BS: Getting Ready For Winter

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 12:47 AM

Yup. Looks like a cat/blue heeler (Aus cattle dog) cross to me. Tail isn't fluffy enough for full heeler nor flat and bulky enough for a full cat.....

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 12:50 AM

Mouldy - I've been trying to get rid of my old boiler for ages, but he won't eat the mushrooms...

I hope that people are remembering to leave some ventilation whilst they're busy packing filler and sandbags into every crack, cranny and crevice. There have been too many cases of folk suffocating or dying of Carbon Monoxide poisoning because they wrapped the house up so tight there wasn't adequate fresh air. Please leave one window accessible, you may need the air or the escape route.

If you are going to seal up all your windows, please get a CO monitor, they can be got quite cheaply from hardware stores and local councils.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 12:53 AM

Oh, and cats make a good indicator of where the 'hot spots' are... if they're on your bed, stay there!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 02:16 PM

winter is rubbish, it should be banned.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 03:44 PM

The Humane Society guessed blue heeler, the vet guessed catahoula, so you're in good company! She's a sweet and goofy little dog (about 30 pounds now, probably reaching 40 at maturity).

I need to prepare my winter garden, and make it dog proof. That may be the project for this next weekend. I'll plant onions and broccoli and some chard. Transplant some garlic.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 03:56 PM

we got a heated waterbed, some oil-filled heater/radiators, and JUST lit the gas burner last week...thermostat set to mid-60s.. (we have cast concrete floors with heated water circulating thru them....slow to heat OR cool, but nice to have warm bathroom floors)

Plus, I have several of those bags of corn, rice, etc..that you microwave when local warmth is needed temporarily. Great inventions!

Winter is getting slow start here (Maryland/DC)-- Nov., and most leaves are still on trees! They are beginning to pile up, but I worry that wet & snow will hinder the collecting.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 04:35 PM

Weird weather here today....almost 75F/24C.....overcast and NO WIND!! Got some outside work done. Lopping stuff off, moving leaves, etc..

And Maggie, trust me on this one, a Catahoula's tail is a lethal weapon!

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:10 AM

You should see the dents the pit's tail has put in us already. When that dog wags hard it's like a bull whip.

I visited the local garden center to scout around their selection of trees. I have a couple of non-starters, planted 2 or 3 years ago, not dead but failing to thrive. So I'll try a couple of different species in new locations. Leave the old ones in place, continue to treat them well, and see what happens. Fall is the best time to plant these. I'm also putting in a patch of groundcover (Asian jasmine) and a hardy shrub (Silverado sage). They'll establish themselves over the next six months before it gets hot and dry again.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 01:33 PM

Since we're "citified" and the house isn't too old (mid 1940s), and since we need air conditioning in summer, there isn't a whole lot to do to get ready for winter. Insulation and air leaks are just as important when it's 105 F (41 C) outside and the reefer is running as when it's -20F (-29 C) and the furnace is on.

About the only winter prep I have to absolutely sure to get done is to make sure there isn't a stray garden hose left connected to an outside faucet. The faucets are "freeze proof" with the actual valve about a foot inside, but if water isn't allowed to drain out of them freely they will freeze.

(The camper, of course, is another matter, as the fresh water, grey water, and black water tanks have to thoroughly drained, antifreeze added in the waste tanks and sink traps, all the water lines blown out thoroughly, and provisions made for the battery. About a 3 day job.)

I'll second the suggestion made by a couple of people that the heating mattress pads are much superior to an electric blanket, particularly if you sleep with a "thrasher" like mine who rolls all the blankets into a knot at about hourly intervals. Aparently they're one of those "newfangled 19th century" things that people in Kansas don't know about yet, because it took me nearly 3 years of searching before I finally found a couple (at Sears) and they told me I bought the only two they'd stocked that year.

The ones I found do have a timer, so they shut themselves off after about an hour. They indicate a 180 W rating, but I think that must be to account for "warm up" current. I suspect, but haven't measured, that once warm they "maintain" at 100 W or less, so leaving them on wouldn't be a large drain on the system, althought the automatic shutoff is nice. Older ones (back to late 1950s) that some of the family had were intended to run continuously and my recollection is that one in particular was rated at only 80 W - remembered because it surprised me that it was enough to help as much as it did.

