As most of you have seen, winter did not arrive slowly this year.
It came in like gangbusters and hit us upside the head with a baseball bat!
It has definitely put our little homesteading experiment out
here in southwest Missouri to the test.
The water shed has been completed with insulation and
exterior walls. There is room enough under the main water line and the tanks
for a portable propane heater. I don’t need to turn the heater on until the
temps reach about 27°. That keeps the interior temperature just a little above
the freezing mark.
I cut a hole in one of the doors and covered it with ¼ inch Plexiglas
so I could look inside without opening the door. This is especially useful at
night.
Because I have no way of knowing how much propane I have
(except with a fresh 20# bottle), I need to keep a check on it. At night, since
I get up with “old man’s affliction” about every hour to an hour and a half, I
go outside to check on the heater.
That hasn’t been a problem until this storm hit.
We only got about 4 inches of snow, but the temps are
hovering around 0 or below. That means when I get up, I have to put on my boots
and a jacket to go out to check. That helps to get me fully awake so that when
I come back in, it takes at least a half-hour to get back to sleep.
Last night (1/26/26) the propane was gone when I checked at
3:30am. I don’t know how long it had been out, but the temp inside the shed was
20° and the main water line was frozen.
I changed the tank for a fresh one and lit the heater to
full blast. Gracie had water when she got up around 5am. Whew!!
That is not the only place we have been tested.
Last night the gas ran out for the cook stove, which is also
fed with a 20# tank. No problem. I had three full bottles ready.
Problem.
Still couldn’t get gas.
Checking on the freezing possibilities of propane, we
learned that the regulator can ice up if the pressure gets too low and cold.
That bottle sits outside on the ground. It was sitting in
the 4 inches of snow and the line to the house was extremely stiff.
So Gracie was not able to follow her normal morning routine.
She had to rely on the wood cook stove which we use for heat inside the cabin.
We’ve been able to keep fairly comfortable even though we have had to bundle up
inside.
She managed to get everything done, but in a somewhat slower
fashion. Also, I was able to make my coffee in the percolator on the wood
stove.
There is a good side to all of this besides just what we are
learning.
Gracie had planned to bake today with the propane stove.
Instead, she had to try the oven in the wood stove.
I’ve been eating some delicious chocolate-chip cookies.
Until next time, stay safe, stay warm, laugh and love the
one you’re with.
