this morning. 14 now. Got some frozen pipes in the crawlspace and exterior wall. They are heat-taped, but it failed for some reason. This only affects my shower faucet and drain. Everything else still works. Gonna use something called a "torpedo" to heat the crawlspace.
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Good to hear from ya' SK! :pirateThumbUp:
This morning it was 7 degrees so things are warming up BUT Fri & Sat the high will be -2 & -3 respectively.
For the five or so years we have been here at the cabin in the winter, this is unusual to see these temps in Dec and January, Typically we see these temps at the end of January beginning of February.
We were at one of groups house yesterday for a New Years feast and the locals were saying that the benefit of the cold weather was snow fall would be less. Maybe this is true but we still get about 1" a day of lake affect snow.
Well here ya' go. It is what it is. :word:
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So, global warming anyone?
Nemo
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Nemo - Weather isn't climate.
Go talk to a beekeeper about it.
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Looks like a major storm travelling up the east coast this Thurs/Fri. 75 Mph winds, snow and zero degree temps. It looks like one of those storms that if they move 100 miles east or west can mean a dud or a major event.
Just think, if the east coast is hit dead on, with the combination of wind, cold, and snow it could be the perfect storm. People can you say GRID DOWN!
No heat,
No hot meals,
Frozen pipes,
Frozen water,
Et Cetera.
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Looks like a major storm travelling up the east coast this Thurs/Fri. 75 Mph winds, snow and zero degree temps. It looks like one of those storms that if they move 100 miles east or west can mean a dud or a major event.
Just think, if the east coast is hit dead on, with the combination of wind, cold, and snow it could be the perfect storm. People can you say GRID DOWN!
No heat,
No hot meals,
Frozen pipes,
Frozen water,
Et Cetera.
That's why I bought a generator and a transfer switch for my circuit panel.
My "Terminal Normalsy Bias" wife asked me --If the electricity goes out how will you run your generator? I told her it runs on gas and makes it own electricity. True story really.
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No heat---- Got wood stove in the basement and fair bit of seasoned red and white oak.
No hot meals--- Got wood stove and fair bit of seasoned red and white oak.
Frozen pipes--- Got wood stove and fair bit of seasoned red and white oak.
Frozen water--- Water is in well and have genny with fair quantity of fuel for pump.
Et Cetera-- Got loaded rifle and pistol, canned ham and couple of beans and box of gauze pads.
I even have a silver dollar in the secret spot behind the joist in the corner.
Other suggestions?
Nemo ;)
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:lmfao: guys. Not worried about you two ;)
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Nemo - did you run outta peanut butter?
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SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH thats the secret part. Its hiding way behind the silver dollar. I figure someone looks deep enough to find that they will stop looking in that spot and the treasure will be safe.
Nemo
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SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH thats the secret part. Its hiding way behind the silver dollar. I figure someone looks deep enough to find that they will stop looking in that spot and the treasure will be safe.
Nemo
(http://static.skaip.org/img/emoticons/180x180/f6fcff/whew.gif)
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Happy New Year to you and everyone else here!!
Think about it like this.. the inhospitable nature of your location make it more resilient from being invaded by welfare recipients.
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([url]http://static.skaip.org/img/emoticons/180x180/f6fcff/whew.gif[/url])
So I been skaiped or something?
Nemo
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nah Nemo, just saying 'whew!' if you didn't have any peanut butter, i'de be worried the pod people had gotten you!
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There's nothing like the smell of bacon frying on top of the woodstove! When I got up this morning it was -19 F, and it wasn't long before the house was warm and toasty, thanks to the woodstove. There's nothing like wood heat during cold weather. I made a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and waffles. The eggs and syrup for the waffles come from our little homestead. The chickens are surviving in comfort during this latest cold snap due to an electric cozy coop heater.
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([url]http://static.skaip.org/img/emoticons/180x180/f6fcff/whew.gif[/url])
So I been skaiped or something?
Nemo
sorry about that Nemo - it was an emoticon that didn't post like i wanted.
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Sounds Smells good even here. Had porkroll Saturday instead of bacon Saturday.
-10 this morning and much to my sh-grin MrsMac made me go out for breakfast this morning. Brrrr!
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But did MrsMac buy breakfast? Then it's worth it :-)
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LOL Jackalope.
