The Switch from central electric heat to a Wood-burning Stove

This "wall" in the center of our living and kitchen area just had to come down from the very beginning.

You can read about that remodel here.

We had to get rid of the big, loud, energy vampire of a furnace and fireplace.

We decided on this stove vs a new heat pump unit because of the following
 - we have an abundance of wood and access to wood
 - the house is tiny and the new stoves are so efficient that the wood use should be under 2 cords a year in our "mild" climate.
 - the new stove burns with super low emissions.
 - our summers rarely have temps above 90 so the use of a ac unit part of the heat pump is almost useless
 - when we are without electricity we can still have warmth and cooking
 - when in use, it can be used as a cook-top, reducing the need for the electric range in the winter.
 -  should save us about $400 in electric heating costs per year.



Now for the review of the stove in the 1st season

Stats 

House: Split-level "kit" house with a walk-out basement. 1980 built. Crawl attic. The windows and attic insulation have been updated sometime since the 80's.
Stove is on the top floor where the living/kitchen area and bedrooms are located (appx 1000 sf).

Stove: Pacific Energy, Alderlea cook-top model T4 with, Excel chimney system.

I chose this model because of the high quality of the company. The model features steel box with "floating" iron for heat retention. Built in shield for reduced clearance from combustibles. Hinged removable iron grate flat top for a variety of cooking needs. Big glass door for ambiance. Features air wash flow for the ceramic glass. Size to fit where I needed to put it and for the area of space to heat. Price. ..although it is a top quality stove, they're are way more pricey ones out there.

When I get to old or tired of the work of split wood, I can buy and use pressed logs or convert it to pellets or gass. 

Every time the inspectors come, they comment on the quality and say "This is a really nice stove".

Climate: Mild Pacific northwest USA. 10 months rainy season September-June. 7 months cold starts in October with daytime temps 60 F and under with nites in 40s. Winter cold is usually daytime of 40s and nites dipping down into the upper to mid 30's.
It rarely freezes here. We also have power outages typically in the cooler months due to downed trees from landslides, wet ground and high winds.

History:  We have been acclimating to the cooler weather here. I notice that we like it in the mid-60's in the house at night.
I use a tiny space heater (milkroom heater) under my work table on  "mild" days to get the chill off and it works great in the tiny upstairs. It allows me to heat up the hands and feet but not get too hot while working around the house. It has 1300 and 1500 watt settings.

Review disclaimer: I have not been paid for this review or received free products for it. The review is based on my experience and reflect my own opinions. Performance will not be the same for everyone due to type of wood, moisture of wood, climate, building size & energy efficiency and personal comfort preference.

Season Diary:

This is the boring part!!! I documented some boring details to help me keep record. The first few months are long and it tapers down. Scroll down for a Summary at the end.

September 2013

Early rainy season (fall/winter).
I fired it up on a nice 60degree, sunny day to let the paint cure and open up the windows.

HEATING

We fired it up again on a mildly cool day to knock the chill out and learn how it burns and cooks so we are not having a learning curve on really cold days or in a power outage.
It  was 62 high 51 low F, rainy and cloudy with sun peeks in the evening.
The place got pretty warm (mid - upper 70's). So warm in fact, it was too hot to sleep comfortably.

October 2013

Fall-like weather

Oct1st...
Woke up to 60 in the house with overnite temps of mid-low 40's, current temps of 45 with forecast of 100% rain (of course) and a high of 55 dropping back to mid-low 40s at night.
Decided to use the stove to heat us up this morning and get the house warm for overnite.
Started burn at about 7:30am. By 10am it was 70 in the house. I opened the bedroom doors to let the heat in. Let the fire go out on its own around 3pm.  9pm still 70 in house and 50 outside. Kept the stove "cold" for the nite to see how we do in the 40's this nite.

Oct 2nd...
Woke up to 65 this morning in the house and about 45 out - nice retention house!

Oct 9th
I woke up to 36 degrees and it was a nice 65 in home. With just a maple log on low put in at 8pm - perfect.
It was a bit warm for me going to bed but the waking up temp was wonderful.
Supposed to get to 60 today and mostly sunny so, I just got a small fire going to knock off the chill as the house temps are dropping slowly.

October seemed a bit crazy with using a stove. It is that time of year where most of the time it isn't needed.
Starting up from cold (without coals) has its challenges.

