Baby It's (been) Cold Outside (and inside!)

[Velo Dog]

Dear John Carrey,

I thought all of humanity was supposed to be hiding under our beds and biting our fingernails, in fear of eminent global warming.
Please explain to us morons what you were talking about, because now we are more skeptical of you and your story than ever.

Yours Truly,
Millions of laughing Conservatives.

 

[Hogpatrol]

A balmy 80 F here. Watching TV in my skivies. Those old locust fenceposts put out some heat.

 

[crs]

Speaking of dead deer - a friend sent me a picture of frozen Axis deer from down around San Antonio. He had a farm trailer full and that many more still on the ground. They had frozen and not been shot. Maybe 40 in the picture. I hope he had a place to donate the meat. I plan to call him for details today.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

I did buddy.
I've been watching the store.

At least I had my Honda Generator to power my computer the day I got to join you guys without power and heat. The Electric company decided the middle of winter was a good time to replace poles and conductors.

Glad you guys are safe. Lawn ornaments and all.

Thanks, glad that you were here as always to back me up!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Last Sunday into Monday it was -18 here. Should of went to Cancun!

 

[ActionBob]

The internet is finally back up (as of an hour ago), we can take a shower (even if we still can't drink the water), the house is finally warm again, and the ice is just starting to melt. Two days ago, conditions were rather unpleasant. We hit 3 degrees outside and 48 degrees inside. For my ignorant European fellow correspondents, that is minus 16 and 9 degrees Celsius respectively. Naturally, my generator chose this cold spell to decide that generating power was simply too much work. Like all these wonderful modern pieces of machinery, control panels and circuit boards defy a wrench and a flashlight. Because it is a 30KW, it does at least represent impressive yard art. Now to find an old rusted out car to set by it .......

View attachment 389884
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View attachment 389886Just wish we could clearly identify the idiot back in the nineties who convinced a state awash in clean natural gas to commit 20% of its electric grid to wind farms and solar power that won't function during ice storms and near zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures. Those darned unintended consequences and second order effects will bite you........

It has been fun and its been real - just not real fun.

And yes, I know all you damn Yankees walked to grade school three miles each way in these conditions. We are not equipped - physically or culturally - for such temps. Williamson county doesn't even own a snow plow. And my highly refined Southern blood will take weeks to function normally again.

Joe that 3 mile walk was through 3 feet of snow, up hill both ways!

Seriously, I had the foolish notion to make a trip to New Orleans to personally pick up a piece of equipment i bought down there. Thinking it would be nice to escape the -26 cold we had as the snowmobile trails were getting a bit beat up with no new snow in a while. Besides, Mardi Gras was sort of on and a few days might be fun, even if it was supposed to be in the 40's... That sounded warm enough to me! So plugged in my 1.5 year old Dodge diesel overnight, fired her right up, hooked up a 24' trailer and headed down. Got to Southern Mississippi and the damned DEF system was threatening to de-power to 5mph. This was a Sunday. So got a hotel room right beside a Dodge dealer. Well overnight they got about 6" of a ice snow mix. But in 4x4 no biggie. A "service advisor " showed up and informed me that they would not be open. So I tried all the tricks listed by the multitudes of disgruntled emissions equipped truck owners online.

Long story short, after 2 nights in that hotel and the whole town having lost their minds, I headed back North. Had to go 300 miles to find a dealer who was open.

God it was great to get back up North to some normal winter weather!

 

[Alaska Luke]

At one point I believe my place in Alaska was warmer than Texas, crazy.

 

[rinehart0050]

Glad to hear everyone made it through the storm only a little worse for wear.

 

[CJW]

At one point I believe my place in Alaska was warmer than Texas, crazy.

That's what they said on the news locally. I'm in northern WI and I believe locations 4 or 500 miles south and a little west of me were as cold or colder than we were at times. On one particular day every county in something like 10 states were under wind chill advisories. Very strange system.

