It has been bitterly cold here for the last week, the thin air of great altitude denying any healing warmth the sun has to offer lately. The insulated heat sink under the Rat has been depleted and our piping has finally ceased to provide us water. Still, we can't complain; there are others whose much better appointed homes have long since suffered the same fate. And we remember the two bleak previous winters where we had no water at all for months.
The caustic voices of the winds pummeled their way through the windows yesterday and the little gas heaters could not fend off their chilling call. It dropped to -15F last night and took the last of the water with it by this morning. But it will be all right for Slim is coming to dinner tonight and no such miseries shall deter us from having a wonderful supper. I scrounged 6 small filet mignons from the freezer and they are thawing now in expectation. The oven will bring the inner Rat temperature up to a comfortable level as the potatoes bake. Slim's refreshing countenance will add the remaining necessary warmth. What more could we ask for?
The Rat retains three of its four large 70s era single-glazed windows. Replacing them was not in the budget and we have covered them over with sheets of very effective mylar coated bubble insulation at night ever since we have been its occupants. But even the bubble insulation cannot hold up to these sub zero temperatures for long and we were greeted by a heavy frost on each as we pulled off the insulation this morning. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the patterns which Jack Frost had quietly painted over the course of the night. I simply had to share this with you.
Here is the view which Jack Frost saw this morning (minus the long early morning shadows of the Rat)..
Here is the impressionist painting Jack Frost created from that view. .
Do you really stop long enough to marvel in the miracles of this far too short dance here? Don't run beyond the end of your dance card with regrets, ever. Take every step and every breath into account, miss nothing so eloquent but subtle that nature has to offer. It is not confined to our vast open spaces here; it is everywhere, it is with you always. See, absorb, rejoice and be ever grateful.
.
.
===================================================
.
General update:
Activity on the new gas well across the street has resumed. This is the current view from our front window; frac tanks all in a row awaiting that next step in the process. Apparently that will not be a pleasant experience for us. Today brings the laying of gas pipe to bring that well on-line. With luck, I will have a post on that with more details later.
Oh joy of joys beyond those extant: an unannounced NEW gas well site has sprung up in the view beyond the barn on our leased grazing lands. Apparently the courtesy of a heads-up notice on so-called 'multiple use' lands is not deemed necessary.
.
My apologies; I have not been making the rounds of my blog friends as often as I so love to do. Regrettably, I have not been feeling as well as might be preferred. There is so much more that I wish to share with you and there seems so little time to do so.
.
.
30 comments:
What are you going to do for water, melt snow.The Jack Frost abstract is really beautiful.I remember those from our time back east. It is too dry here for such pleasures. We do occasionally get some, but not often.
I think it may be time for porta-potty tipping.
Damn, it sounds like camping year 'round!
I lived in a place and few house trailers where the windows would frost over like that...it was pretty, but dang cold!
I hate oil companies.
Moose, in a pinch, we still have our 350 gallon tank on the new rear addition that we can siphon water from. Chances are, the well head is not frozen and we can still refill the tank. Touch wood, of course.
Despite the desert's lack of humidity, we seem to be producing enough moisture in the Rat to form condensate.
You ready for the big potty-tipping party?
Mushy, it does still seem like camping at times, even with our many upgrades.
Woo-yeah, you can feel the cold cascade down off those windows when the insulation is off. It will give you the heebie-geebie shivers if you're sitting too close.
You're invited to the big potty-tipping party, too!
OK Lin, you did it. I loved your poetic side, but when I finished reading this post, I,
1. Put on my winter pajamas,
2. Got my very heavy duty bathrobe,
3. put on a pair of warm furry slippers,
4. wrapped a serape around me,
5. turned up the thermostat and
6. made hot toddies.
I remember ole Jack Frost, too. I was raised in Wisconsin and loved the winter. My parents, thankfully, were much smarter than a squirt kid and moved to Florida when they retired.
Hope you start feeling better soon. I still cant tell you how jealous I am that you have snow.
Pretty photos (apart from the Big Oil one), remember Jack Frost's leavings from the windows growing up.
Norwegian double (or triple) glazing provides the best window insulation but it does not come cheap.
Hope that you are feeling better today after your food feast with Slim.
