anyone past 50 on here?

[ryn2]

4 minutes ago, SkyenAutowegCaptain said:

We're having a nice equinoctal gale, sustained windspeeds of 45-50mph, 70-80kmh, gusts of 70+mph, 110kmh. All trains are restricted to 50mph because of the risk of trees falling, many are still in leaf. 

This was my Halloween night/Friday morning.  Today I have to collect/chop up all the branches in my yard...

[Muledeer]

Last week it got cold - really cold - my thermometer said it was -18F or -28C at the coldest, and it stayed very cold for the entire week.  I just learned that we had the second coldest October on record.  Normally, I have my home in the mountains closed up when it gets that cold but not this year.  Here are some things that happened which I have never before experienced with that level of cold:

 

I don't heat my trailer when I'm not here.

 

The 5 gallon plastic water buckets (which I store water for flushing the toilet) froze into solid blocks of ice and broke the plastic near the bottom.  They were stored in the bathroom and also in my bedroom, where I thought the sunshine through the window would keep them from freezing solid.  Luckily, they were still frozen solid when I arrived yesterday so I just removed them and avoided water damage, although the carpet in my bedroom was wet and frozen under the bucket.  I did place antifreeze in the toilet and sink drain so no damage there.

The one gallon water jugs I use for drinking and dog water were frozen solid, and the bottoms became rounded so they tipped over.  I thought I had removed enough water from them to prevent that (water expands 9% in volume when it freezes).  Again, they were still frozen solid so no damage done.  But it will take a day or two to thaw the ice so I can use them.  I did bring some fresh water with me so I have some liquid water to get me started here.

Knowing the cold was coming, I placed the potatoes, onions and garlic inside the microwave oven to protect them from freezing.  that didn't work either.

I had a real mess inside my refrigerator.  A diet coke can exploded violently and blew coke ice all over everything.  A seltzer water can also exploded.  All of the vegetables were ruined, and everything else froze solid.  I haven't tried any of the condiments yet but they will probably not be very good after freezing solid.  I thought the refrigerator would be a safe place.  The canned foods in the cupboard were frozen solid but they did not burst.

The 55 gallon drums I use for outside water storage were solid blocks of ice, and I don't think they will thaw out until spring.  I haven't looked too closely at them to see if they burst.   I'm not sure how I will find enough liquid water for flushing the toilet.

Water is a valuable asset until it freezes, then it can become a huge liability.  

Last weekend, I removed everything from the greenhouse so that was ready for the cold.  

We didn't get very much snow - only a couple of inches so I can still get around outside.  I plan to stay here through Monday.  Last night, it was a balmy 12 F for the overnight low. 

 

All of this reminds me why I close up the ranch during the winter months.  I am just not tough enough to survive a winter in the mountains. 

Today, I will need to get the chainsaw started and cut some firewood.  The dog will have to stay inside because the sunshine reflecting off the snow hurts her eyes. 

[ryn2]

Maintaining a part-time winter place is really challenging in a cold climate.  

[daveb]

Yikes, @Muledeer! That's cold. And all of the issues with stuff freezing, exploding, etc. 

 

We're getting some chilly weather, just below freezing at night, but nothing extreme. I have seen my backyard pond get just a thin layer of ice (no skating ha ha), but it has running water so it doesn't freeze over completely in the weather we get. 

 

I will have to remember to turn the clocks back either tonight or in the morning (the ones that don't do it automatically).

[Tyke]

1 hour ago, Muledeer said:

Last week it got cold - really cold - my thermometer said it was -18F or -28C at the coldest, and it stayed very cold for the entire week.  I just learned that we had the second coldest October on record.  Normally, I have my home in the mountains closed up when it gets that cold but not this year.  Here are some things that happened which I have never before experienced with that level of cold:

 

I don't heat my trailer when I'm not here.

 

The 5 gallon plastic water buckets (which I store water for flushing the toilet) froze into solid blocks of ice and broke the plastic near the bottom.  They were stored in the bathroom and also in my bedroom, where I thought the sunshine through the window would keep them from freezing solid.  Luckily, they were still frozen solid when I arrived yesterday so I just removed them and avoided water damage, although the carpet in my bedroom was wet and frozen under the bucket.  I did place antifreeze in the toilet and sink drain so no damage there.

The one gallon water jugs I use for drinking and dog water were frozen solid, and the bottoms became rounded so they tipped over.  I thought I had removed enough water from them to prevent that (water expands 9% in volume when it freezes).  Again, they were still frozen solid so no damage done.  But it will take a day or two to thaw the ice so I can use them.  I did bring some fresh water with me so I have some liquid water to get me started here.

Knowing the cold was coming, I placed the potatoes, onions and garlic inside the microwave oven to protect them from freezing.  that didn't work either.

