oh the weather outside is frightful…

It’s a bit wet out there…

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But it could be worse!

Some places are getting snow! Or a rain/snow mix.

I was able to finish mowing the East yard, which is where the lowest part of the inner yard is. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but through the short grass, you can see the water extending well beyond the little pond in front of the outhouse. The moat around the garage is back, and I’ve been watching the driveway on the garage cam slowly fill with water.

While we have reached 7C/45F out there, we still have a wind chill of -4C/26F It’s gotten cold enough in the house, I turned the furnace back up again!

Amazingly, we still have three fires going in our province! All well to the north of us. Two are under control, and one is “being held” – that one is what’s left of a much larger fire that burned out of control for some time.

The rain, however, is now supposed to continue through to tomorrow evening, instead of ending around noon.

Thankfully, we got those errands done yesterday, don’t need to go anywhere in this. I feel for the people who have to be out there right now!

There is one disconcerting thing, though.

When I’m at my computer, I’m basically right above the septic pump, so I’m basically the only one that can hear it go off. Especially now, when we’ve got both of the new blowers, plus fans, running to try and keep things drier in the old basement. Since we had the pill switch replaced, only once before did we have a situation where it wouldn’t shut off again. It basically fixed itself, though.

Well, as I was working on this post, it happened again. I could hear a change in the sound that immediately got my attention – I’m pretty paranoid about that, these days! I went down to check, and the pump was running, but I could see now water flowing through the filter. It was empty. So I shut off the pump manually, primed the filter, and tried again. The filter emptied, no new water started to flow, and the pump kept running, dry.

So for the last while, I did things like switch out the filter basket (it didn’t seem clogged, but I changed it anyhow). We keep an old hose that’s missing its female connector down there, permanently hooked up to the cold water tap from when the washing machine used to be down there. It makes refilling the filter very handy, but I even sent water running into the inflow opening, at the top of the filter, in case there was something blocking it. It seemed fine. Each time I did something, I tried turning the pump back on again, and it would empty the filter and keep running dry again.

Finally, I opened up the floor drain and sent the hose through, all the way to the tank. That meant fighting to get it through the bottleneck that’s somewhere between the wall and the tank it keeps getting caught on. I suspect that bottleneck is the source of quite a few of our problems. After I got it through, I turned the water on to flush things in the pipe, then ran the hose in the other direction, towards the weeping tile under the new basement, then back to the septic tank again.

Then I turned the power to the pump back on and…

… it stayed off.

After I got back upstairs, my older daughter, who is getting up for her night of working on commissions, checked with me. She could hear that something was going on, and she wanted to know if it was safe to shower! Which is was. Once I heard the septic pump turn on again, I went into the basement and watched the water flowering through the filter. Everything seemed fine, and the pump turned itself off, as it normally would.

This makes me think that there is something the float is getting hung up on every now and then, so it’s not dropping far enough to tell the pump to shut off. Whatever it is, running the hose through seems to have cleared it.

At times like this, I wish we had a gravity system, instead of a pump one! We would just need to make sure the septic field gets insulated every winter. No pumps to worry about, and no electricity needed. I do understand why my dad set up the pump system. There really isn’t anyplace in the inner yard to have a septic field. Too many large trees and their roots to mess things up.

Ah, well. Dealing with this stuff just comes with the territory!

No different than having to deal with moats around the garage and sopping wet driveways! 😄

The Re-Farmer

Wet, wet and more wet – and new growth!

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So the rain started early this morning, and has been pretty constant, so far. The rainfall warnings include possible flooding in places, including our region. Our region is huge, though, and contains quite a few rural municipalities. Where we are is unlikely to have much, if any, where we are. The newly graded roads, however, are probably going to be a real mess!

With the rain, I did short rounds this morning and skipped switching out the trail cams, since I won’t want water getting into the cameras. Short rounds was good, though, because…

… a lovely surprise!!!!

My husband actually came out with me!!!! He caned it rather than drag his walker into the rain, but he did it! I could see he was really struggling near the end, but he did it. I honestly can’t remember the last time he went outside and walked around. It’s probably been at least a year.

As we went around, I checked the beds and we had a lovely surprise in the bed of Purple Caribe potatoes.

The first plants have emerged! Just two, so far that we can see, but this rain is going to be so good for them.

When I was mowing yesterday, I’d put one of the raised bed covers over the German Butterball potatoes, then forgot to take it off, so my husband helped me lift it off to the side, so they could get some rain, too. I had also forgotten to put the extensions on the eavestrough downspouts back after mowing. I’ll have to check the new basement later, and see if that caused any problems. The one corner was already damp and has a fan on it. That was the corner a rain barrel had been left to overflow during a wet summer, and is why we now have weeping tile problems. This basement used to always stay dry, even when the old basement was wet, but not anymore. My brother had found that corner so wet, for so long, there was mold. He cleaned it up with bleach, and when we clear the basement, we also bleached that entire corner, but it still gets wet at times.

