All Trussed Up

 Day 26 got started at 8 am on the dot!  Builder came up yesterday and prepped the site for the arrival of the trusses, and the crew was here and ready to go first thing.  All the trusses were up in under 3 hours despite frigid temperatures, and the rest of the day was devoted to laying down the roof sheathing.  Once again they are trying to beat a ridiculous storm, this time bringing an estimated 6-12" of snow.  The weatherpeople are saying it's going to be light and fluffy this time, but with a driving wind that will blow it all through my windowless, doorless, shell of a house.  They'll be shoveling again, that's a promise.

They didn't do the roof for the middle room yet, but the trusses are there, and I imagine they'll get to that after the cleanup from the storm is complete.  

It's beginning to look like a real house!

It was a dark and stormy night...

 Ain't nobody lovin' this.

It's no fun when you get a dumping of snow before the ground freezes (or after it thaws), and this storm was made even worse by being heavy, wet, and mixed with rain.  We probably had at least 10" of snow, but the rain beat it down to an even 8" after it was all done and over with.  Trying to plow, snowblow, or shovel this kind of snow is akin to moving wet cement.  Everything was coated in a thick layer of wet snow, and the sheer weight of it, coupled with brutal wind gusts, brought down tree limbs, entire trees, power lines, and utility poles all over the southern part of the state.  We were one of the 40,000+ people left in the dark for two and a half days, and it was one more day after that before our internet was restored.  That doesn't sound so bad, but we as a society have grown to depend on our modern conveniences.  I am certainly no exception to that; I nearly cried when we had running water again. 

The contractor came down on Sunday and cleaned up the building as best he could, then opened up the driveway and building site a little more with his Bobcat.  My plow guy did the best he could, but his big, heavy truck was nearly mired in the mud near the house.  The Bobcat is lighter and was able to get into smaller areas.

Our internet cable, hanging low.

 The mulberry tree lost a few limbs, and the little birches I had carefully chosen to keep down front were bent over with snow.  We'll see if they recover, but more often than not they don't straighten back up.

Monday , Day 24, was more snow pushing/moving/dumping, and more cleanup.  There was a little construction going on; they walled up the downstairs.  Not sure why they covered the window frame, but there must be a reason known only to the coven of tradesmen knowledgeable in all things house-building.

 

Day 25 was pretty quiet.  I did get my garage door, and I absolutely LOVE it.  

The roof trusses are delayed, unfortunately.  They were supposed to be here at the end of this week, but they won't get here until middle of next.  In the meantime, I'm not sure what's going to happen.  I don't think there's much they can really do until the site is completely thawed and dried.  

And there's more rain and snow on the way, of course.

Ooo La La! The French Drain Project

Although my tiny ditches were working to divert water away from the barn, they weren't a permanent solution.  A French drain, or area drain, definitely is.  Since Flea is in the midst of a health crisis, I can't really move the mules out of the way, so only half of the project is on the docket at this point.  This wasn't something I could do myself, so I had to hire someone with a tractor who knew what they were doing.  Our neighbor's son was just that person.

The drain system begins at the fence, where the water tends to pool the most, and follows the foundation around the corner and down the hay room access side and out to the edge of the woods.  It just so happens that the land at that point slopes downward, which is a perfect scenario for a drainage exit. 

The contractor started by digging a trench about three feet deep, pitching it down little by little as he went.  Luckily the water line is 4 feet below the surface, so that wasn't an issue, but the electric line was a little less deep.  Good thing the contractor was the son of the electrician who installed the line, so they were able to find it with no problem and dig below it.

He then filled the trench with 3/8 crushed stone, laid the drain pipe on top of that, and very gently filled the trench with more stone.  The stone allows the water to filter down to the pipe, which has slits throughout the length of it.  The slits allow the water to enter the pipe, which then directs it along the length and out the end of the drain if there is an excessive amount of water all at once.  The plastic pipe is covered in a "sock"; a nylon type of material that allows water to pass through it, but keeps silt and sand from plugging up the slits. 

The drain was finished just in time for some torrential downpours to test it out.  We've been lacking rain and are teetering on drought conditions, so this was a welcomed event.  I went out between thunder storms to see how things were holding up.  There was minimal ponding in front of the run in door, and some standing water along the driveway, well away from the barn.

By this morning, even after a night of on and off storms and showers, there was no more standing water.

Hopefully next summer I'll have the paddock squared away to the point that we can move the mules and install the same drain around the rest of the barn perimeter, but for now this a massive improvement.  Now I can get some topsoil on that area in front of the door and plant some grass.

Pete and Repeat Were Sitting on a Fence...

I'm fairly certain the NWS has used this exact same map for the past three storms. 
Three nor'easters in 11 days...spring is never going to come. 
*cries, fires up snowblower, cries some more*

Bombogenesis 2: Preparation

I thought I would share a few of my typical preparations for getting through winter storms, and winter in general.  Living alone and in a rural area, it can be a challenge, but I've found the following to be helpful.

1. Water - I purchased relatively inexpensive 6 gallon water jugs that I fill before a storm hits.  This water is for the animals, flushing the toilet, and miscellaneous use.  For drinking water, I have multiple pitchers that I fill with filtered water and keep refrigerated.  Don't forget to leave faucets dripping during bitter cold spells to keep pipes from freezing.