 

[lwaters]

Locus is good wood if you can deal with the thorns. We were shorts in the house most of the winfer.

A balmy 80 F here. Watching TV in my skivies. Those old locust fenceposts put out some heat.

View attachment 389935

 

[Alaska Luke]

Fun story. Up here in Alaska kids at the school are talking about about how bad the weather is in Texas. The little ones seem to be getting the impression that Texas is this brutally cold place all the time. I don't think they realize most people think Alaska is cold.

On the flip side our 5th grade teacher asked the kids what they would change about their home. One little guy said this

"I'd make it snow more and I'd make winter longer. I like 20 below that's nice. I don't like 20 above. That's not even winter. I get too hot playing hockey and it's no fun"

About 2 winters ago the lower 48 was flooding. I saw a rather depressed teenager and asked how he was doing. His response was "Well I'm glad I live in Alaska they have crazy weather down south. Who would want to live there." Of course it was probably 20 below when he said that and snow was blowing all over the place.

All jokes aside I pray for my Texas friends. Sounds like its going to improve soon.

 

[Art Lambart II]

I was cold here in Kansas City as well, but we never lost power so all I had to do was put on the cold weather hunting gear to take the new puppy outside several times a day.

As a native born Texican it is my duty to set the record straight about Yankees. A Yankee is someone who was born in a state that fought for the Union during the Civil War (otherwise known as the War of Northern Aggression to a true Southerner) and comes to visit the south then leaves. A Damn Yankee is a Yankee who visits the south and stays.

A great example of this is "The Motor City Madman", Ted Nugent or "Uncle Ted" to the folks my age, born and raised in Michigan then moved to Texas to live in a more gun friendly environment.

I know what you’re thinking, didn't he play in a band called the "Damn Yankees"? Yes, yes he did, and now you know how the band got its name.

So, what do you call a southerner who lives in the north? That’s easy, A Cultural Ambassador.

 

[jeanes]

The best comment I've seen lately is from someone on our Next Door AP who was outraged because the electric companies didn't make extra power and store it up for emergencies.

 

[Hogpatrol]

The best comment I've seen lately is from someone on our Next Door AP who was outraged because the electric companies didn't make extra power and store it up for emergencies.

One alternative is one's own backup system.

Tesla Powerwalls and other home battery packs proving more than useful in Texas blackouts

Tesla Powerwalls and other home battery packs are proving extremely useful in the current Texas blackouts following a snowstorm. Home...

electrek.co

 

[WAB]

The best comment I've seen lately is from someone on our Next Door AP who was outraged because the electric companies didn't make extra power and store it up for emergencies.

Google the battery bank they installed in Fairbanks. Not as far fetched as you might think.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Grew up in KS with a wood burning stove. Cut a lot of hedge for those good hot fires and all day/night warmth.

I have to admit that I had never heard of hedge. So I did a little research and I can see why it's a great firewood.

BTU Values of Wood Species

Wood species type BTU values of a cord burning wood in a wood stove

www.wood-heating-solutions.com

 

[375Fox]

Locus is good wood if you can deal with the thorns. We were shorts in the house most of the winfer.

Locust is my favorite wood to burn. Puts out a lot of heat and burns a long time, but also catches fire very easy when dry. Another huge benefit is that it will never rot and no timber value.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Interesting, I never heard of osage orange being called hedge. I have a couple cords of it and save them for allnighters. They require a good bed of coals to keep burning.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I love cutting yellow locust. The thorny kind is good too, but man those thorns. Regarding hedge, by buddies wife always tells him to “Cut me some of that yellow wood.” Nothing holds the fire like hedge.

 

[375Fox]

Interesting, I never heard of osage orange being called hedge. I have a couple cords of it and save them for allnighters. They require a good bed of coals to keep burning.

I thought they were cutting down brush from hedge rows and burning it when I read hedge. I’ve never had opportunity to burn Osage orange, but sounds like apple requiring a hot fire to burn.