So forgetting the extension on the downspout above that corner is not a good thing!

When feeding the outside cats, I didn’t see Broccoli, but we still went around to the garden shed. If I think she might be in there with her babies, I knock on the door, first. Opening the door still startles her, but she doesn’t always run out completely. She gets in and out through the hole in the back wall, and there’s an old chair in that corner. Sometimes, I can just see her butt under the chair, as she waits while I put food out for her. Today, she did actually leave the shed, so I took advantage of that to pick up her kittens and straighten out the self warming mat for them. My husband got to see them, too. If it hadn’t been raining, I would have passed them to him to hold while I straightened out the bedding. More human interaction would be a good thing, but not if they get too chilled in the process!

Speaking of chilled, as I write this, we are at 5C/41F – with a wind chill of -4C/25F! Our expected high for today is supposed to be 8C/46F According to the weather radar, we are under the light rainfall area, with the moderate rainfall passing by to the west of us, with a few places in the south and west of us, getting occasional heavy rainfall. In total, we’re expected to get 50-60mm of rain, which is roughly 2 – 2.5 inches. The rain, with another high of 8C/46F, is expected to continue until about noon tomorrow. Starting Sunday, things are supposed to warm up and we’ll have dry weather for at least a couple of weeks. Hopefully, that will be enough time for us to get those beds reworked and ready for planting! We should probably lay plastic down to help warm the soil up faster, too. Looking at the long range forecast, there are still going to be cooler nights in the second week of June. Not cool enough for frost, but cool enough that I’d want to find ways to protect our more heat loving transplants.

Which won’t even be in the ground for more than a week.

Pretty much everything we do, revolves around the weather.

If the really long range forecasts can be trusted (they can’t), we’ll have only one day of rain in June, and none in July. June is supposed to have a few highs reaching or surpassing 30C/86F, but right now, July is supposed to have highs of 25C/77F, every day. Literally, every day except the first four, which are supposed to have highs of 24C/75F. So you know that’s going to change a lot by the time we get there!

Well, that should be good for all the squash and melons we’re planting this year! Plus the eggplant and peppers. As long as we can keep up with the watering. One of our best gardening years was a drought year with heat waves. I’m still amazed by how many melons we got that year. It was so hard to get them properly watered on the squash tunnel, and the plants were so spindly, and they they produced so well! This year, they will be closer to the house for easier watering, and have better soil conditions. I am hopeful that we will have a much better gardening year, this year, and actually harvest enough to do some canning and preserving of things other than tomatoes and onions!

Time will tell.

The Re-Farmer

Blowing

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The predictions for today have been off in many ways, but the storm being pushed in from the US is hitting us now – and is it ever blowing!

I took this while doing my morning rounds, when it was just starting to pick up. We were supposed to get a break in the snow right now (it’s just after 11am as I write this), with more snow hitting us this afternoon, but of course, nature does what it does. Now they’re saying the snowfall will continue until 7am tomorrow, without any breaks

The temperatures, at least, are still mild, though with the wind, our -4C/25F is feeling like -20C/-4F right now. The wind direction is ENE, but with the gap in our sheltering trees, what’s hitting us is ESE and blowing right into the yard. Checking on the gate and switching out the gate cam memory card, it was blowing straight down the driveway from the East and feeling pretty vicious! We’re supposed to get about 10cm/4in of snow today, but it looks like most of it is being blown away!

The weather map shows “extreme” weather stretching from Alberta through into Ontario, as well as parts of the North Dakota and Montana, where they are getting a mix of rain. I heard from my SIL this morning, and they got hit with sleet this morning. Dangerous conditions, indeed!

What’s interesting is looking at the prevailing winds map. There is a massive spin in wind direction happening over the northern US states that’s pushing the system up from the south. I sure wouldn’t want to be in North Dakota right now!

Oh, look! The weather app changed again. Now they’re saying we’re having a break in the snow (looking out my window, I can actually confirm that), and it’s supposed to start snowing again from 4pm – 7pm. I bet if I check again in 5 minutes, the forecast will be different again. 😄

While the temperatures may be mild, the yard cats are quite happy to get out of the wind and hunker down in the sun room. The thermometer on the wall in there was reading 0C/32F this morning. The cats, of course, are snuggled in great piles under the heat lamp, over the heat lamp, and on the various beds, blankets and sheets of insulation we have for them.