Energy Usage Comparison for October
2012 - 1109.90 kwh   Temp - 49avg, 68H, 32L
2013 -   990.87 kwh   Temp - 47avg, 75H, 28L
       
 = 119.03 less usage (about $15- savings)

November 2013

Nov 7th
Now it is starting to get "winter" around here in the Pacific Northwest. The 1st snow fell in the passes and we are pretty much a constant below 50F with cloudy skies. The stove is being used more often than not but is still on the low burn side most of the time.
Kudos to the house as I have been able to keep it between 60-70 all the time.
I am able to cook on it more often. But, I don't know how much it will help with the electric consumption as I realized I bake more in the cooler months. The oven is another electricity eater.

Nov 30th
It has been a strange fall in the western cascade foothills this year - clear and cool and very "Fall-like".
We have had cold snaps (below freezing at night) of about 3 days followed by about 5 days of typical weather (cool, wet and above freezing).  This month I probably used about an 8'x3' row of wood.


Energy Usage Comparison for November
2012 - 1565.36 kwh   Temp - 45avg, 66H, 23L
2013 -  1086.67 kwh   Temp - 43avg, 60H, 19L

          = 478.69 less usage (about $45-52 savings)
               ($ 80.32 actual compared to previous year November bill)

DECEMBER 2013

December 1st
We start of the month with 2 full cords left.

December 4th
Unusually frigid week. This is not the norm here luckily.
Woke up to 57 in the house this morning - boo. Got a learning curve here with below freezing.
Daytime is no problem. I have been going through more fuel and keeping it on medium to high for the day.
We had about 3 weeks of the coldest temps in a few years here. We got down to 8 one night.
I experimented with pressed logs (100% wood) and it went well. They heat well, evenly and leave a nice coal piece for overnite.


Energy Usage Comparison for December
2012 - 2282.625 kwh   Temp - 36avg, 46H, 26L
2013 -  1466.58 kwh   Temp - 36avg, 53H, 8L

          = 816.045 less usage (about $80-90 savings)

JANUARY 2014

This has been a strange winter here in the PACNW. Not a lot of "warm" rainy days and quite a bit of sun and cold. Really really cold!


Energy Usage Comparison for January
2013 - 2432.37 kwh   Temp - 36avg, 55H, 17L
2014 -  1424.6  kwh   Temp - 40avg, 57H, 19L

      1007.77kwh less usage = (about $110 savings)
                                              ($156.78 actual compared to previous year bill)

February 2014

The first week was another bitterly frigid week with lows in the low teens.
On the 7th the stove started smoking more than it should when we opened the door to reload.
The 8th, I cleaned out the ash. The CO alarm sounded shortly after I cleaned and started a new fire. We aired the house and I let the fire die. The alarm did not sound again but to be safe, we did not use the stove again and instead let the small electric space heater keep the temperature stable.

The 9th, I opened the window in case it was a pressure issue, and lit a paper fire to heat up the chimney and see how the smoke goes up the chimney. I noticed smoke coming out from the stove collar. So, a call to the certified chimney folks is in order for the morning.

Lesson: always have a backup or two.

All cleaned and chimney and stove all in good order. The spark screen was clogged. Good news is they said the chimney looked good for this time in the season and just recommended to have it cleaned again at the end of next season and to go up on the roof about 2 times in the season to clean off the screen and take a look at the chimney.

Energy Usage Comparison for February
2013 - 1835.31 kwh   Temp  - 41avg, 53H, 24L
2014 -  1578.495  kwh  Temp - 38avg, 55H, 10L

   256.815   kwh less usage = (about $25- $31 savings)

March 2014

At the start of March, we have gone through a full cord so far this season. There is a months worth in the log hold on the deck. I think it will last us thru the rest of the season. The weather is actually starting to show a warming trend. I have been lightning it up mainly in the evening around 3-5pm when it starts to cool in the house. March has used almost all the wood on the deck. I light up the stove usually about once a day to every-other day or just in the evening or in the morning.

Energy Usage Comparison for March
2013 - 1718.43 kwh   Temp - 45avg, 71H, 24L
2014 -  1404.03  kwh   Temp -46avg, 68H, 26L
             314.4 kwh less for march

  534    kwh less usage = (about $ 30 savings)
                  $373.37 march2013              ($ 77.86 actual compared to previous year bill)
                  $295.51 march 2014

April 2014

April starts with some nice spring weather. We also have about 2-3 days of wood "left over" from last month.
We had to use it 2-3 times in April but for the most part I use the small space heater most nites set to 65 degrees to make sure it doesn't get too chilly. Hubby turns the thing on full blast in the morning and I turn it back down after he leaves.


