Weather Watcher

Before we moved here, I was always a "weather watcher". The weather often played a role in determining how busy the store would be, and we also needed to monitor conditions across the country during the winter to make sure that it wasn’t so cold that items we sent out would freeze and break in transit. But we also walked a fair amount, and it helped to know the temperature and wind direction and strength, before heading out, so we could dress appropriately.

If I thought I would lose the habit of checking the weather forecasts, I was wrong. We use it to plan even more than we did before. If we see a snow storm is due to arrive, we double check our supplies in the cabin, and drive out to pick up anything we think we may need. Even though Rob plows us out with the tractor, we know a heavy snowfall means that the shared road that leads to our laneway probably won’t be done right away, and the municipal road is certain not to be. Although I always make sure we have a good supply of food, candles, batteries etc., I still find that we get low on items such as milk, and fresh vegetables. Although we do keep some powdered milk and canned vegetables just in case, it always seems like a good idea to get out and stock up while we can.

A mild spell means it’s time to take a look around outside and see if anything needs our attention. We keep an eye that the chimney isn’t blocked with creosote at the top of the vent, and this week our drain stack froze up with a chunk of ice so now we know to keep an eye on it too. It’s also a good time if it’s mild for Rob to service the tractor and dry out the shelter around it. Every day, regardless of the weather we fill our wood box outside, but when it is mild Rob also takes advantage of the weather to make sure the kindling box is full, and to split more if needed.

If we have plans to travel a ways we also need to know what to expect in the way of weather and road conditions, so we try to plan our trips for when the weather is reasonable. I also try to go to a Yoga class in Renfrew every Wednesday morning, so keep watch on the weather to see if I will be able to make it or not. It’s a fabulous drop in class at Heartsong Yoga, and if I can’t make it on a Wednesday I sometimes have the option of going on a Friday morning or Monday evening instead. However, because I also do our shopping while I’m out, I prefer to go on Wednesdays and plan my weekly shopping accordingly. We try to minimize the amount of gas we use, and run our errands in the most cost effective manner.

Our recent thaw was followed by a real cold snap. It seemed like one day we were watching the thermometer soar above freezing, with promises of a 10 degree day and record breaking warmth, and a short while later they were promising the coldest day in 8 years.

Rob had decided to try to build a small and temporary enclosure on the porch, to allow us some space to hang wet coats, and to kick off our boots before bringing them inside We thought it would also help block out a bit of the cold air that comes in when we go out the river side door to fetch more firewood. So he rushed during the thaw to get it done. It isn’t perfect, but it works. He used heavy insulation board; Foamular, that we will reuse when we build the new house, and he found an old door up at the top of the property to install on one side. We needed something that would allow us to enter it from the porch side.  He put the insulation on the floor, walls and ceiling so I always feel like I am walking into some kind of a weird pink cooler. (And of course humming that Pink Panther song...) There is OSB (Oriented Strand Board ) on the floor over the Foamular to prevent damage, and a good quality mat from the old store to catch the snow. It’s a good place to store our snowshoes, and there is a shelf so I can put my casseroles or soups out to cool before I freeze them too! It’s nice as it also blocks the wind and helps keep the snow from blowing in on the porch.

As the temperature dropped Rob also finished the new requirement for an extra 4 inches of non-combustible material behind the wood stove. We weren’t thrilled to have to do this as we had built the hearth to the required building code and had worked hard on the original design, but they have since changed the code apparently, so we had to do it. He burnished some pieces of aluminium and attached them at the required distance from the wall. I don’t think it looks too bad, and in a short while we probably won’t even notice it.

(Hmmm, nice photo - it looks a lot better since we moved the welding machine out of the living room, and several of the boxes out of the dining room. I should have taken a photo while they were still all there!)

At the same time we were also required to block in the area around the pre-fab pipe that ran through the bedroom on the second floor so he has done so. The pipe provided a little bit of radiant heat to the room, and now the room seems a bit cooler, so it is unfortunate, but again, it is a new requirement so not much we can do about it. Plus it allows us to now put in a small closet area, so that is probably a good thing as well!

Yesterday, the weather called for snow. It’s the first big snowfall we’ve had in a while. We had so much snow at the start of the winter that Rob was sure he was going to have to buy a cab for the tractor in order to stay warm and dry. (And I think he was beginning to feel like he would be plowing snow every day for the rest of the winter!) But the cabs are really expensive, and realistically, if we don’t have to plow more than a dozen times throughout the winter, it may not be so bad. (Easy for me to say of course, as I remain snug and dry back at the cabin) I think we may just sit and see how the winter goes. Rob has looked at plans and thinks he could probably make a cab himself, which might be the best option.

