stephanier.1765 Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 You know it's cold in FL when all your cats are napping with their faces buried in blankets. 7 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 7 minutes ago, stephanier.1765 said: You know it's cold in FL when all your cats are napping with their faces buried in blankets. Poor kitty! She face planted in despair! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 We tried to take Lewis for a quick walk around the house. He made it off the back steps, whimpered, and dragged us back to the door. Apparently, though born and raised in Michigan, and possessing a heavy, winter coat, this was just too much for him mentally, and has passed out on my lap. 6 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 My little dogs were apparently absent from class the day they were taught that they're not supposed to like cold weather. Last I checked it was 21 here with a wind chill of 5 (for comparison, our average low this time of year is 32). They're all outside either happily roaming around (the older two) or doing laps-around-the-yard-zoomies (the puppy). It makes me wonder how uncomfortable they are in our hot, humid summers. 1 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 (edited) We're ok here, with some power flickers last night but no permanent power losses. Got the woodstove going and it's really really nice since our HVAC needs work. TVA is calling for rolling blackouts in Tennessee, so I dont' know how that will affect us. It is in fact, affecting my dh since he works for the water department and they have to figure out how to keep water/wastewater operational until they have consistent power. But they got it. He works with good guys. It;s just a bunch of management and ensuring that the generators are in the right places. Edited December 23, 2022 by fairfarmhand 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 Power flickering here. The wind speeds are just epic. I figure it is is only a matter of time before power is out. We can't get to mother in law, the ice is awful, and the winds are unworthy of driving except for the utterly insane, Mad Max kind of people. But, she had a fireplace, and we loaded four days of wood inside, all of it small enough logs to her to handle. She is actually almost looking forward to it because she has two oil lamps she loves to use and enjoys a rip roaring fire. Her cell phone is charged and we left a bunch of fully charged portable batteries with her so she can keep it that way. Christmas music is a click away on her tablet courtesy of our eldest son who was there last Monday and wanted to make sure she was set up well for the storm. She has lots of fruit, dried fruits, nuts, peanut butter and bread, bottled water. She will should be fine. My mom has propane stove that runs without electricity so she can keep her living room and half bath toasty. But, if we went a long time without power, we would put on the cleated boots, drag the sled down there (she can't walk out in this at all), and haul her the two blocks home here. We have the generator ready. House is currently holding at 73° because the wood boiler is doing a great job. Hugs to everyone without power or soon facing it. 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 (edited) We're warming up here in the middle of the country. We're up to -7/-35. Everything was a bit of a non event for those of us who don't have to work outside in it. Feeling awful for USPS, UPS, etc. But for those who now want to be amused:nvmd. Watched it & it was really just snarky and not funny. Edited December 23, 2022 by BlsdMama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigo Blue Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 Power is back on. Son is still trying to get home. He had to reschedule his connecting flight, and right now is in yet another delay. In other news, younger son’s cat is here and she’s chewing on the Christmas tree. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 23, 2022 Author Share Posted December 23, 2022 We got really lucky in the Baltimore- DC area. The precipitation played through before the temperature dropped so we avoided the snow. We still have to watch for ice and it’s getting colder and windier. I am blessed to live in a town with buried power lines. I am perpetually grateful for this. I almost forgot to winterize my outdoor faucets so I was out there in my PJs doing that this morning before it dropped to freezing. Stay warm Everyone! This is our current situation. It’s cold but we really cannot complain. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drama Llama Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 2 hours ago, Pawz4me said: My little dogs were apparently absent from class the day they were taught that they're not supposed to like cold weather. Last I checked it was 21 here with a wind chill of 5 (for comparison, our average low this time of year is 32). They're all outside either happily roaming around (the older two) or doing laps-around-the-yard-zoomies (the puppy). It makes me wonder how uncomfortable they are in our hot, humid summers. They might have been playing hooky with my dog and my 12 year old who have disappeared to the park. Thank goodness they have each other. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 It's -5 degrees here today with a wind chill of -24, heavy winds, and several inches of snow. I don't have anywhere to go today and I'm happy about that. People have been reporting power outages all over our area, up to 35,000 places without power, but ours has not gone out today. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Indigo Blue said: In other news, younger son’s cat is here and she’s chewing on the Christmas tree. 🤣 funny kitty! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 Powers out, generator is running. Espresso Baileys and warm almond milk drink in hand. 