Energy Usage Comparison for April
2013 - 1270.82 kwh   Temps - 48avg, 71H, 32L
2014 -   1161.71 kwh Temps - 49avg, 80H, 32L

    109.11 kwh less usage = (about $15 savings)
               

May 2014

Typical spring weather for here. Cool days and nights with occasional warm days and unpredictable rain.
The start of the month, I used it once or twice on cool, very cloudy days where the high was in the low 50's.

Energy Usage Comparison for May
2013 - 948.96 kwh   Temps - 55avg, 84H, 30L
2014 -   873.24 kwh Temps - 56avg, 86H, 39L

      kwh less usage = 75.72 (about $10-13 savings)
                  $238.95 may 2013              ($23.60 actual compared to previous year bill)

                  $215.35 may 2014

so far for season - $338.56

Summary

Savings & Expenses

$338.56 for the 2013-2014 burn season as compared to 2012-2013 electric furnace use.

This is not as much as I had hoped for.
The only difference from last years' energy usage is that... The previous year with the electric furnace, I kept it pretty cool in the house during the day and bundled and used the space heater right next to me while working. There is also a heater in the well house that kicks on whenever it gets under 60F (I've got to fix that). I think the man-cave usage may have been the same. He likes it pretty toasty down there in the winter. This year... I kept it very cozy in the upstairs and if I were using the furnace as opposed to the wood-stove, it would have been a much higher bill. I can't go back past one year in my bill history. I do remember having 2 mid-winter bills in 2011-2012 that were between $500-$600. That is why I was so conservative the following winter. Comparing that to the 2 largest in the conservative year at $375-450, the savings would be a whole lot greater and... I do not have to bundle up so much and sit in front of the space heater.

"Hidden" expenses of woodststove life...

The annual cleaning and inspection which runs about $140 around here.

If you have to purchase wood, you can expect to pay $200-$300 per split cord in this area.

We did purchase a cord the first year as a just-in case. We used the cord and a little of our older stuff.

We do not have to purchase wood for the next 2 years (so far) as we have almost a full cord from 2 years ago, about a cord and a half from a downed maple from last year, and about a large cord from a dead fir we just felled and a dead maple and alder that will be felled next weekend. Looking at all the trees on our acreage that are on the way out (there was a maple disease a few years ago and the fir beatle that are killing quite a few trees around here), we should be set for at least few years after that. Hopefully with only a cord - to one and a half cords per season... our acreage will be self-sustaining.

Start up costs. ..

Stove

Chimney system

Floor protection 

Install 

Inspectors

Insurance will increase

Tools 

Fuel

Fuel storage 

Cleaning maintenance 

Concerns...

Safetey

Yes, there is fire and carbon monoxide hazards. But... you could also have a fire start from the electrical wiring in your home, space heaters, ovens, toasters, fixtures and even the electric furnace. If you are a smoker, or light candles (or tend to burn food - guilty) etc... CO2 is a huge concern if you have gas lines of any use.
When a quality stove and components are properly installed and maintained and used, the risk is no more than any other appliance in your home.
We did have the CO alarm sound one day. Our spark screen had build up and was not allowing the stove to vent properly. A quick and easy maintenance that we could have done ourselves and prevented if we had checked it. After a cleaning and inspection from a certified sweep team, we were on our way. This was toward the end of our burn season anyway. Next year, we will check and clean the screen in December and check it every month.

Accidental burns...
Our stove is steel box surrounded by floating iron plates and a heat shield on the back. During normal burning, I can touch the sides, top, and back without getting burned. It is HOT but not enough to burn unless I intentionally leave my hand on there. The glass and areas of the front door are hot enough to burn as is the cook top (has vented iron cover). I have been burned twice when I have carelessly loaded the box with my hands instead of using tongs or fire gloves (the box is small). If I had a young one I would install a fire gate around the hearth anyway.

Messy. 

Yup, it is messy. Wood sheds dirt, bark, moss and yes, bugs etc... in the house in the wood pile and when loading.
There is ash to clean. During the peak burn season I empty the ash about twice a month. It burns so efficiently that the ash is very minimal.
I vacuum, at least once a day around the hearth because I like it to look clean. I also wipe down the stove from ash and dust and clean the glass about once a week.
Compared to the central unit, there is no more dust in the home than before. And, I feel like there is less.

