Well, if you follow my other account, you'll know that I woke up to a balmy -22°F a few mornings ago. This morning showed up at a bare-hands-to-cold-doorknob-sticking -13°F. Not quite as cold overall, but it has stayed in the sub zero range for quite a bit longer, so this one feels colder.
Anyway, the point of all that rambling is that it's time for a REAL winter post!
What you see in the beautiful frozen hellscape above is my waterfall toiling away under 14" of snow. That stump log with the cool mushroom of snow on it at the top of the photo is 3 feet tall. We got the storm (along with most of the Northern US) just before cold's chilly sister moved in. From the looks of the coming forecast, this snow will be with us until mid-February at least.
The cold is difficult and uncomfortable, but it does create a lot of pleasant things to look at, like these awesome ice patterns we get on the storm windows. It makes the whole house feel like a stand up shower with a patterned glass door. Of course, like the shower door, it makes it impossibe to see what's going on outside without actually going outside, which is something I recommend you avoid (if you can) when temps go under -10.
The middle pond behind the house is also mostly frozen over now. I may get brave enough to venture out and get pics of that later... it usually makes some interesting ice formations. Usually this pond and the waterfall will freeze solid when it's this cold, but because of all the rain this year the water is running too fast for that. Some years, we get to use the waterfall as an ice slide for a little winter entertainment.
The downside to that pretty ice on the windows is that if there is no storm window, that ice ends up on the inside. In the pic above, I took my coat off the hook to put it on, and it was so frozen to the window that it slipped right out of my hand and continued hanging there. I'd never had a coat give me an attitude before, but I kept a clear head and we soon worked out our differences.
Of course, when it's THIS cold, the doors need their own coats to keep warm! I need to replace all the exterior doors and frames, but I'll probably be living with them like this for a while still. At least they all close securely now! They aren't really bad doors, just poorly installed, poorly designed, and poorly insulated. Somebody had the house set up as a two unit rental before I got it, and these cheap metal doors were probably installed then just to look secure.
Remember what I said about bare hands sticking to cold metal? This was my basement doorknob inside the house, after I used it a couple times. You want to remember to put gloves on before you grab that sucker!
Despite it all, there's no place like home, and we love it here through both the heat and cold. I used to view these hard winters as a curse, but now (incessant complaining aside) I see them as opportunities. Rather than fight the elements trying to get things done on a frozen ice planet, I hunker down inside under a pile of blankets and do some of the reading and writing that I'm always putting off when the outdoor atmosphere is more amenable.
I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt through our arctic environment. If you find it as charming as we do, keep an eye on the page... I'll surely be back with more. Hope to see you then!