Today we are keeping an eye on the forecast, as they are calling for freezing rain followed by a high of plus 10 on Wednesday! We weren’t sure whether we should plow or not. We were worried that if we plowed and then got heavy freezing rain it would be like a skating rink, but if we don’t plow and we get rain rather than freezing rain, it may get so heavy that it causes other problems. In the end we plowed, and we shall see how that decision works out later on.

Yesterday I was pretty thrilled to see that the average low has just switched direction – we are now moving to warmer temperatures as the night time average! Minus 18 was the average low on Saturday, minus 17 is now the average. Doesn’t sound like much, but it means that we are well on our way through winter. On the other hand, that means that spring isn’t too far away – so we need to buckle down and get these house plans figured out!

I had a lot of ideas for things to do here in the cabin during the winter, and one of them was to learn to bake bread. In my last blog I had picked up the ingredients, and since then I made my first hand made bread! I had planned to make it earlier, but the warm spell meant we didn’t have the wood stove on as much so I decided to wait until the weather was colder again. I wanted to make sure the house was warm enough for the dough to rise properly.

I had picked up the book Bread for all Seasons by Beth Hensperger at the local library and had narrowed my choices down to about 8 different breads. For my first one I chose a Sesame Whole Wheat bread as it was touted as being high in fibre and nutrition, but also easy to make. I had a few moments of anxiety – like when it said to have the water at a certain temperature and I hadn’t even thought about how to do that. But we have an insta-read meat thermometer and it worked perfectly! I also found it hard to stir the flour in by hand, but I moved the bowl of dough to the dining table which is a bit lower and that seemed to make it easier for me to get a good grip on the spoon and bowl. By the time I finished there was the odd bit of flour everywhere, and I felt things were slightly out of control when I couldn’t find anything big enough to put the dough in to allow it to rise. Luckily I found a larger bowl and placed the bowl of dough upstairs in the bedroom where the temperature was warmer and more even, and after a couple of hours of gentle rising, it was ready for the oven!
The aroma of bread cooking was heavenly, and I kept going outside and back in so I could really get the full effect. And Voila – my first bread!

It was good, but both Rob and I like a bread that is a little more dense with a touch more flavour. Still, I was totally happy with it for my first try. And one day for lunch I remarked that we were eating my homemade soup, made with homemade turkey broth, accompanied by homemade bread, and followed up by homemade cookies. If you had told me a year ago we would be doing that, I would have said "no way!"

Yesterday I gave it another go, and made an Oatmeal Buckwheat and Honey bread recipe. This one seems to be a bit more dense and I really like the flavour of the buckwheat. It was a bit trickier, as it seemed stickier, but it seems to have worked out just fine. Once again, the cabin was filled with the delicious aroma of yeast and honey. Mmmmmmmm….. Each recipe made 3 loaves, so I kept 2 loaves out and froze one, so our freezer is going to be full of bread soon!

Our weather watching isn't only done by PC of course. We walk every day, and every day we go down to the river to see the changes that the weather brings. The ice at the river's edge was well out into the river before the thaw, but the thaw melted almost all of the ice. The cold snap brought it all back, and right in front of the cabin it now almost stretches right across the river. We know it is not solid though, so don't venture out very far on it. It is pretty solid right now at the edge, and we know the water is shallow there so we will go out a foot or so but that's about it. With the next thaw tomorrow, we won't even go that far.

 

 

 

 

Even on the coldest day, if the sun is shining, there's a perfect little spot at the edge of the river, where there are some logs piled up, and I love to sit there.  It's a bit sheltered from the wind, and the sun always feels warm, and on a perfect day there is sometimes a slight mist on the river, and some ice floating by.  It is so quiet, all I can hear is the sound of the ice shifting, the river flowing, and the whisper of wind in the trees behind me. It's the perfect spot to weather watch.

 



　

　

　

　

Two Words

Two words - Snow Pants. As a child I hated them. Getting them off and on was a horrible chore, they were ugly and bulky, and I couldn't wait until I was deemed old enough to go out in the winter without them on. I had to wear them to school, and when I was outside playing. They made a loud swish, swish noise when you awkwardly walked with them on, and there was no mistaking that you were still a little kid because your Mom made you wear your snow pants.
 
So it's kind of funny, all these years later, to find myself in a country hardware store gushing over snow pants. And coming home with a pair. And loving them. Yup, they are still ugly and bulky, they still make that swish, swish noise when you walk with them on. But I am outside with Jet three times a day, and out walking and taking photos every day. I have discovered the use of snow pants that keep me warm and dry and block the wind, and allow me to stay outside longer. I probably won't wear them when I go "into town" shopping, but they are incredibly useful here.