Glass Is easy to clean. Just a moist rag and a clean paper towel. Add a dab of white ash for tough areas. 

Smell:

It only smelled of smoke when the chimney needed cleaning.
Outside smell - does not smoke except on a start-up and smells of a faint wood-burning scent.

Work:

Yes, especially if you split and collect your own cord wood.
That can be reduced if you purchase your wood and pay to have it stacked. Or use pressed logs. But, you still have to bring it in.

Convenience:

None unless when the electricity is out then, it is a HUGE convenience!
If you are gone most of the day it may not be useful except in power outages.
If if is cold in the house it does take 1-2 hours to get it warm depending on how cold it is in the first place.
We came back from Christmas break in Texas to about a 40 degree house at midnight and it was not fun staying up for the next hour to get the stove warm and going. That is when our bed heaters really were more than welcome!
On the super cold spells I would get up at 2am to re-load. I think i probably had to do that about 6 days out of the whole year.
I can be sure it is going well before i leave to go shopping, return 2 hours later and it is still good.
Sometimes it is really hard to start from cold. Part, I think was the quality of wood we purchased. I don't think it was fully seasoned. Next season we will be using our own wood and will know exactly how long it has been seasoned. I also have cut our own kindling - I like it much better.

Heating:

In the bitter cold (below about 25 F day time temps) it kept the house comfortable at a full burn 24 hours a day. In most of the burn season (non-peak) it is great and I can easily keep it between 60-70 in the house. In the October and April-May months it will get the house really really warm and I prefer to only light up on the occasional evening or morning and use the small electric space heater to knock off the chill and wear my house sweater.

You would think heat is heat and I thought people were crazy when they raved about the "feel" of the heat from their woodstoves. I am joining them in their crazy... I love the heat it makes. It feels natural and beats the forced air furnace in the way it feels. There is a difference.
It may have also helped fight off the SAD this year. Really, it does lift the spirit on a cold, rainy and dark day to sit in front of the stove and watch the flames and feel the warmth.

So far, so good.

Starting of 2nd Season. ..

My own seasoned wood is so much easier to start! Really didn't get started burning till Nov this year and had 2 freezing snaps.  Emptied the ash 3 times and took a month to fill the ash bucket. I check the CO2 alarms almost daily. The numbers have been at zero except when I burn food.  Oops.

Are you considering a woodstove? 

There are so many options and situations. There is no one solution as a woodstove purchase and needs are custom. 

Know your climate

Know your home

How much work do you want to put in? 

Are you gone all day? 

Do you like convenience and consistent, instant comfort?

Do you want complete off grid functionality? 

Do you have a place for it to be safely installed?

Do you know of all the regulations in your area for use,  maintenance, installation etc? 

Are you aware of all the expenses? 

Have you done your research? 

November 2013

Cleaning out the photos (over a year later :-/)

Here are a few photos of fall-early winter of 2013.

Installing and painting the old pantry from the kitchen wall we tore out and re-purposing as built in storage.

Moved the wood drying shed from the orchard to the meadow and replaced the roof.
Filling in with the fallen maple from the west side.

Experimenting roasting a squash in the new woodstove.

Baking

Feels like the Holidays

Lichen for Santa's Reindeer Christmas Eve

2 dollar table

Well, not really $2.

We had to go and buy some glue - that was $2.

Anyway... now that the deck is finished, we have been enjoying dining Al-fresco. Our kitchen table has been re-located to the deck while we look for on sale patio furniture deals.

$150 bucks for a flimsy table and then another $150 for 2 chairs - not our idea of a good deal.

So, I was thinking about furniture and it HIT me! We can make a table out of the salvaged cedar floor boards. It will be rustic, and pretty.

We decided on a size to fit up to 6 adults and got to work. It only took 3 days. Most of the time was waiting for glue and finish to dry. The assembly and cutting was only a few hours really.

All the materials (except the glue) we already had on hand.
Salvaged flooring for the top, frame and support.
Left over 2x4 scraps from the deck and salvages 2x3 scraps from the wood shelter for the leg supports.
An extra landscape post for the legs.
Leftover wood-screws from the deck for assembling.
one canister of outdoor liquid nails for the glue ($2)


Photo timeline of the build:

Now onto the chairs?

