Winter came by to say hello yesterday. Just a little, of course – it’s only early November. But it was enough to have me up in the loft laying on my one hoarded set of flannel sheets and the whole stack of surplus wool blankets. I laid a fire in the stove, and this morning as soon as the boys were out the door I lit’er up.
Every time I write a post complaining about winter, of which this will no doubt be the first of very many, I imagine readers in places where there is actual serious winter commenting on what a wuss ol’ Uncle Joel is. I’m from Michigan, and I do freely acknowledge that the worst winter day here in the high desert would be considered quite mild in the upper Midwest, to say nothing of places like Wyoming or the Dakotas.
But there are a couple of factors that keep me complaining: First, the temperature swings can be impressive even by Great Plains standards. Though most days do climb up above freezing even at the worst of winter, there’s nothing at all unusual about the temps crashing into below-zero territory overnight. The record low during my stay, which is not at all the all-time record low, was 21o below zero. Second, the Lair is (not impossible but) impractical to heat overnight, and the walls never got finished. Which means the insulation isn’t everything it really needs to be. Which means it gets frickin’ cold in here, and that’s the first thing on my mind every single morning. Not half as cold as in that travel trailer where I spent my first five winters, but cold enough for legitimate bitching.
Of course last night it never came close to below-zero: It’s still in the mid-twenties at night, and will gradually ratchet down into the teens or single digits and hopefully give me a chance to acclimatize. By January, a morning like this will probably cause me to bless my good fortune and not even bother lighting the stove. But this is November, and I’ve got ye olde Vogelzang rattling away.
Got down to 25 degrees outside here last night – and down to 54 inside, coldest yet for this winter. Of course, it isn’t even officially winter yet. LOL But I did light the first fire and took the opportunity to check that it is drawing right and there isn’t any creosote smelll when it got hot. The first fire last year was on a super cold morning I had not anticipated so early, and I was not prepared.
Then I had to laugh this morning because it was getting warm out in the main room, but was still much too cold in the office, so I turned on the electric heater in here. Now I’m toasty at 66 degrees. I give extravagant thanks always for these thick, wonderful log walls that insulate so well.
I’m sure glad I get to live the life of a profligate candy ass, Joel, although a shack in the desert sure sounds good.
I have been microaggressed against! 🙂 It’s not a shack, Wyo!
May not be much of a cabin, but it’s definitely not a shack.
Joel;
Right before I go to bed, I get a rip-snorting fire up, then close the dampers down when i turn in, so it smolders all night. In a lair like yours that should keep it warm all night long, to where you’ve got red coals in the morning to stoke up a new fire off of.
Keep you from getting so damn cold at night, and eliminate the need to do the cold march of death from bed to the fire every morning to start one.
You wash flannel sheets in bucket? And rinse and wring them out? Wow. Impressive.
Hope you and MamaLiberty sleep with a thick wool or windproof Polarfleece hat on, just like in the old days. It sure makes a difference in how warm you stay even in a sleeping bag with the hood closed up. And even during the day.
Is one layer of OSB all that is between you and the outside temp?
No, the inside walls are finished and there’s insulation. But without a tarpaper wrap and siding the weather still finds its way in pretty well.
🙂 Also I’ve upgraded to a 10-gallon bin, which works much better than a mud bucket for the bulkier stuff.
Hi, Zelda! No need for fleece caps to sleep, though I do have a nice fleece blanket for the really cold nights. My basement bedroom never goes much below 55 degrees, and I do have a space heater down there if I need it. Seldom use it execpt when I shower in really cold weather. My home is made of 12 inch logs and is extremely tight. I’m very lucky to have it, even without central heating. 🙂
Do you use a sleeping bag for the coldest nights? I’ve found them warmer than sheets/blankets, myself.
I have a good arctic mummy I used to use in the trailer on the coldest nights. Definitely warmer but it had enough disadvantages that I really had to need it before I’d use it.
Ah, hell, if I built it, it would be a shack.