2. Fresh batteries - I have multiple flashlights scattered throughout the house.  Some are just key chain sized, but they still do the trick in the pitch black.  I like to carry one in my pocket during the evening so I'm not caught off guard should the lights go out.  Since daylight is scarce this time of year, I have a headlamp I wear when I do morning and evening barn chores, and that makes it easy to function without having to balance a flashlight.  I usually buy batteries in bulk so I have them at the ready.  Remember not to store batteries loose in a drawer; there have been multiple house fires that started from batteries bumping up against each other and sparking a fire.  I also have motion activated battery operated spotlights in key locations, like the room between the main house and the barn, and outside where I need to shovel or snow blow. 

3. Fire Wood - Since I don't have a generator for back up power, I rely on my wood stove for heat.  I make sure to fill the wood box before a storm, and I'm lucky enough to be able to keep my firewood stacked in my barn, so I'm not having to dig it out when I run low.  I have had to do that in the past, in which case covering the wood pile with a couple tarps makes cleaning off snow and keeping wood dry much easier.  In the past few years I've come to rely on those compressed wood fuel blocks for bitter cold nights or days when I'll be away from the house.  I use the three pack blocks available at Tractor Supply (and sometimes Lowe's) as I've found they burn slower than the smaller blocks that come in six packs.  My wood stove is relatively small, but I can manage five or six big blocks in the stove, turn it down, and it will keep the house warm for about six hours.  In comparison, I can load the stove with firewood and within three hours it's needing to be stoked again.

4. Hay - Anyone with equines knows the key to keeping them warm is providing lots of fiber in the form of good quality hay.  Grain is ok, but being low fiber it doesn't digest the same as hay, and it's that digestive process that helps maintain body temperature.  I rarely increase grain rations (the mules don't get much, to begin with), but I load the boys up on hay during cold snaps.  I'm lucky enough to have a large hay loft above my barn, so I only buy hay once a year, and I always figure in at least 15-20 wasted bales to my total purchased between bad bales and overfeeding during winter.  I like to have at least a dozen bales down in the main barn so I don't have to worry about moving any during or shortly after the storm.  I worry about colic in the winter more than any other time. Because I'm increasing their hay, and because they can react to different extreme weather changes, I feed a warm soupy mash all winter long.  It's a way of getting water into them if they're not drinking, though they do have a heated water bucket.  I can crumble Probios soft chews into their mash at feed time to give them a little boost, too. 

5. Large bowls - Wait, whut?  People who live in cold climates will often move perishable foods to unheated rooms or outside in coolers if the power goes out for long periods.  I discovered that filling large bowls with snow and placing them inside the refrigerator actually works just as well.  You have to stay on top of them, because the snow will melt and needs to be refilled multiple times, but it sure beats having to go outside to retrieve your milk or eggs, and food is less likely to freeze solid.

6. Oil - I do have a furnace, and I try to fill my oil barrel in August when the price is relatively low.  This past cold snap has really used up a lot of oil just keeping the house around 64*, and that's with the wood stove going at the same time.  If you rely on an oil furnace or propane heater, be sure you have enough fuel to get through a storm.  I try not to run low or out of oil, but sometimes it happens.  I like to put a reminder on my phone to check the oil level at least every two to three weeks so I'm not caught off guard.  I also generally keep the thermostat set to 59* to use as little fuel as possible and stretch a barrel of oil out as long as I can.  Of course, when it gets colder than the twenties, I have to turn it up.

7.  Snow blower - I like to run my snow blower at least a month before snow falls to ensure it will start up, run, and function as needed.  Check the oil and the tire pressure, and have it serviced at the end of the season if possible so you're ready to go for next winter.  It doesn't hurt to be prepared long before you need to be.

8. Shovels - I have to shake my head every time there's a storm and hardware stores run out of shovels.  What the heck do people do with them, throw them out every summer thinking they'll never need them again?  I've had the same shovel for ages!  I actually have three different shovels for different types of snow.  A deep metal manure shovel is great for hard packed snow, but not wet snow so much.  A lightweight plastic snow shovel is great for most types of snow and doesn't tire my arms out as quickly as the heavy duty shovels.  I also have a snow scoop/pusher for large areas, like the mule paddock.  It can be a chore to move a lot of snow with that one, so I like to get out a couple times during big storms.

9. Sand - Since I will use it around the mules and my wellhead, I like to use mainly traction sand with no salt in it.  Play sand will work, too, but washed sand is useless.  I have buckets filled with sand at the back door, the barn door, and the mule shed door so I don't have to lug heavy buckets around.  I try to get those in place before Thanksgiving so I'm ready for icy conditions.  I rarely use ice melt but I do have some on hand.  I think I've been working on the same 4 pound bag for nearly six years. 

10. Gas -  I try to top off the gas tank in my vehicle before a storm.  There's no reason other than I've been caught having to fill up during a blizzard, and standing at a gas pump in the weather just sucks.  I also try to keep two 5 gallon jugs of gas on hand for the snow blower or my vehicle if I do run short. 

11. Propane - I will never not have a gas stove.  I can still boil water and cook when the power goes out.  The propane tank gets filled in August and I don't have to think about it until spring.  For that reason, and to start the wood stove, keep some matches on hand, too.  I prefer those long lighters because it keeps me well away from the flame.  I'm not very good with fire.

12. Snacks - Hey, it's going to be a long storm.  Might as well enjoy it, right?