Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Cold...and Challenging

So after a 4* night, and milking at 4*, the 59* house seemed practically balmy....or not.

I spent the morning gathering supplies to try to "button up" the house a bit more.  After a run to Meijer to get a stall shower rod and a thermal curtain, it was time to close off the laundry room/mud room.  It was added on to the house around 1991 (had to put the 19 on the front as the house was actually built in 1884) and I don't think they thought much about insulation back there.  We call the little bathroom back there "the outhouse" because during the winter it is like going outside and sitting down on ice!

You would think this would be an easy task....but then you forget who was putting up the rod.  The new 'fangled' rods do not have springs inside, so I was completely perplexed as to how to make it stay up.  After retaping the ripped up instructions on the package (who looks at instructions--it's a tension rod!!) and conference calling with my cousin...finally it is up!

It looks a bit "Red-neck" but by after dinner it was a good 12 degrees colder in the laundry room.

I also added plastic to Boy's windows.  (will do the living room tomorrow).  Retaped the plastic in the den/office.  Covered the fresh air returns with cardboard.  And after chores, Boy and I wrestled the well pump off of the well lines and took it down to the cellar.  After 4 pump replacements (at $429 each time) I did not want another pump to freeze.  I'd rather haul water to the barn for another 2 months.

As we settled down to enjoy the warmer (64*) house, I decided to go to my electric blanket early.  I let the dogs out and usually they are right back in.  After 20 minutes I started yelling for Danny.  Kristl came back, no Danny.  Then I realized that I couldn't hear Iona barking.  GREAT!  Somehow she broke her cable (again) and the two of them were off on a runabout.  Luckily they do come back--usually at 2 am.  I am a worrier though and I stay up waiting.  I was also alarmed as what if the cable got tangled up in something in the woods??

I drove up and down the road a few times yelling out the window, but the 9* was a bit much so I went home to watch youtubes and pinterest while I waited.  At 10:30 I heard them come barking up the driveway.  YAY!  I could go to bed at a decent hour...until I went out to get Iona into the barn and the barn closed up.  Both of our white dogs STUNK....Stunk of SKUNK.  UG!!  So Iona just had to deal with her smell (I was going to have her sleep in the "outhouse bathroom" for the night, but she doesn't mind the cold and hates the house) but since she smelled, she went to the barn and then Danny got a Baking Soda/Peroxide Bath.  He is VERY white now!

Don't skunks hiberate??  More importantly, CAN I????

1 comment:

Niki said...

It really doesn't look that bad, i promise.