Memorial Day Weekend 2012 & Grove of the Patriarchs

It started out with a Friday off for Hubby. We worked on the deck Friday and half of Saturday.

Saturday afternoon, we did yard maintenance.
Sunday we planted trees and set mole traps. Went to see a movie.

Observed owl babies on the west side of the property that evening.

I need to add better pictures and video from Mark.







Monday we went to check out the Packwood Flea Market. Supposedly the biggest in the State. Not impressed. It was like an overpriced garage sale. There were a few folks that had specialty items but not many. It was one of those things like the SeaFair - you go just to check it out and then never go again.
We dined at a place called Cliff Droppers. They serve burgers and shakes, fries and beer. It was nothing super special. Good burgers, ore-ida  tasting fries - which are good but, I prefer homemade-style if I am out to eat. Shakes were YUM! Service was fantastic! Decor is ski-tastic. I would give it a 4 out of 5 and would recommend it.

We tried our luck to see if we could go back home via Mt Rainier National Park. Most passes are still closed till June. We got conflicting messages as the Park website stated all except Chinook were open, the roadsigns said most were closed and chains were still needed. Well, only Chinook was closed and chains were not needed on the Stevens Canyon/Longmire roads were clear.  Looks like the park website is the best info. So, that is the way we went.


We visited the Grove of the Patriarchs this time. 

lichen @ the Grove of Patriarchs

Salmon-berry bud @ Grove of Patriarchs

Grove of the Patriarchs

This trail is moderately easy. It is not handicap accessible. It is about 1.5 miles long. There are some stairs, inclines and a suspension footbridge. The cedar loop trail on the island is a raised boardwalk with seating. There are informational signs along the way.

This is a nice light hike for those who are able of all ages.

my kid on boardwalk in front of Big cedar @ Grove of Patriarchs

Suspension foot bridge to the cedar Loop Trail

The Grove of the Patriarchs is a beautiful, ethereal place to visit. 

On the way out We took the South road through Paradise and Longmire.

The roads were still lined with waterfalls but, this time there were more and they were on full force. We passed a cliff of mud and rock and our stomachs flipped when we heard a strange rock-slide noise.

There were huge slabs of rock that had come loose that had not been there last year.

Through the higher elevations we encountered massive snow packs. With the rain and mass, we were both quite nervous through Paradise area.

Paintbrushes @ Stevens Canyon

Reflection Lake May 2012

We drove past Reflection Lake. Click here to see Reflection Lake in Late August of 2011. Here it is late May 2012. Just got the road because the snowbank is about 7 feet high. Rainier would be to the left out the passengers window.

On the south side of the mountain

Waterfall near Longmire

 It was a beautiful and peaceful drive as any campers that were there for the weekend were mostly packed away and headed home.
  

skunk cabbage near Longmire

 Some of these photos and others not seen here will be made available in my shop. Click links on page to go directly to my Etsy or Zazzle shops.



This Memorial Day we remember and honor all the people who died in service to defending the United States of America. Without their sacrifice and dedication to keeping our nation free and defended, these beautiful parks may not have been preserved for generations from all over the Earth to experience. The beauty and preservation of these National Parks stand as an honor to the lives past. present and future, that were sacrificed to make our lives free and safe.

Fresh Start

We spent the whole summer cleaning up the property (see past posts). 

Dumpsters and truck beds full of debris were carted away. 

A garden was forged out of a rocky field overgrown with invasive English Ivy and Wisteria.

Paths for hiking and relaxation were carefully and painstakingly carved through the hills and forest.

Yeah, we still had some ways to go but, at least the bulk was behind us.

Until the storm came.

The paths are no longer recognizable and blend in with the surrounding land covered in tree branches.

The garden deer fence is demolished.

The orchard looks like a war trauma unit.

Amidst all that... Our home is intact, the poultry are still alive, and there is only minimal damage to the outbuildings. ... Praise God! It was a bit scary and stressful to go through it without my husband here. The 4 days without electricity, the falling trees everywhere, the being "treed and snowed in" on our hill for 3 days.

