Have faith in God. It will make you dig deeper and become a better leader.
Anne F. Beiler
Oily cat poop day 2. I should be saving that oil for the next four mornings. Minus 32 three or four days in a row.
I woke too sore and too tired to argue with my inner voices. No I am not schizo, we are all fine.🤪
Cat food and water first, kindling, then cut boards, make more kindling, build the fire.
Built on a bed of used motor oil, and cat poop sawdust. Still dealing with an expired bic barbecue lighter. That thing never worked from day one. After 15 tries I got one tiny little flame. Just enough to start the fire.
The sky is clear outside, a sign of an Arctic high pressure system that comes with extreme cold.
In a few minutes I have to make the trip outside through deep snow to find a few more boards to get me through the next mornight.
I have lots of things planned for today. I am not sure I will get much done. Pain in my chest, my left ear, back and neck say no.
The fact they need doing says I don’t have a choice.
My gen crapped out again last night. I can’t charge solar batteries and run the xbox. Yesterday I just ran the Xbox and it died. It means that it is putting out less and less.
I am hoping that the sun has moved enough to charge batteries using solar. The truth is that is a very small hope. Days are still short and the sun is low in the sky.
I guess its time to get a few boards if they are there.
There is lots there, a lot rotten from years of weather, but many were not. I pulled out a few days worth. Manged to fill my boots and neck full of snow. I brought in a big arm load and of course they dropped in front of the door. Not on purpose.
I am taking my vitamins, soon to make coffee, maybe breakfast. I certainly got my excercise done. There are more boards under the deep snow. I will find them when I need to.
After coffee I will try to get the gen running. My solar panels are generating a small amount, maybe enough to keep my internet on. I am using my drill battery to usb converter to charge my phone and I will try to charge my powerbank with them.
At least they got charged when the gen was working.
I am back in the fireroom cutting boards. I noticed the fire was almost out. It was only 2 PM. Still the warmest part of the week.
Gen still not started. I realized I would have to go out and gather more boards.
I just just waiting for pulse to be lower than 123. Yup just measured.
I brought in another hundred pounds of boards. I also filled another giant bowl of snow.
When my lungs catch up with my body, i will try to cut some more.
I just caught a big lung full of smoke trying to breathe life into the fire. Note to self. Don’t try to blow on hot coals while your lungs still need to gulp air.
It’s ten in the fireroom. It was 15 earlier. The secret of keeping a house warm in extreme cold is to keep it warm. I know seems self redundant.
When I got home after 45 days in the hospital 2014. I came home to a house that was -45 inside. It took 12 hours of wood heat to get it to 0.
I learned important things that day. Memory foam freezes. I was so happy to see my bed I did a flop onto the bed, with a freshly broken back and neck.
The bed was as hard as plywood. Yes I did scream outloud. I spent the night, lying on the floor, covered in blankets with my head nearest the woodstove. I survived.
I just handsawed more boards. I am on the next break. The log hoop is 45 percent full. The problem is if I cut more I will need to go get more.
Whats left out there is nasty. A triple 2×10 beam four feet long. An 8 foot 4×4, 2 twenty foot boards and worse. I would rather leave that till tomorrow when it’s really fookin cold. Wait what am I saying.
I am saying don’t over do it. I have done enough for today. I needed to switch to some easier task.
I decided to take the snow turned to water up to the filter system. Clean water for cats & coffee during the deep freeze.
I still had one full store bought. I needed to haul it upstairs some time today before it freezes.
I brought another drill battery up to recharge my powerbank. I could run my internet with that.
Ya it’s 4 PM. Came down to fill the fire, and you already know I cut two more boards. I couldn’t help it, they were screaming cut me.
So I did. Hahaha.
This just in we have an official extreme cold warning in effect -40 windchills.
I laughed when I found this song, especially when Gene Kelly SANG “you have to put the heat on to make the kettle perc.” Too funny.
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