Homestead Report - Winter prep
The picture is deceiving. There has been no snow at the homestead this week. It is crazy to think that there was over 3 feet of snow here this time last year. The chicken coop was threatening to collapse under the weight of the snow, and the housesitter was contemplating how to keep the dogs from running away. On the otherhand, the family and I were sitting on the Thunder Mountain flume ride at Disney World for the billionth time that night!
R worked hard to prepare for winter this year. He and the boy chopped a woodshed full of wood and put aside more wood to dry. It was an ephiphanic moment when I realized that you didn't have to have logs for a fire, and that anything bigger than your wrist could be considered a log. Certainly, a change in definition makes for more available wood.
R also insulated the chicken coop and fixed the stall for the horses. I bought hay racks to reduce hay waste. The horses were tromping all over their hay and refusing to eat it. Since we put the racks up, the waste is signficantly reduced. We also put the stock tank warmer in the stock tank. During the deep freeze, we ended up hauling water from the bathroom for the horses. R replaced the faucet in the back yard with a no-freeze faucet, but had not replaced the barn faucet yet. The no-freeze faucet works great.
Inside the house, we've hung curtains to partition off the rooms and to block the doors outside. R added storm frames to some windows and stapled plastic over others. I reported last month that we reduced our electric bill by $100 from last year.
The pond has been frozen for several weeks now. A few weeks ago, it was actually frozen almost 8 inches thick, and so clear. R and S walked across it and were marvelling at the plants and frozen things you could see. The bubbles even froze. I have been researching aquaculture. I'm going to get some fish this spring and see if we can raise a few trout or maybe talapia.
We've got a list of things to do over the holiday. The list gets longer and longer, but with each thing we do, the house gets a little warmer and a little more comfortable.
R worked hard to prepare for winter this year. He and the boy chopped a woodshed full of wood and put aside more wood to dry. It was an ephiphanic moment when I realized that you didn't have to have logs for a fire, and that anything bigger than your wrist could be considered a log. Certainly, a change in definition makes for more available wood.
R also insulated the chicken coop and fixed the stall for the horses. I bought hay racks to reduce hay waste. The horses were tromping all over their hay and refusing to eat it. Since we put the racks up, the waste is signficantly reduced. We also put the stock tank warmer in the stock tank. During the deep freeze, we ended up hauling water from the bathroom for the horses. R replaced the faucet in the back yard with a no-freeze faucet, but had not replaced the barn faucet yet. The no-freeze faucet works great.
Inside the house, we've hung curtains to partition off the rooms and to block the doors outside. R added storm frames to some windows and stapled plastic over others. I reported last month that we reduced our electric bill by $100 from last year.
The pond has been frozen for several weeks now. A few weeks ago, it was actually frozen almost 8 inches thick, and so clear. R and S walked across it and were marvelling at the plants and frozen things you could see. The bubbles even froze. I have been researching aquaculture. I'm going to get some fish this spring and see if we can raise a few trout or maybe talapia.
We've got a list of things to do over the holiday. The list gets longer and longer, but with each thing we do, the house gets a little warmer and a little more comfortable.