These temperatures are pretty average for our area. In fact, we’re a bit warmer than average right now. The record high for today was 9C/48F, set in 2000, while the record low was -34C/-29F, set in 2014! I’ll take what we’ve got now, thanks!

Looking at the monthly forecast, we’re expect to get a few chilly days next week, but after that we’re expected to warm up and, in the second half of March, we’re supposed to have highs consistently above freezing. In the last week or so of April, our lows are supposed to remain consistently above freezing, too.

Spring is going to get here, eventually!

For now, I’m going to enjoy being indoors, and not having to go anywhere in these winds!

The Re-Farmer

How cold did it get last night?

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Cold enough for this.

This is the indoor heated water bowl!

I’d refilled it last night, which is the only reason there’s any water in it at all this morning. The outside heated water bowl stopped working, so this is their only liquid water right now. As it gets colder, the “steam” from evaporation freezes on the sides as the water level goes down.

All the kibble bowls outside were still full this morning. The cats stayed inside the sun room, rather than going into the cold to eat. Not even the racoons came out to eat their kibble! Checking the critter cam at one point, I actually saw Sprout in there. Sprout almost never comes near the house and prefers to eat at the bowls under the shrine. I didn’t even put kibble at the shrine bowls last night. I want the cats to come to the shelters by the house!

Our inner main entry door also had frost built up at the bottom and all along the hinge side, and the three decorative windows have a rather thick layer of ice on them. I know we were supposed to hit a wind chill of -35C/-31F last night, but I think that actual temperature wasn’t too far from that.

This morning, when I headed outside, it was -28C/-18F with a wind chill of -31C/-24F. I didn’t bother to switch out the trail cam cards, but I did clear the snow off the front steps, and the concrete sidewalk blocks that make up our little patio under the kitchen window, and the path to the chain link fence gate. Yes, I was wearing my down filled coat, but that small amount of shoveling was all I was up to doing this morning! The winds last night were high enough that the path to the compost heap and most of the path to the outhouse and back door of the garage were completely filled in. You can’t even tell where the paths were, it’s been blown so smooth!

As I write this, we’ve warmed up to -21C/-6F, with a wind chill of -28C/-18F. By all reports, the roads are clear and free of ice. I even saw the plow go past our driveway while I was outside, feeding the yard cats for the evening. Our expected high today is supposed to be -16C/3F, though not until well into the afternoon.

So there’s no real reason for me to NOT go into the city today and do our first stock up shop at Costco, except…

Tomorrow, we’re supposed to have a high of -9C/16F, and Friday, we’re supposed to actually reach 1C/34F! At which point, I’m thinking, why do all that driving around in the cold, when it’s going to be so warm, tomorrow? If the conditions were expected to stay cold for the next few days, or if we were actually running out of stuff, rather than just running low, I’d make the trip, but there’s really no need, if it can be delayed another day.

After talking about it with my daughters, my older daughter asked if a short trip were an option, which I don’t mind doing in the afternoon. I’m not too concerned about the truck not having a plug for the block heater, since it’s in the garage, but I’d still prefer not to drive at temperatures below -20C/-4F, if I can avoid it.

So she’s springing for a Dairy Queen trip for supper tonight. 😄

I’m good with that!

The Re-Farmer

Change in plans

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Today is turning out to be an unpleasant day, so here is a picture of green growing things, instead!

The eggplants and hot peppers are just starting to show their true leaves.  With just their seed leaves, they all look pretty identical.  The only real difference is the stem colour on the peppers.

They are so pretty!  A real boost to the mood.  Especially on days like today.

For me, I think the shoveling I did finally caught up to me.  Not in muscle pain or stiffness  – I’m pretty used to that every morning.  No, it hit me in the innards. 

Upon my third run to the bathroom, I was definitely reconsidering going to the city today for our first stock up shop.  That would mean about an hour plus of driving, with only one place en route with access to public washrooms, before reaching the city.  As it was, I had to get the girls to take care of feeding the outside cats.

Then I checked the weather.

Wind chills of -31C??  Blowing snow advisory?

Then I checked my highway conditions groups.  Some people even posted video they took, as passengers, while on the highway. 

Nope.  Not going to the city today!

I even got a message from my SIL saying she hoped I was staying home.  I’d told her I was going to Costco today, which is relatively short drive from their place, asking if she were up to meeting for lunch.  She already had plans to do ice fishing on one of the lakes, so that was a no go.

She canceled her fishing trip.  Yes, it would have been in a fishing shack, but – aside from the drive itself – the exposure to winds on the lake ice was just not worth the risk for maybe a fish or two.

