Cold Snap

It's here! That famous Montana winter cold everyone has warned us about arrived yesterday. The day started out at -6 degrees F, and by the time I got home at midnight it was -25 degrees F. I don't know how cold it finally got last night, but today at noon it had warmed up to -23 degrees. It snowed all day yesterday, but the sky cleared up at night and today there is a high overcast, but no snow falling. The world is squeaky cold, but we are quite comfortable. Both woodstoves are blazing. I'm planning to spend the day doing Chrismas baking, which will keep the wood cookstove going to heat the kitchen and dining room.

My brother and sister-in-law, who live in upstate New York, write that they are going to Florida for Christmas to get warm. If I want subtropical temperatures, all I have to do is go out to the bathhouse. Because we don't trust the propane heater to stay lit, we are also running the kerosene heater, so it is warm enough to grow orchids out there. The propane heater works well for days at a time, then inexplicably shuts itself off, right when we need it. I've been working with the technical support folks from the manufacturer to try to troubleshoot it, but so far, it is only marginally better for the effort. When it is working, it does make some lovely hoarfrost on the outside of the bathhouse above the heater vent during this weather:

Yesterday, I went into Bozeman for an evening meeting and ran some errands afterward. Driving home was slow because of the ice, snow and wind. By the time I got the snowmobile loaded to drive up to the cabin from the county road the cold was downright bitter. Fortunately, I had a balaklava (ski mask), a fleece-lined hat, a thermax turtleneck, wool sweater, fleece vest, and wind-proof fleece-lined jacket, not to mention long underwear, wool pants, wind pants, two pairs of socks and my fleece-lined Sorel winter boots. Gloves, too, of course. I was so padded that I probably looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy's dark sister with all my layers topped with the black nylon windpants and black jacket. Sorry, no picture. Flying up the hill hauling the trailer full of groceries, gasoline canisters, and other purchases, I was quite warm. We have bought a new trailer for the snowmobile because the one we got with the place is great for big loads, but is kind of high and unstable. The new one rides right in the snow and resists tipping really well. I never thought I'd be such a motorhead, but I have to admit I enjoy the snowmobiling.
The snow isn't deep enough for back country skiing yet, and cold as it is right now, it is kind of sticky for much glide on cross country skis, so my main outdoor activity is cutting and hauling firewood. I take the chainsaw out in our woods and cut up trees that have blown down in past winters, but were held up off the ground by their branches. These provide seasoned, but not rotten wood that we can use this winter. We only have about half of the wood we'll need for the winter, so this is important work, and it keeps me warm, too. After cutting the blown-down trees into cordwood logs, I stack them then haul them one load at a time behind the snowmobile back to the house. Snowmobiling off-road through the woods is a little more challenging than the commute to the car. The trailer stays quite stable, but I did manage to roll the snowmobile once. Fortunately, I managed to get clear as it went over, so I wasn't smooshed by it. Pretty exciting, that was. No visible damage to the machine. I am now working on making a more level route through the forest to the woodpiles.

Finally, here is a picture of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree that Randy, the excavator, was so careful to leave growing near the cabin. Next year, I intend to get some solar LED Christmas lights to decorate it. Note the deer tracks going by it in the snow.