Oh, Snap! What a Cold Snap!

Though only the end of November, it feels as if we've been through nearly an entire winter already.

As far as weather goes, November has been unexpectedly brutal. Almost every night has been below zero degrees, with a few daytime highs not breaking above zero either. We saw a low of -18°F on three or four mornings. On Veteran’s Day we received almost a foot of snow which hasn’t melted in the least. These frigid temperatures are usually reserved for January and February, when this portion of the planet has been facing away from the sun for several weeks and the cold has had a chance to slowly creep into everything. This has us wondering if Mother Nature is just getting it out of her system early this year or if she’s just getting started.

This appears to be the best way to keep a dog team warm during frigid temperatures.

New stove pipe for the workshop.

Despite the blustery conditions, we have been quite cozy as we blaze through our firewood supply. We added a small wood stove to our workshop, which has made it possible to get out there and stay busy during these chilly days. Though, since the workshop is still not insulated (due to lack of hustle) the stove is only able to warm things up about 10-20 degrees above the outside temperature. So we’ve agreed not to work in the shop if it’s below -10°F out, I’m sure the equipment appreciates not being used at those temperatures either.

Ornaments are a great job for the laser.

There is something about working in uncomfortable conditions that makes a person long for the ideal. And the more you have to put up with those non-ideal things, the more that vision of what you really want gets cemented into your mind. For us, those are the visions of our future workshop! As we put up with the cluttered, cold, dimly-lit, dirt-floor garage-shop, we fantasize of clean, bright concrete floors, large open counter tops, tool cabinets, and material storage racks with room to spare. We eagerly await  such things!

Dreaming of some tropical place as we huddle around the laser for warmth.

On the other side of the homestead, the chickens and rabbit have somehow been doing just fine. We bring them fresh water each day, but it’s so cold that it freezes within minutes. Our rooster had a small spot of frost bite on his comb, but other than that all of the birds are quite active and chipper. Except for Red, our cranky old hen who didn’t get along with our new flock. We had separated her, keeping her in the Egg-cono Lodge by herself until about mid-November when she started to molt. After losing a large portion of her feathers she was having a tough time keeping herself warm, so we moved her into the large coop with the rest of the flock. Now, the hierarchy has shifted and the rooster, Hawaii, rules to coop and looks after the rest of the birds, protecting them from Red who now just sits in her nesting box all day keeping herself warm. Chicken politics has been a learning process (though more rational than the human version).

Our rooster, Hawaii, has become the leader of the flock.

Roasted chicken with stuffing

We prepared a delicious feast for our Thanksgiving Day meal. A roasted home-grown chicken with sourdough stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, fresh pumpkin pie - I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! Fortunately, we had leftovers for many days after. It is fun to cook these large holiday meals, knowing there will be sandwiches and side dishes to enjoy for the next week. Although, all the cleanup and prep work keep it reserved for special occasions.

...and a pie for dessert!

Not much else has been going on around here. We’ve done a lot of “hunkering down” on these frigid days and are looking forward to some warmer, +0° temperatures so we can go enjoy the snow. Winter walks and sledding only last about 30 minutes before we are running back inside to warm up. The snowboards and cross country skis will remain in storage for now. The forecast for December looks much more mild and should allow us to keep chugging away in the workshop. After all, Christmas is coming and that’s the busiest time of year in the North Pole!