So today is a day to hunker down, stay warm, and out of that wind!

I’m starting to really hate wind.

The Re-Farmer

One extreme to the other!

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After the early start and running around, yesterday, I asked my daughters to take care of the outside stuff for me so I could sleep in. 

I’m extra happy to not go out there this morning!

After many very mild days, yesterday saw a steep drop in our daytime high, then temperatures were supposed to slowly climb back up again.

I did NOT expect to see temperatures like this, this morning!

-25C at 8am?  With a wind chill of -32C???

Then we are supposed to warm up to -11C this afternoon?

The temperatures are just lurching back and forth all over the place!

I’m quite appreciating not having to go anywhere right now!

The Re-Farmer

Not quite there, yet

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One more night, before the cold snap is dupposed to end, in our area.

I headed out to feed the outside cats and do partial evening rounds. We have reached our expected high of -20C, and are not expected to drop much lower overnight. The windchill, however, is -32C right now, and it’s expected to reach -37C overnight! While walking around the inner yard, there is a section that isn’t sheltered from north winds, and wow, what a difference! The winds have certainly increased, and we are supposed to get a light snowfall, too.

The cats are handling it well, and making good use of the shelter and sunroom. I did find they had somehow managed to unplug the heat lamp, though! The power bar is on the wall, on the far side of the platform, so reaching to plug it back in was a bit of a challenge. Even with it unplugged, though, the room was still around -10C. I made sure the lamp was pushing heat properly, before heading in.

Tomorrow our high is supposed to be -15 or -16C. I have some errands to run, and hope to head over to help my mother as well. I haven’t gotten through to her on the phone, yet. My brother spoke to her yesterday, and she had told him she is willing to try doing her errands in our truck! I do have the step stool, the truck has a step under the door, and the passenger side has a handle she can use to pull herself in. I’m willing to try it if she is, but my goodness, it concerns me! However, her car is out of commission, my sister isn’t able to come out, and my brother would have to plan ahead to arrange a day off work to help out with his car. So there isn’t much choice.

I hope it works out, because then I can get her to a doctor’s appointment, so she can get referred to a specialist. Errands, tomorrow, will be the test!

The Re-Farmer

It’s a bit nippy out there

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We have a clear, sunny sky that looks so lovely right now!

It’s a lie.

It’s warmed up a degree from before I started my rounds this morning.

Short rounds, today!

I went to dump the cat litter sawdust buckets this morning, which had been waiting overnight in the old kitchen. Half the contents were frozen to the sides.

The sunroom, however, never dipped below -15C on the wall thermometer. I should use the temperature gun one of these nights, and see what it’s like under the platform, where the cats pile up.

This is the entryway door right now. All three windows are like this. This would happen every winter for as long as I can remember, since this part of the house was added on. There is frost built up on the bottom, too. We had tried attaching a sheet of insulation to the outside of the door in the past, but the air pressure change between the doors when it was opened would tear it off.

Replacing these doors with modern, insulated exterior doors is on the list, along with the matching door in the dining room.

Right about when we win the lottery. *sigh*

Our temperatures are not much to complain about. Certainly not like in parts of Alberta, which I’ve read was the coldest place in the world, yesterday. Temperatures dropped below -40C in places, with windchills below -50C.

At those temperatures, propane is a solid, so those with propane heat were in trouble. EV vehicles, of course, died quickly and took forever to charge. People waiting for their vehicles to charge had to bundle up, rather than use their heaters, or it would take even longer. The province’s wind and solar weren’t producing power, and the government put out a grid warning, asking people to avoid using electricity as much as possible, including the use of space heaters. Saskatchewan started providing electricity to Alberta, to help out.

At these temperatures, the only things that work for home heating is electricity sourced from coal, nuclear or hydro, natural gas, or burning wood. All but hydro is actively discouraged – systemically punished, even – and Alberta doesn’t have the water systems needed to produce hydro electricity.

It’s a potentially deadly situation.

So… yeah. It’s a bit nippy out, but we have nothing to complain about!

The Re-Farmer

We’ll see

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I am so thankful we are not getting the severe cold that is hitting other parts of the country. As I write this, we are at “only” -25C, though the windchill is at -38C.

The sunroom is at about -5C, and overflowing with cats!

Today is supposed to be the coldest day, and the cold wave is expected to break on Monday.

After that, things are supposed to be much more pleasant!

What raises my eyebrows is the long-range forecast.

That’s right! Towards the end of the month, we are expected to reach -4C! That’s going to feel like spring!

Of course, it’s supposed to dip down again, but not by a whole lot.

We shall see how accurate that turns out to be. Especially around when we have to start making out trips to the city!

The Re-Farmer