Its warming up, its 17 degrees out there

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Baby its COLD outside

You know its cold when you step outside to take a pic and your nose hair freeze instantly.

Even below 0 the spring is still running.  I cant wait for spring so I can get that water into the cabin.

Walk to the Creek

Oz convinced me this morning, because its warmer now at 20°, to go for a walk with him down to the creek.  It might say 20° at the house but it is much colder down by the water.  The sun is far behind the mountain so deep in the valley so the creek is cast in a chilled twilight.

The frost in the shadows here builds up nightly,  making some rather fantastic creations.

Once under the cedars and next to the creek it felt as if the temperature dropped even further than is was just in the mountains shadow.

As expected the first thing to happen was the boy and the dogs went skidding across the ice.

Only then did they set to exploring.

Most all of the creek  is frozen over.  Only a few pockets remain open.

This hole stayed open last winter until it was nearly -40°.

At this point my camera was getting cold it enough it kept an error reading.  I managed to get a few more shots before heading back up the mountain to the Little Cabin and the fire place.

Morning Drive

This morning Oz began his apprenticeship so we braved the cold and headed out.  The car was not at all happy to be started with the near sub-zero weather, but after some protest and squealing it took us down the mountain.  The sun was just coming up over the mountain ridge line as we wound our way down to the main road.

We got there just in time and warmed up by Q’s fire place before I headed back towards home.  Today I will edit!  On the way though I had to stop to take a few pictures.

On the radio is said it was 3° and I that feels about right.  It doesn’t take long for the exposed fingers or the poor camera to feel very cold.

It was cold enough Thor didn’t even want to get out of the car to walk with me.

Cold weather is not my favourite thing, but after being outside in it the fire feels twice was wonderful and the coffee twice as rich.

Dark by 5:30

This morning the thermometer was stuck a 0, a bit chilly if nothing else. Snow came down in tiny flakes making a wintery view, like a post card in motion, out the windows. The morning was beautiful.  I sipped my coffee and watched winter settled in over the mountain. It seemed at that point I would get a lot done.

As soon as coffee gone, the work day began with a few hours at the Buddhist Retreat further up the mountain.  Then, fighting with the chain saws, (neither would start) and a debate with a generator that refused too stay running.  Too many pull cords for me today.  A lot of effort gained no reward, but there will be days like that. Walking away I headed down the mountain and spent  the rest of the daylight hours were spent helping put up more of the skirting on the 5th wheel.

Soaked from kneeling and sitting on the frozen and snowy ground, my knees hurt as much as my shoulders from yanking on pull cords earlier, I headed back up the cabin. Its cold and the sun is down by 5:30.  Tonight the sky dark with clouds so it felt like a rather long hike.

When I got home though the fire place is glowing with deep embers and its warm!  Gloriously warm! OZ (my son) has kept the fire going all day and has a bowl of soup ready for me.  The Dishes are done and the plants are waters.  I love my little cabin and what an amazing boy I have.

We trek back down, to get online, he has a blog to post as his writing assignment for the day, and I think I’ll post one as well.  Then we are headed back up the warm little cabin to play games… Magic the Gathering or Kingdom Builders?  Perhaps we will opt to read one of the several books we have open and take turns reading out loud from.

last night’s task

So here’s a few pics of the skirting I did last night.  I doesn’t look like much really but working outside when it so cold the nose hairs freeze makes everything achieved much more of an accomplishment.

The end is all framed in and foam-board up! That should make his bedroom much warmer!

Here you can see how I attached the foam-board to the framework inside.  The screw and washer method work great.  The inside will be further sealed with spray foam and the outside sealed with outdoor weather stripping tape.   The proof the old got to me was that I cut the last piece, to go up before it was too dark, backwards.  Luckily it is on the backside of the 5th wheel and no one will see it.

From Snow to Cold

Yesterday the snow arrived.  It wasn’t too cold, just a tad chilly at 20 degrees, but as often happens when winter arrives it does so with a sudden sharpness that can cause even experienced mountain dwellers to shudder and stay inside.