Yes she did! The rule is she buys breakfast and I buy dinner. ;)
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We got about 5 inches of snow and yesterday I got out my snow shovel and started shoveling. A couple of minuets later low and behold here comes my neighbor with a snow blower. Twenty minuets and he was done,
Today we went to breakfast at our favorite place with church friend's. He being a propane delivery man over the cold days he worked many hours and got a few tips. When I went to pay he said Happy New Year and said he even took care of the tip.
Two good days in a row.
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WOW! 2018 is starting out A-OK for you and MrsJoJo. :bravo:
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well then chaps.
I must say i envy your snow and cold. I am not so fond of the heat, we have been having severe heatwave lately and it seems everyone is getting sick this year except me.
So i have the opposite problem to snow... heat.
Happy new year to all of you. hope the cold has cleared abit by now?
Kind regards
:zombitron:
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I would hate living in a with high heat. Lived in LA for 4 years and Florida for a year. Both places had high heat. Not living there now :D
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It was 2 F this morning, and the weather service is forecasting freezing rain for tonight and then rain Thursday and Friday, and then a potential ice storm/snow storm for Friday night into Saturday. So we're getting a full array of weather over the next 72 hours, and oh yes, it's suppose to go back down to -5 Sunday night. So we'll get a 50-60 degree temperature swing over the next few days. I'm not looking forward to it....
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I hate cold. When I have to turn on the AC on Christmas in FL its fine by me. Give me a loincloth and pair of rubber flip flops and let it get hot.
Nemo
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I hate cold. When I have to turn on the AC on Christmas in FL its fine by me. Give me a loincloth and pair of rubber flip flops and let it get hot.
Nemo
:baconDance:
haha Nemo... have you seen our natives?
On heritage day they go to work like that....
Trust me the heat reaches a point where it becomes unbearable....
And then no air-con or pool or watermelon slice can help cool you down enough.
Personally have experienced heat exhaustion far too many times to count and it sucks.
I think that is why i would prefer the cold, pity the rest of the family does not share my winter enthusiasm or love.
They love summer and i love winter. Long sleeved jackets, bond fires, no air-cons, no burning car seats or steering wheels as hot as steam irons, no belt buckle burns or mosquito or flies.... just cold.
I can handle that.
:zombitron:
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I more or less like snow, I highly dislike extreme cold. We have a winter storm warning here for 8-12 inches of snow by tomorrow afternoon. The temperature was 60 F today and they're forecasting -14 F for Saturday night and -19 F for Sunday night, so we're swinging back to extreme cold. My poor chickens are going to be wondering what's going on.
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Well Jackalope is located in an extreme winter location.
Similar to him yesterday until 1800 hrs or so it was north of 60 degrees F. As I type right now, it is 12 degrees F. We received sleet and ice as the temperature dropped last night and then snow. All total we received 4" of snow and Ice as I measured it this morning at 0800 hrs.
Blowing 5-10 mph with some gusts to 18 mph.
The high today should be around 13 with -2 degrees by sunup Sunday.
As a side note: I didn't want to watch anything on TV so I turned on the HF radio and went to my new favorite band, 160 meters. I was spinning the dial and ran across a rag chew. Most of the stations were in western PA, WV one from the Buffalo area and one north of Niagara Falls in Canada. Anyway, as we chatted the folks in western PA started to see their temps fall and then report freezing rain. I was in the low 50's and no participation.
As the night and rag chew moved on the folks west of me signal started to fail. I assume ice was collecting on their antennas.
Well before I knew it a hour and a half had gone by so I Signed. Then I disconnected my radios from the antennas. Jackalope encourages me to do so when there is a storm. The reason being that any static electricity that builds up on the antenna will not hurt your radio.
My point in this long winded story is, amateur radio is great for monitoring approaching storms, during the storm, and post the storm. With a 12 volt deep cycle battery in the wings, you can receive and send with no interruption due to no electricity.
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Johny is correct, this area is noted for extreme weather, and it's occasionally the coldest location in the lower 48 States, though the coldest weather is usually in Minnesota. This morning it was -28 F (-33 C). Yesterday we had the predicted snowstorm, and the temperature dropped down to 2 F. I tried to start our diesel tractor to do some snow plowing, but it wouldn't start, so I had to do snow removal the old fashioned way. So I spent the better part of the day shoveling, which guaranteed a good night's sleep!