Let me tell you something about living here. Our "neighborhood is on the top of a 1000 ft elevation hill with a view of Mt. Rainer's cone 30 miles to the east. We make a 3 mile loop of gravel/dirt road with one road in/out. The smallest lots are an acre. Most of us are on a patch of about 6 acres. This is the 1st place where I have felt that this is where we belong. The loop is so big, we have not near met everyone yet but, the folks we have met are (to put it in Texan terms) "Just Peachy"! We all pretty much keep our peace and keep to ourselves. but, when it comes down to it... you won't find more helpful, kind, genuine folks than these up here on our hill!

That being said... Let me update y'all on the post storm happenings.

It was a bit rainy and cold for a while there. But the weather rewarded us for her temper tantrum and gave us a good 5 days of BEAUTIFUL sunny AND warm (if you want to call 50's warm) weather. When you are working  it sure does feel nice! 

I can get to the shed now

We started by clearing the path to the brush pile on the east hill. I cleared most of the garden and the compost area, and the path to the garden shed. Then we tackled the orchard. We got a lot done in the weekend.

I am trying to salvage the good apple tree. Pruned about hald of it off - I still have a little more to go. We  hoisted it back up with the truck and are trying to support it while the east side root structure tries to re-develop - fingers crossed. 

apple tree physical therapy

I found an apple/pear/ fruit of some sort tree felled in the woods up near the shed and re-located it to the orchard to see what happens. I had to prune the heck out of it! When examining its' roots - looks like it had been planted in a burlap sack (roots were circled up) and about 8 inches too deep (whats new?! - right MG's?)! It will be interesting to see if it takes and if so, what it will be. 

My hubby (bless his heart) cut down the only tree that was in the right spot. My little plum. :'-(. 

Oh well, whats' done is done. Now I just went out and had to buy a new one - at least i know the variety this time (an Italian, freestone, prune/fresh variety).

cranberry & Wintermint

apricot, & 2 cherries

The nursery order came in a month ahead of time and so I put them in pots till I can get them in the ground and protected from the deer :-{ - errrrrr!

toro and hardiblue blueberrys

bushes gone - kinnikinnik in

I took out the 6'x8' bushes they planted as a foundation planting in the front (another eye-roll for the MG's). Replaced them with a little native plant called Kinnikinnik (bear berry). And will put annual color in there till it fills in. Re-located the bushes to the front - to help with road dust.

future home of strawberries

Started on adding a strawberry bed to the garden. The birds helped out with that. I let them out with me and they loved to help (waiting for me to flip over the pavers so they could get to the good stuff and scratching in the freshly weeded dirt piles).

It was really nice while it lasted. 

Back to the rain.

the "new" orchard - plum tree in back in "chickenwire cage"

I also have been working on a start-up business to help out with the bills and repairs to the property.

The past few months of research and preparation are finally over and now on to dividing my time between family, farm and business. 

I have my licence and a web-based venue for my photos and other items for sale.

  Check it out on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PoultryPlayground

 I am always adding new things - so check the shop regularly to see what's new!






Later!

Snowed In

Well...

After I posted the last blog post, here is what happened the next few days.

I hardly got sleep that night. It sounded like small bombs dropping all around us.
The crunching-crackling-creaking sound that would last for about 3 seconds or so... followed by a loud POP... a loud crackle-scratch... and BOOM-thud, as the branches and trees fell near and far. I dreaded what I would find as the light came in the morning and feared where the next succession of noise would find it's destination.

some of the results of the night before

The power went out that morning at about 5:30 and I had been awakened by another pre-recorded call from the schools, reporting another closed day.









I was kind of expecting it, with the way the weather was forecasted and what I gathered from watching the news. I was, of course hoping it would stay on. But, with all the trees around here and the ice and snow expected, there was bound to be a break somewhere. So, the day before, I had filled up a jug of water and did laundry, brought in some wood, which would later prove to be not enough.

the coop

We had doughnuts and milk for breakfast. I started a fire to keep the house warm and cook.

powerlines in ice

I went out to check on the chickens and the world was covered in ice.

 Check out the post before this to see what the coop tree looked like before loaded down with hundreds of pounds of ice and snow.