Once they get the well up and running how much of what remains on site will spoil your view?
Gee, Cat, that sounds like an idyllic (and enviable) way to spend a chilly evening. That and a real fire in a real fireplace and you've painted me a winter scene of near Heaven on earth.
I'm still trying to figure out why the more south I move, the colder it gets. I didn't miss the northern winters THAT much! Except that they are usually warmer!
PopeT, if you are envying this snow and cold ... LET'S TRADE for a month!!!!! I think I'm ready to handle the sight of a sweating wallaby right about now!
I'm gonna nag you again. When it starts feeling more like WORK than FUN, it's time to take a break!
Don't "sweat" the visits---we know where you are! We'll come to visit YOU...!
(Hey, instead of "tipping" the outhouses, why not silicone-glue the doors shut, instead? Talk about seein' some fancy dancin' outside...!)
dba, I guess we are largely living out nostalgia for many with our Jack Frost windows. I do so wish we had the budget for the double and triple glazed windows despite their lack of aesthetics. We keep watching the mis-order/return piles at the home improvement centers in case some of these odd sizes show up though.
We DID survive the latest food fest with Slim. I made the mistake of indulging in a little whiskey with the boys however and then remembered why I avoided fire water in the first place. Yee-haw!
I should take some photos of some of the completed well sites. They are truly unsightly. While they CAN reduce the visual impact, I have every reason at the moment to believe that they will take the cheap-ass standard, ugly approach. Can you tell that I am building up a bit of an attitude here?
Bruno, you're such an understanding doll of a fella! Still ... it kills me when I run out of whatever that is to go visit my friends. I know, you get the same with with your many ailments. But keep nagging, it feels great ... reminding me that someone actually gives a hoot!
Ohhh, me likes that last devious idea but how would RTV (Room Temp Vulcanizaton) silicone work at sub zero temps when they are long gone from the site for the day? Wonder if NASA's research has yielded any products to address that situation? Okay, okay, I know they won't have addressed any products to aid in astronaut potty pranks up there but surely they must have spent some big bucks on 'serious' applications.
Enquiring Minds wanna know... what's a "frac tank?"
Your "stop and smell the roses" thought is oh-so-true, Lin. My fave saying in this area is "No one ever laid on their death-bed wishing they'd spent more time at work." And I had lotsa opportunities to use it when well-meaning friends chastised me for retiring "early."
I'm still amazed at how much difference a couple hundred miles and about a thousand feet in altitude makes in our respective weather. We've flirted with single digit temps here on The High Plains but haven't reached 'em. Yet.
And Lordy, do I EVER relate to your stories about cold, and its impact on windows, pipes, et al. I only wish I could relate to your determination and inventiveness at overcoming same!
Buck, 'frac' refers to the next process in the completion of this new gas well. I am waiting for Mark to forward me a fairly informative article on the subject before blogging about it but from what I gather, this is the stage where they literally FRACture various formations to open up avenues for the gas to collect near the well pipe. If you feel like accessing that article ahead of time, go to (and paste the 2 lines together):
http://www.salon.com/news/feature
/2006/05/05/fracking/index_np.html
I am so glad that you chose the early out option as well. Granted, I have known people who can only define themselves by their 9-5 drudgery but we shouldn't all fall prey to their expectations if we have found a more satisfying angle on life. Good on ya!!!
This is an amazing state for its meteorological diversity, isn't it? I'm trying to imagine you not seeing the single digits yet while I gnaw on my winter straps (they are, however, much easier to chew through when it's sub zero).
I've been wondering about how you are doing the the RV Casa lately. You might take a serious look at that mylar coated bubble wrap before it gets much colder. It can be found at all the big box home improvement places. Comes in a 4' wide and, I think, 25' long roll. It fits in windows, around pipes and duct work, easy to cut with scissors, runs about $2 a running foot. For me, it holds a lauded place well above duct tape for being a universal cure-all. Great for summer sun reflection, too!
Tonight is our first night of cooold weather. We're lucky, though, in that the last couple of times it got cold, we avoided the high winds. Hoping that'll be true for this weekend again, too.
That photo of jack frost should be framed and hanging in a gallery some where.