Most of the light fixtures where they'll fit have the "fluorescent replacement bulbs" installed. They use a bit less power, and last a little longer than the incandescent ones, although the "long life" claims made for them seem overblown. In a couple of workspace areas that are infrequently used, I've found that just putting a moderately sized incandescent bulb back in the socket provides sufficient "spot heat" to avoid the necessity of dragging an electric heater out. It's not enough to warm a really cold nook, but may be sufficient for a cranny where there's just a bit of a chill. It seems, in my house, that it's also much more likely that the lights will get turned off when the work is done than that the space heater will get shut off.

For those who only want a bit of heat in a fairly tight space, I'll note that many of the farmers in the area keep the "pump house" from freezing with a 100W light bulb or two. If there's a window in the space you're heating, you can tell from a distance if the light bulb burned out, where you'd have to walk out and poke your head in to tell if another kind of "heater" was still working. Use two bulbs for safety margin, since it's unlikely they'll both burn out at the same time.

Especially with lamps used for heat (since you might use larger capacity bulbs) those with pets should remember to NEVER leave any "tippable" heat/light device turned on when you're out. Any such device has the potential to start a fire, and "the cat did it" doesn't carry a whole lot of weight with a claims adjuster who's reluctant to pay off. If you must leave a "portable" heat source, make sure it's a "certified safe" device with a working tip-switch, and that it's located so your babes can't shove a pillow in front of it.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: leftydee
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 10:50 PM

Be sure to make arrangements to humidify your instruments. The in-sound-hole type works OK but I try and keep the humidity up in the whole house. For starters, you'll be more comfortable with higher humidity ( no evaporation off your body to cool you) and, also, your instruments won't dry out. A humidifier is a small investment and well worth it.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 11:16 AM

Our first gas bill of the season has arrived. It reflects both the new pricing AND the results of this year's enhanced battle against heat loss. We've significantly reduced our gas usage.

No, it hasn't made the house warmer in actual practice-- it merely allows us to set the thermostat even lower to be just as chilly as we were last year!

How's everyone else doing?

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: number 6
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 11:29 AM

The temperature is droppin' ... grey and cold .... just sitting here waiting for it and certainly not looking forward to it.

But I'm prepared .. New fireplace installed ... new snow blower ... new winter sub arctic coat ... new fur hat.

It's going to be a long 4 months.

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: Peace
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 11:34 AM

Got to about -27 C last night. Chilly. Vehicle roll-over at 1:00 AM (ish). Wind was bad but the folks were OK. Some dislocated bones and a few scrapes, but we didn't have to do any cutting on the vehicle. Now, if there was only a way to get passers-by to SLOW THE HECK DOWN . . . . Yep, winter IS here.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: autolycus
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 06:10 PM

As I'm getting chronologically well-off, I'm going to enjoy wearing headgear indoors.

Eating more is also good for warmth, just as not heating nurtures coldness.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: autolycus
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 06:11 PM

I mean 'not eating', tho' 'not heating ' works.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: LilyFestre
Date: 07 Dec 05 - 05:39 PM

Well, it seems winter is upon us. Today has been bitterly cold.

We have been heating the house primarily with the woodstove. The furnace has been used only on days like today when the house is just downright COLD. The plastic that we put on the outside of the windows is a tremendous help. There were also some air leaks that have been plugged full of canned foam stuff....two cans to be precise.

The furnace has just kicked on, there is a kick ass fire going in the woodstove and I have a radiant heat heater aimed in my general direction as I sit here and type...maybe it's me....I just can't get warm today.

We had the propane tank filled in July and currently it is still over 60%....hopefully that will see us through until at least February.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: bobad
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 04:44 PM

"Got to about -27 C last night"

Jaysus Peace for someone who seems to dislike winter you certainly ended up in an inhospitable part of the country.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting Ready For Winter
From: open mike
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 10:57 PM

i re-routed the wire to the t.v. through a hole in the wall
instead of thru a cracked-open window.

the hole was drilled by the technician who installed the
satelite internet dish.

i also stapled "visqueen" type plastic over the window
that the cats have their door in...so now there is a
storm window.

also i acquired several cords of wood which i have
been warming myself by stacking and splitting...
and burning.

also tonight i am baking bread--which is a great
winter activity