If I thought last week's freezing rain made for icy conditions, it was nothing compared to the freezing rain we have had these last two days. The driveway and roadway in to the property are a solid sheet of ice this afternoon. We were able to get Jet out for some play time by stomping around in the clearing at the side of the house, and then tossing his wubba into the woods for him to chase after. Rob and I just took a walk up the road and the main road is actually quite wet, but the roads here are extremely icy. For some reason the treads on Rob's boots clung nicely to the ice, but I had to walk more carefully at the edges where I could punch through to the snow below.  Last week I could at least walk up the center of the road.

We made a quick trip out yesterday morning just before the freezing rain hit, and picked up a few supplies like bread and eggs, and our fridge is pretty well stocked so we are content to stay in the cabin today. There is snow in the forecast tomorrow and we are hoping it will be mild enough that it sticks to the ice, and corrects that icy base. I guess we will see what we get.

It's been a productive week here as we continue to work on getting a few things off of our to-do list. A wood splitter that attaches to the tractor made quick work of our firewood. The light that Rob installed outside the cabin earlier in the fall allowed him to do most of it even after the sun set.  Our wood is all neatly stacked outside (no thanks to me) but we do need to order more, and it needs to be drier when it arrives.

Rob installed a stove vent hood in the kitchen this week, and we are both quite surprised at how much the additional light changes the appearance of the kitchen. It would seem that I have been cooking practically in the dark all this time! I think having a fan above the stove is really going to help too.

Cutting through one of the logs and the chinking in between, to install the vent, was a bit of a chore. Kudos to Jet for being relaxed throughout as usually he reacts to the sound of Rob's drill. He pretty much slept through most of the drilling!

Here, we discuss whether it's a possible opening for Santa Claus.

This recent change in the cabin has us both talking a lot about lighting, and it's importance in the new house. As we are (ahem) aging, I find we require more light as well, so this will be an important consideration. Of course, if we are off grid we will also be thinking about how to do have lots of light without using up all of our solar resources.

In fact I would say that living in the cabin gives us both a great deal more cause for house design discussion. As we struggle with some issues of size or storage, or entrance ways, or door sills that leak, being here in all the seasons for the first time has forced us to think about the effect of our choices year round. We talk a lot about the things we worked out over the years at the dome. The things we liked or disliked. The things that worked, and the things that needed improvement. There are design aspects from both houses that we think we may like to use again in the new house. (Windows that open and close easily comes to mind. I love the windows here. And a heat lamp in the bathroom!) And of course in both cases there are probably things we would not do again, so won't repeat those mistakes in the new design. (Soft pine floors are gorgeous, but get damaged too easily by furniture, and pet claws, and neither house had an easy solution to our volume of wet winter boots, coats, mitts, hats, scarves etc.) We need to start a list of all the things we have been discussing so that we don't forget about them later on.

With only one week to go before Christmas, we are both amazed to find ourselves curled up at night, listening to Christmas CD's and calmly discussing possible dishes for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. In our retail business we would have been working impossibly long days, and although I always enjoyed helping our customers to choose special Christmas gifts for loved ones, the season was always a bit of a blur for us. Last weekend on a whim we drove out to check out a local auction, and when we decided there was nothing there for us, went off to Arnprior where we had been told there was a delightful bookstore and coffee shop attached. The bookstore was indeed very lovely, and we soon had found a book for each other so our Christmas shopping was complete! We enjoyed a delicious coffee and slice of cake and I think we were both grinning as we commented that with only two Saturdays left until Christmas, we were out together and simply enjoying the day.
This is definitely one of our favourite Christmas Cd's right now.

Today Rob is working upstairs, where he is boxing in the stove pipe that runs through one of the rooms, as a new requirement for the stove inspection we had. It will provide us with a closet space at the same time, so although it is a finicky job, it will be worth it in the end. We will probably install some vents in the new walls as well though, so that some of that nice radiant heat from the stove pipe will continue to help to warm up the room.  Working in the cabin, space is pretty tight, so Rob is forced to use every nook and cranny while he puts things together.

In the spirit of being more frugal, I cooked up a small turkey this week after finding one that was much less expensive than a much smaller chicken. Made a huge and delicious stock, and then made a enormous amount of turkey and vegetable soup. I followed a recipe by Susanna Trilling who runs a cooking school in Oaxaca, Mexico for the turkey roasting and it came out really well. Our little freezer above the fridge is now well stocked with the Red Chile Posole I made last week and the Turkey Soup from this week. I really cannot get used to having so much time to cook, but I am truly enjoying it. 

With only 1 week left until Christmas, we are hoping to finish up a few more things around the house, and then if the weather cooperates we may make a quick run into Ottawa for a few special Christmas goodies. But if we don't get there due to the weather, it doesn't really matter. We can make do with what we have.  In the meantime some shortbread showed up in the mail this week! Delicious.