🙂 Weirdly we don’t need to run the pellet stove because it’s so warm. As soon as the power went out I threw a small package of chicken tenders in the freezer (small freezer above the fridge, not the chest freezer). Is there any chance it will survive, and if so how long would be safe? I’d rather lose the $7 in sunk chicken cost than risk food poisoning, but don’t want to toss it if I don’t have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 32 minutes ago, MEmama said: Powers out, generator is running. Espresso Baileys and warm almond milk drink in hand. 🙂 Weirdly we don’t need to run the pellet stove because it’s so warm. As soon as the power went out I threw a small package of chicken tenders in the freezer (small freezer above the fridge, not the chest freezer). Is there any chance it will survive, and if so how long would be safe? I’d rather lose the $7 in sunk chicken cost than risk food poisoning, but don’t want to toss it if I don’t have to. We bought freezer thermometers from Amazon ($25ish) for this type of situation. Odds are you will be ok if you aren’t down long, but as cold as it is, would tossing it outside work? Our freezers normally range from -10 to 15F. Our fridge sits at 37 most of the time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 4 hours ago, fairfarmhand said: We're ok here, with some power flickers last night but no permanent power losses. Got the woodstove going and it's really really nice since our HVAC needs work. TVA is calling for rolling blackouts in Tennessee, so I dont' know how that will affect us. It is in fact, affecting my dh since he works for the water department and they have to figure out how to keep water/wastewater operational until they have consistent power. But they got it. He works with good guys. It;s just a bunch of management and ensuring that the generators are in the right places. I am thankful for people like your dh, who help keep things running! NES posted about the rolling blackouts, but our power was only out for about 15-20 mins mid-morning. Wood fire is burning nicely. House is comfy at 68, with gas heat. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 (edited) 39 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said: We bought freezer thermometers from Amazon ($25ish) for this type of situation. Odds are you will be ok if you aren’t down long, but as cold as it is, would tossing it outside work? Our freezers normally range from -10 to 15F. Our fridge sits at 37 most of the time. Normally it would be plenty cold out, but weirdly it’s 48 degrees right now (dropping to 15 overnight so in the morning that’ll be a good option. I keep a cooler in the enclosed but uninsulated 3 season porch for this purpose). A freezer thermometer is a good idea. I’ll look into those for the future. Edited December 23, 2022 by MEmama Temperature update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 Dean was trying to figure out what happened to the backyard. The whole thing is a choppy ice rink with a dusting of snow on top. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 23, 2022 Author Share Posted December 23, 2022 This temperature spread is ridiculous! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 23, 2022 Author Share Posted December 23, 2022 2 hours ago, MEmama said: Powers out, generator is running. Espresso Baileys and warm almond milk drink in hand. 🙂 Weirdly we don’t need to run the pellet stove because it’s so warm. As soon as the power went out I threw a small package of chicken tenders in the freezer (small freezer above the fridge, not the chest freezer). Is there any chance it will survive, and if so how long would be safe? I’d rather lose the $7 in sunk chicken cost than risk food poisoning, but don’t want to toss it if I don’t have to. Does a pellet stove work without electricity? We need an insert for our fireplace and I’m having so much trouble choosing between wood, pellet, and gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Our power has been out since around 11:00 am; it is now 7:00 pm. It’s cold, y’all. And I hope my chickens do not freeze to death. It is 8*. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigo Blue Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 3 minutes ago, Quill said: Our power has been out since around 11:00 am; it is now 7:00 pm. It’s cold, y’all. And I hope my chickens do not freeze to death. It is 8*. Do you have another source of heat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Just now, Indigo Blue said: Do you have another source of heat? For us: dh is building a fire in the fireplace. We have a generator but we can only run a couple things on it. Dh turned it off for now. For the chickens: no. I literally bought a new heat bulb yesterday because of the forecast but now it makes no difference. They are shut in their coop but it’s probably twenty degrees in there. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
math teacher Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 We have power but no water. i cant cook or clean. If I had known dh wouldnt remember to leave the faucets running, I wouldnt have gone to visit parents. Ds is driving home right now,and I cant prepare. Sorry to be so grouchy. At least I have heat. k 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 The weather here is currently -1 F and the wind is blowing like crazy. Thankfully we had snow and not freezing rain. If we'd had freezing rain, I'd be worried about our trees. We had three kids over for a birthday party today because this delayed peoples' travels. I'm hoping we'll make it to my parents' house in time for Christmas, but I'm not holding my breath. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Hoping everyone stays safe and those without power stay warm and have service restored again soon. Bill 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 It’s cold here but not all that bad, although I do not these days own the proper clothing to spend any extended time at 5 degrees with a windchill of -8. Obama the cat keeps wanting to go outside, and I feel badly for letting him go out, but I figure as long as people are home and awake to let him back in that it’s okay? I hope so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 2 hours ago, Quill said: Our power has been out since around 11:00 am; it is now 7:00 pm. It’s cold, y’all. And I hope my chickens do not freeze to death. It is 8*. I hope your power comes back on soon. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 1 hour ago, math teacher said: We have power but no water. i cant cook or clean. If I had known dh wouldnt remember to leave the faucets running, I wouldnt have gone to visit parents. Ds is driving home right now,and I cant prepare. Sorry to be so grouchy. At least I have heat. k I hope your water gets fixed soon. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 2 hours ago, Quill said: For us: dh is building a fire in the fireplace. We have a generator but we can only run a couple things on it. Dh turned it off for now. For the chickens: no. I literally bought a new heat bulb yesterday because of the forecast but now it makes no difference. They are shut in their coop but it’s probably twenty degrees in there. Do you have any extra straw for them? And any extra I don’t care blankets? That can help them keep warm. The Mennonite I am friends with wraps her coop in moving blankets and adds extra straw when the power goes out during winter. Her chickens stay nice and warm. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, fairfarmhand said: We're ok here, with some power flickers last night but no permanent power losses. Got the woodstove going and it's really really nice since our HVAC needs work. TVA is calling for rolling blackouts in Tennessee, so I dont' know how that will affect us. It is in fact, affecting my dh since he works for the water department and they have to figure out how to keep water/wastewater operational until they have consistent power. But they got it. He works with good guys. It;s just a bunch of management and ensuring that the generators are in the right places. This is interesting about TVA. Historically TVA's electricity rates were so cheap that there was never a demand for another fuel source. Every house I've lived in under TVA had heat pumps. I think nowadays there is more access to natural gas, but from what you are saying there must still be a lot of people with heat pumps! Yikes. Those strips will be working overtime! @TravelingChris is Huntsville affected by this? Edited December 24, 2022 by popmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 8 minutes ago, popmom said: This is interesting about TVA. Historically TVA's electricity rates were so cheap that there was never a demand for another fuel source. Every house I've lived in under TVA had heat pumps. I think nowadays there is more access to natural gas, but from what you are saying there must still be a lot of people with heat pumps! Yikes. Those strips will be working overtime! @TravelingChris is Huntsville affected by this? There are still tons of people with heat pumps. We have one. Currently it’s assisted by our wood stove. So it’s just fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 4 hours ago, KungFuPanda said: Does a pellet stove work without electricity? We need an insert for our fireplace and I’m having so much trouble choosing between wood, pellet, and gas. We built this this year. It’s wood. It has a blower to circulate the heat but will still work if power goes out. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 1 minute ago, fairfarmhand said: We built this this year. It’s wood. It has a blower to circulate the heat but will still work if power goes out. Love it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 10 minutes ago, popmom said: This is interesting about TVA. Historically TVA's electricity rates were so cheap that there was never a demand for another fuel source. Every house I've lived in under TVA had heat pumps. I think nowadays there is more access to natural gas, but from what you are saying there must still be a lot of people with heat pumps! Yikes. Those strips will be working overtime! @TravelingChris is Huntsville affected by this? TVA here, but no-how would I live in middle TN with only a heat pump. Btdt, froze all winter for the first three years of my marriage. Nope, nope, nope. Gotta have hot heat! I ❤️ our natural gas furnace! Still needs power to make the fans work, of course. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinball Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 6 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said: We built this this year. It’s wood. It has a blower to circulate the heat but will still work if power goes out. Your DD isn’t living in a trailer on your property rn, is she? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 (edited) I’ll add a pet pic. This is dd’s “son”, Phil—named after Phil Collins. She has been trying to get him to wear a jacket, but he’s not having it. He does NOT enjoy the cold. He wishes he could move to Mexico where it’s warm all the time. We think Phil rests too close to the fire. How do his watery eyes not dry out? Phil believes he is not close ENOUGH to the fire. (He was on the MARBLE at one point, and we made him move back) ETA: I have no idea what is stuck to his rear lol. Edited December 24, 2022 by popmom 3 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 (edited) 51 minutes ago, ScoutTN said: TVA here, but no-how would I live in middle TN with only a heat pump. Btdt, froze all winter for the first three years of my marriage. Nope, nope, nope. Gotta have hot heat! I ❤️ our natural gas furnace! Still needs power to