Our house is well-insulated. Almost too much so sound-wise. If we are in side, even in summer with doors and windows open, we can't hear a car pull up into our back yard. So it's very infrequently that we can hear rain or wind or other noisy weather going on outside.
We knew the wind was strong when we could hear it howling last night before bedtime as we were sitting reading by the fire. Good grief, we thought, what kind of a weather front is this blowing in?
I went to bed about 9:30 and zonked right out before hubby got out of the shower and joined me. He said he laid there until 12:30 listening to the wind and wondering what damage it was doing.
Our new, just installed, screen/storm door on the deck had been ripped off its hinges in the last wind storm so he got up to check if that was locked. It was. Then he went out to check the two doors on our someday-maybe-to-be greenhouse. He had neglected to go out to set our tracking solar panels parallel to the ground (the position for the best wind resistance) so he suited up in full outdoor gear and trudged out into the field to do that.
Back in bed, he laid there imagining poultry pens and shelters blown off their foundations again. Poor guy. He had a terrible night's (non)sleep while his uncaring wife was oblivious to it all.
The good news is that after a hike around to check everything this morning, we were glad to see damage was very minimal. No trees down like last time. Only a scattering of branches here, there and everywhere. A snow shovel by the back shed and one by the back door ended up several feet away from their usual spot. All animals safe and accounted for.
Solar panels put back on automatic operating mode to catch the bright sunlight today.We didn't have loose snow on the ground to blow around but I'm wondering if
Chicken Mama's 4-mile winter driveway, with her copious amounts of snow, got solidly drifted over. However, with our widely differing weather conditions, it's entirely possible she didn't even have the winds.
My sleep-deprived husband is on his third cup of coffee this morning (very unusual for him) trying to become alive and alert enough to function today. Something tells me he'll be in bed early tonight.
14 comments:
I can sure related to your hubby. I lay listening to wind and straining to hear what damage is being wreaked upon my place. It is never as bad as I think it is (so far), but it makes for a sleepless, jumpy night. You all are sure getting storms of the century up there! Brrrrrrr.
I don't much like the strong winds either; I wait for something to come down on the house ... morbid feeling!
I'm sitting here watching the snow come down, wondering how much more my roof will hold before I have to climb up there and get rid of most of it ... I can't do anything since I'm by myself and won't get up there unless someone else is here so they can help if I get into trouble.
Kind of like a catch 22. It is absolutely beautiful outside with the light snow falling and no marks in my driveway! I guess I really do need to go out and shovel my way to the chickens so they can be fed.
Enjoy the day.
Yvette
Maybe the last wind storm culled the branches / dead trees for you?? Glad you didn't have any damage and glad at least one of you got to sleep!
Susan - I know if I had been alone last night I wouldn't have slept one wink. I thanked hubby this morning for being my "protector" last night and allowing me a good night's sleep.
Yvette - Do you usually experience a high amount of snowfall in your area of a winter?
DON'T go up on the roof while you're home alone! (Do I sound like your mother?) Invite a friend over for some coffee/tea and tell her to bring some handwork. That way she can sit inside and have some relaxing time while you get done what needs to be done outside. She'll be there "just in case!"
Jen - I think you're right on about all the vulnerable trees having already come down in the last storm. I was really surprised I did sleep through it all. I didn't even hear hubby get up and do his rambling around. Must have been those three shots of whiskey I had before bed. (Just kidding . . . I WANTED some Bailey's Irish Cream but we didn't have any!)
Good grief but you've been having it with the weather, haven't you? Sometimes I miss living in the North, until I read about winters like you're having. Ours can be windy, bitter, and cold, but it rarely lasts all that long. Always time to recoup before the next blast. I'm glad you didn't have any damage. That's a relief.
You guys sure are having some wild weather up north! I'm wondering how far away you are from our cabin...glad you didn't have anymore trees down. And its a bummer you didn't have any Baileys. ;)
Gosh we had a recent day/evening of intense winds here too - not my favorite at all. Tho like you I managed to sleep right thru lol.
But there is something unsettling about hefty winds. Glad morning arrived finding all safe and sound!
A thought on safety: **I agree! There is NO substitute for a friend (or parent, lol) as a backup - preferably on site**. But for the times I MUST go out to deal with or do some-such that can't wait until I have backup I've gotten into the habit of putting my cell phone INside my heavily padded gloves in winter and in heavy gardening gloves in the summer. In both cases I put the phone in the glove/hand I'm using less. I'm still able to do most chores but have the phone that much more closely available. It's in no way as good as someone right there for sure. But with the phone in my glove I don't even have to reach into my coat or jeans pockets to reach the phone to call in case of an emergency.
(and it can't fly out of an unzipped open pocket either). But having someone there is best and I agreeeeee NEVER CLIMB and/or do high work if you are alone!
Winds are a pain! I haven't dealt with snow in a long long time, but 40+ kt winds are a weekly occurrence here and I'm always having to replace siding, fence panels, etc, just glad I'm not doing it in deep snow LOL! Right now our winds are howling so it's sure to be in the low 30's tonight... figures, a few days of this right when the pea blossoms are podding up LOL!
I need to blog but I'm SO exhausted!
Good thing for insulation! What a good guy to let you sleep! Not even a cold elbow nudge did he give you, huh?
Glad everyone is safe and accounted for! When the winds pick up here we go count shingles on the barn. I think we have two left! :)
Oh, what a pain! I don't like the high wind either, although we don't get too much of that each year. Glad your walk this morning didn't turn up any new repairs. Nice of your hubby to check everything out for you. I hope he sleeps like a baby tonight!
~~Lori
I hate wind storms. Hate them. I am scared to death a tree next to the house will come down and take some of the house with it. Plus my greenhouse will end up a mile down the road. Hate wind storms. I am the one who is up all night like your husband. I feel for him.
Leigh - The winds of November are pretty typical up here, but not very pleasant all the same. We were more than a little nervous about last night's wind since the storm before it took down so many trees. Luckily, this was didn't do any damage. Other than causing my husband to lose a night's sleep!
Mama Tea - I hesitate keeping a good supply of Bailey's in the house because it's one alcoholic beverage I REALLY like and it goes down so smooth and tastes just like one more, please!
Faye - You're so right about the importance of staying safe. It's one thing if you fall and seriously injure yourself in the summer or moderate weather, but if it should happen in the winter, you could be in BIG trouble quickly.
Erin - Good grief, when DON'T we gardeners fight Mother Nature??
Take care of yourself, m'dear. You've been pushing too much lately methinks.
APG - He may have tried to use me as a hot water bottle one of the times he climbed back into bed but I was (apparently) dead to the world!
Lori - Ha! He's sitting reading the newspaper in the livingroom and I just heard him give a gargantuan YA-A-W-W-N so I have a feeling he'll be ready for a good night's sleep tonight!
Jane - Well, somebody's got to take care of the homestead while the rest of us get our beauty sleep. ;o)
Where I'm located in south central Oregon we average 4-6 feet per winter. Some are more and others less, of course, but we desperately need the snow so I hope it is a 6-8 foot winter. Last year was 14" for the whole winter!!
I will never climb on the roof without someone here. I might not be the sharpest tack in town, but that to me is just plain common sense!
Yvette
Post a Comment