Warm in the cabin with sun gloriously streaming in through the windows I thought it would be a great day for a hike, to get the new snow, the sun and the blue sky but once outside the hike was decidedly short and back inside I went.

I snapped a few pictures and ducked back inside to make tea.  I was just getting settled to do edits on Through the Barrier, (something  have been putting off) when the Snoring Bear aka the Virgo #2 came asking if I could help him.

Down in the shadow of the mountain the skirting has not gone back up on his 5th wheel since he moved it from one side of the yard to the other a couple of months ago.  While my Little Cabin was still in the sun shine, be it heavily blocked by the trees that have not yet been thinned, he was well in the shade.

Part of being partners in such an endeavour is that one persons needs are the needs of all.  So down the mountain I went.  We worked on thawing the drain lines and then waited for the foam board to arrive.  (virgo #3 had gone to go pick it up) Unfortunately, it had not arrived when he had to go to work so with a look that bagged for help, he said, ‘if you get inspired feel free to work on it.’

On my walk down the road to his place I found two dropped treasures that are not from anywhere within a mile.  I wonder who dropped them and where they came from.

So for the last hour, I have been outside, the temperature steadily falling, working on the skirting.

My fingers and toes a bit on the frozen side I decided to needed to come in, warm up and most my pictures from earlier today.   Maybe tonight, or tomorrow I will post a few of the work I get done before the sun sets.

The Snow has arrived at the Cabin

The snow has been lingering to the mountain tops all around the Little Cabin but last night freezing rain turned to true snow.  I managed to get down the driveway and back up once but soon I will be parking at the bottom and hiking up.

Not too cold yet at 30degrees but by tomorrow it is supposed to be 3.

Thor the puppy was delighted with the snow.  Trying to take his picture while he raced up and down the drive was nearly impossible.  I have quite a few images of white and black blurr.

Today I think will be a good day to sit close to the fire and sip hot tea, read a book with the boy and not go anywhere.

First Snow

Today while the snow holds to the higher ground for one more day, I have been working on the sheet rock on the walls of the Little Cabin.  It will be good to have the insulation covered.  I thought to stop and take a break to post a few pics of the first snow before I work put up the pics of the sheet rock work.

The weather is changing.  November 1st the snow came to the mountain tops. It crept down only so far, almost to the back side of the cabin but I got to fall asleep to the sound of the rain.  Morning was cool but had the crisp smell of frozen leaves and the little stream was frozen over.

The sun peeking in and out of the clouds, smelling of snow but keeping it only the higher places.

snow up high but rain at the cabin

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Little Cabin Work -October

Little tasks keep getting done.  Bit by bit they come together one day to the next.  A part picked up here, a another purchased there and things start to function.  The biggest improvement in the last month has been the advancement of the wiring and the kitchen cabinets going in.

The wiring is all 12 volt. It comes off the battery bank into the house with no need for conversion, thus saving a lot of the energy that is lost as people convert from 110 to 12 volt.  I have been limited to one old camper style light but have recently made huge steps forward.

new wall sconce, switch for that one and the ceiling light, (switch not wired in yet but the wires are in place behind) and 12 volt outlet.

With the help of the ‘snoring bear’ the has been run up to the vaulted ceiling.  I am now in the hunt to find  12 volt ceiling fan.  Two wall sconces I picked up at the Restore.  You can use any light fixture if you get a special bulb made for 12 volts.  These two I couldn’t pass up.  My 12 volt outlet is also hot now.  That means the lap top wont go dead every hour and a half, needing recharging elsewhere.  I can also now charge my cell phone and other such devices.

cabinet doors on

Soon the last of the insulation will go in and the sheet rock will go up.  The east end wall will be done in a rocket stove and cob next year but there just was not time this year to get it done.  A couple windows are still planned on but with the way the weather and winters can be in Montana it is a better idea to insulate and sheet rock now with plans to take down next summer for more work.

Being cold is a way to really ruin the joy of living in the mountains in winter.  Today is the first day snow flakes have come down here this year, quite late, but we have had cold rain for days.  The fire has been going and while I am a long way from having all I need for the course of the winter I have been warm and cozy this far.