make the fans work, of course. Same! I love my furnace! ETA: our natural gas provider just sent out an email asking everyone to conserve to help prevent supply interruptions. Edited December 24, 2022 by popmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 18 minutes ago, pinball said: Your DD isn’t living in a trailer on your property rn, is she? No, thankfully. She wouldn’t be in the trailer if that were the case. It’s so cold she’d be in my house 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinball Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 1 minute ago, fairfarmhand said: No, thankfully. She wouldn’t be in the trailer if that were the case. It’s so cold she’d be in my house That’s what I was worried about…the cold… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 (edited) Another one. On the left is Winnie , my baby who goes has to go for a car ride every day. And Phoebe, another dd’s daughter. She’s a Cardigan pup—in her obnoxious teenager stage of puppyhood. She has dug up my strawberry beds TWICE. I decided to leave it since now all the plants are buried. Phoebe says, “I was just mulching dems to protect dems from de cold!” They had been snuggled up w dh in the bed until I distracted them with my camera. 😉 Edited December 24, 2022 by popmom 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom_to3 Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Keeping those without power (or water) in my thoughts on this frigid night!! And praying for the chicken...How dreadful. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 I'd take a picture of our dog if she weren't completely covered up by blankets. Every room in our house is warm except our bedroom ( only room that doesn't have an air vent to give us heat from our geothermal system.) It has baseboard heat that I accidentally turned off this morning and didn't turn it back on until 6pm, which was already too cold for the baseboard to warm the room back up. So dh, the dog, and I are bundled up keeping each other warm. I may sleep downstairs if I get to cold 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 20 minutes ago, hjffkj said: I'd take a picture of our dog if she weren't completely covered up by blankets. Every room in our house is warm except our bedroom ( only room that doesn't have an air vent to give us heat from our geothermal system.) It has baseboard heat that I accidentally turned off this morning and didn't turn it back on until 6pm, which was already too cold for the baseboard to warm the room back up. So dh, the dog, and I are bundled up keeping each other warm. I may sleep downstairs if I get to cold when she comes out, send us a pic. 🙂 Winnie sleeps under the covers up against my legs. 🙂 We have vents in our bedroom, but it's still the coldest room in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 6 minutes ago, popmom said: when she comes out, send us a pic. 🙂 Winnie sleeps under the covers up against my legs. 🙂 We have vents in our bedroom, but it's still the coldest room in the house. It has been a few years since Daisy has been able to get up on our bed to keep my legs warm. She's 15 now and sleeps on her bed on the floor usually. Tonight she decided to take over a cover that my son put on the floor for her instead of her bed. She poked her head out when I went to make sure she was warm enough. 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 (edited) On a more serious note the weather service has extended our hard freeze warning. We won't get above freezing until mid morning on Monday. That's concerning--especially considering how far south the warning extends. Plumbers will be very busy next week. I am getting concerned about dd's trailer. I'm so grateful we don't have travel issues on top of this like so many of you guys to our north. That is so stressful. Edited December 24, 2022 by popmom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wathe Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Just got home from work. It was a hairy late-night drive. High winds and poor visibility. My local road has drifts all the way across, just barely passable with my AWD Subaru. Local weather: 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Mrs Spy Car took a cute picture of our little angel, Desmond--have I mentioned I'm beginning to grow somewhat attached to this little guy? He makes me smile. I hope he makes you smile. Bill 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 11 hours ago, KungFuPanda said: Does a pellet stove work without electricity? We need an insert for our fireplace and I’m having so much trouble choosing between wood, pellet, and gas. No, that’s the downfall. We bought a small generator for the primary purpose of running the stove for heat security (though it sure is nice to have light and Wi-Fi when the powers out too). Pellet stoves are so easy and clean to run though, it’s a small trade off. Ours heats the entire house well enough. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 11 hours ago, KungFuPanda said: Does a pellet stove work without electricity? We need an insert for our fireplace and I’m having so much trouble choosing between wood, pellet, and gas. We went with wood because, for us, in our area, we don’t ever have to worry about any sort of supply chain issue. We can stockpile outside, everyone’s brother sells wood, and we border a forest. Ours is freestanding, but an insert that sticks out enough can still hold heat powered fans for circulation. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Our power was restored around 4 am. So grateful for the crews who work tirelessly to keep the rest of us safe and comfortable. It's 13 degrees, not too cold for here but I was glad to be able to turn the heat on when I got up this morning. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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