I remembered that the forecast said it was not supposed to warm up till Friday. So, I carefully ventured out to the wood shed to get at least a few more bundles of the maple I split a few weeks ago.

orchard in ice

Listening very carefully for the sound of the fall and ready to drop everything and run out of the shed along my path of escape to avoid the falling snag that loomed above the shed (hopefully). I managed to get 3 bundles and called it good-enough for today.

cooking soup for lunch

We didn't have a space-heater and there was only a half-tank of gas in our little generator. So, I opted to use the generator only once a day to charge up anything that needed it and to re-cool the garage fridge and do anything else that needed electricity. I was not about to got out to the rock-shed and get the measly little gallon in there (that would require to traverse along a path of tree-bombs with no escape route).
The crashing of branches and trees continued through the day and into the night.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 2 - Friday

Another sleepless night of branches and trees falling.
This morning I make delish mesquite-smoked turkey, egg and cheese toasted sandwiches in the fire. It takes WAY LONGER to cook in a fireplace with no cook-top (a wood stove would be SO NICE! And would heat way better!)

The snow and ice are still all over but it is supposed to heat up today (mid 40's).  the van is coated with about 1/4 inch of ice sheet.

fallen orchard

This morning the orchard fell.
 I wanted to take most of the trees out anyway except the big apple.


 A glimmer of hope shone briefly with the sun over the mountain this morning and for about 10 minutes it was beautiful to see the sun glint through the ice.

 Did I mention my husband was out-of town in D.C. for a business meeting since Tuesday morning? Yeah. Just me and the kid and 5 pullets. He was supposed to come back yesterday but, got stranded in Detroit till tomorrow. Luckily (if that's' what you want to call it - in a way) he works for a great company that takes care of their people and they took care of his extra hotel at the airport, food and transportation. And, the International car show was still going on, something he has always dreamed of going to! So today, he is getting to spend as long as he wants (no having to drag our  "not-so-enthusiastic-about-cars-ness" tired bodies around) without distraction at the biggest and best car show in the world! And, gets to sleep in a nice warm room, food cooked for him, hot shower, running water, hotel (although he said he would rather be home in the storm with us). Awe..... how sweet.

Here is a short video with sound of the crashes.

The crashing of the trees continues - although not so enthusiastically today.

our slushy gravel road

It snowed, then warmed up enough to put a nice layer of ice on top, then sleeted, then snowed light soft snow, then freezing rain that soaked into the snow and sleet and formed a nice thick layer of ice on top, then snowed wet big flakes on top of that before it started to melt. yeah.

After noon, there is slush all over the roads but the main ones are clear and neighbors said it is ok to get up and down our hill as long as you dodge the tree limbs and go single file. We have some great neighbors with cool equipment. I saw a snowplow with treads and a guy on an ATV with a tiny plow runs up and down pushing branches to the side. Folks with chainsaws and cones helped clear the big stuff and mark dangers. And someone banked the paved hill so it was less-likely to slide off the cliff.

We had lunch and let the fire go out and got out of there! It took over a half hour for the van to warm up and for me to de-ice it.

The 2 towns we went to had no power. Just the major stores like Wal-mart and Safeway with big generators.

It did take us a while to get there because of all the detours and u-turns at road closed signs, back-tracking and dodging downed trees and powerlines.

We got some water and a few other things, touched "civiliation" again and headed back before it got dark to get things done.

detailing the duck and hen

generator gourmet consolidation

I had to plug up the generator again to charge things and cool down the garage fridge (where I had transfered all the perishables) and cook dinner on the waffle iron. Sabrina made improvements to her snow duck.



I fired up the fire again to get the chill out.
That night the clouds in the sky lit up from underneath like fireworks from the powerlines.

a huge branch almost took out the line to the pump

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday 21st

Yeah! Decent night sleep - no crash and booms. And my Hubby gets to come home today!

Things are melting from the rain and wind last nite.
Power still out but hope for turn-on in a few days because the clear roads.

Apples and his family even came over to look for food - they survived the storm. He even got closer - about 2 feet this time.

Hubby got home for lunch.
He kept the fire going most the night.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday 22nd

Power came back on about 2am. this morning. YEAH!!!!!!














  I took a shower 1st thing! Never felt so good to take a shower!

tops snapped off

We put out the fire - Yeah! I am so sick of tending the fire and house and everything else smelling of smoke.






We cleaned the house! Feels so good to get back to the modern conveniences!


This house is just not equipped properly for power outages.

orchard down

We walked the property line along the street to see what needed to be done. There was a neighbor "crew" cleaning up the branches along the roadside already and we pitched in along our line. And we made notes of some areas that we needed to keep an eye on.



Then we carefully walked the west side of the property (where we could). The forest paths were blocked with debris and will take months to get cleaned up again. (and we just took the past summer cleaning up the place). Oh, well... more firewood for next year.

Here we go again!