I'm on vacation, home, writing, cooking and relaxing.
Finished chapter 4, and a batch of brownies. . come visit.
stay warm. . .
I'm ready for the tipping anytime.
Temp. here this morning was -22C (-4F). Our high so far is -11 (12F).
I sure hope you don't get those high winds with it, Goddess. They seemed to blow the cold right through us when we ventured outside and they found every leaky window we had.
Excellent timing on the vacation, Lin - who wants to be out in this bitter cold when they could be warm at home with a dog buddy, eating warm brownies and writing? I will be over shortly to peek over your shoulder at the latest chapter unless this misery hits me again. Warm brownies, here I come!
Good Heavens, Moose, you're getting this nasty cold weather, too? Bundle up our favorite baby moose, Grampa! Better still, maybe it's time to drag out the train set and stay warm inside.
Beautiful post, and yes, a timely reminder to stop and smell the Jack Frost!
Don't worry about the blog rounds - I think everyone is having a hectic time right now, me included. The blogs'll still be here when you are more at leisure.
I hope you have a gloriously good time with your company and those filets!
Wow. Thanks for that Salon link, Lin. I read it and understand your concerns completely, especially where ground-water pollution/contamination is concerned. I'd be seriously worried, as well.
OTOH...my "Grain O' Salt Meter" got pegged when I read the following sentence half-way down the first page:
Developed by Halliburton, the corporation formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, fracking loosens the rock and maximizes the flow of gas to the surface.
The gratuitous addition of "Halliburton" and "Cheney" into an otherwise straightforward statement of fact leads me to believe there just might be an agenda in play here. Anything Dr. Evil and his nefarious former company is involved in just HAS to be bad...by definition.
Thanks, Phlegmmy. I got the impression that everyone is hard pressed to keep up with their rounds after the holidays. I am amazed with those like you who still manage it somehow and post on their own blogs daily or more often as well. I am left in awe, I truly am. I fell like I am in sitting in this huge warped time vortex since time here evaporates like acetone on a cloth.
BOY, did we have a good time with Slim and the filets! That time passed by far too quickly, too.
Buck, I thought you would find that article very interesting. I do wonder if some day our well down here will start showing traces of contamination from the well activity up on the mesa behind us.
Last night I was thinking about doing a post on how the greenies have possibly done more harm than good by injecting their shrill personal politics whenever possible but you beat me to the punch here. I know a lot of people across the entire political spectrum who care about nature deeply but who don't want to be equated with some neurotic Marxist screeching insanely with his neck cords popping out. Fortunately for us, there is one smart conservative lady who is doing just that. Maybe we can eventually reclaim that rightful balance with her help. I will likely write more on her single-handed efforts in the future.
You're so right. We all need to stop and check out the little details of life. It's hard not to let them slide by when the rat race has you by the nuts. It's always a rest and relief to come here and read about your glories and travails. Stiff upper lip sis. Spirit of the blitz, and all that.
It really is hard to stop and get off the grind-go-round, FHB. I've still got the knee scabs to prove it. But I look down at them and grin now - they were worth it!
I am so grateful for your Jack Frost post. I am one who gets too caught up on getting things on may daily "list" checked off ... and not taking time to look for the beauty.
It has been in the single digits here for days now ... and this weekend I have been going around looking at the Jack Frost art on my windows. Wow, it's lovely and I am enjoying it. I needed that!
Towanda, you might as well start your transition to the NM state of mind now to avoid the sudden shock when you arrive. There so many microcosms of simple spoken beauty out here that you will not want to miss any of it.
I'll never get over the unique beauty that one single pane of glass will present upon each new day. I'm held in utter awe by it and very excited that you have discovered the phenomena, too!
One of my friends here cannot understand why I am moving to NM. "What are you going to DO there? You'll go crazy." I told her I will "do" whatever I darn well please, and if that means doing nothing at all for days on end, then I am ready!!!!! I have earned it.
Towanda, I am 100% with you on that!! I have found nothing more satisfying than 'doing as I darn well please' even if it just sitting here quietly enjoying that fact immensely. Thinking about all the things I HAD to do back when and don't now makes my day! "What don't I have to do today? Yippee!!!"
Post a Comment