I had a real mess inside my refrigerator.  A diet coke can exploded violently and blew coke ice all over everything.  A seltzer water can also exploded.  All of the vegetables were ruined, and everything else froze solid.  I haven't tried any of the condiments yet but they will probably not be very good after freezing solid.  I thought the refrigerator would be a safe place.  The canned foods in the cupboard were frozen solid but they did not burst.

The 55 gallon drums I use for outside water storage were solid blocks of ice, and I don't think they will thaw out until spring.  I haven't looked too closely at them to see if they burst.   I'm not sure how I will find enough liquid water for flushing the toilet.

Water is a valuable asset until it freezes, then it can become a huge liability.  

Last weekend, I removed everything from the greenhouse so that was ready for the cold.  

We didn't get very much snow - only a couple of inches so I can still get around outside.  I plan to stay here through Monday.  Last night, it was a balmy 12 F for the overnight low. 

 

All of this reminds me why I close up the ranch during the winter months.  I am just not tough enough to survive a winter in the mountains. 

Today, I will need to get the chainsaw started and cut some firewood.  The dog will have to stay inside because the sunshine reflecting off the snow hurts her eyes. 

Wow!

 

Definitely time to come down from the Mountains. It seems only yesterday that you were going up there for the first time this year. Time moves faster for us over-50's, right?

[Nick2]

56 minutes ago, daveb said:

Yikes, @Muledeer! That's cold. And all of the issues with stuff freezing, exploding, etc. 

 

We're getting some chilly weather, just below freezing at night, but nothing extreme. I have seen my backyard pond get just a thin layer of ice (no skating ha ha), but it has running water so it doesn't freeze over completely in the weather we get. 

 

I will have to remember to turn the clocks back either tonight or in the morning (the ones that don't do it automatically).

Turned mine back on Friday so I could practice for the change.

[cdrdash]

Thanks for the reminder about turning back the clocks @Muledeer.   I won't do it till tonight as I have a 4 p.m. Stanford Women's basketball game to get to and so I want to have the correct time on my clocks till then!  Stanford is playing an exhibition against the USA basketball team.  I don't expect we will win as the USA team has the best pro players on it.  One of them, Nneka Ogwumike, is a Stanford team alum!   It will be fun to see all the best pro players and to see how Stanford does against them.  

 

When I went to Purdue University in the early 1980s, they did not observe DST (Daylight Savings Time).   It was odd.   All the TV shows would suddenly be an hour earlier when the other states changed to Daylight Savings Time.   But some time in the 1990's they went back to observing DST.   Out of curiosity I looked to see which states do not observe DST this year and found that Arizona and Hawaii do not observe it.  I had a clue about Arizona but did not know about Hawaii.   The California voters passed a proposition last year "that allows the Legislature with a two-thirds vote to change DST (such as by remaining on DST year-round), as long as the change is allowed under federal law".  We are still observing DST so no bills have been passed to not observe it yet.  My preference would be to stay at Daylight Savings Time all year round just because I like more light at the end of the day rather than in the mornings.

 

Cathy

[will123]

@cdrdash

 

I remember Indiana being 'out of step' in '87 and '88. Travelling from Ontario they were an hour different than at home. When I got home I looked on a map and saw that Indiana was in the Eastern Time Zome. Then I was back in '90 and the time was back to normal. 

[ryn2]

7 hours ago, daveb said:

turn the clocks back either tonight or in the morning

I always do it before bed so I’m not confused when I wake up.  XD

[ryn2]

6 hours ago, Nick2 said:

Turned mine back on Friday so I could practice for the change.

I don’t need to practice this one... it’s the spring change that does me in.

[Skycaptain]

@Muledeer, unfortunately when you get that extreme cold, water turning to ice behaves differently. The top of the container freezes first, and can form a plug so as the rest of the liquid freezers it can't expand upwards.

 

One snag of evening AVEN meets, being out of my hotel at 0500, to drive 250 miles in order to start a day driving a taxi 

[ryn2]

You’re very dedicated to making the meet.

[Muledeer]

3 hours ago, SkyenAutowegCaptain said:

@Muledeer, unfortunately when you get that extreme cold, water turning to ice behaves differently. The top of the container freezes first, and can form a plug so as the rest of the liquid freezers it can't expand upwards.

 

One snag of evening AVEN meets, being out of my hotel at 0500, to drive 250 miles in order to start a day driving a taxi 

So thats why I lost my plastic buckets this time.  They've always just frozen the water and not damaged the buckets before, also they could have been weakend by prior freezings.  I was able to scoop some water from the center of my large drums after breaking the top ice plug.  I got really lucky with the five gallon bucket I placed on my night stand in front of the window - it was the only one that didn't break and it would have created a huge mess when it began to thaw in the warm sunshine.

It seems like the wildlife have migrated out to warmer locations - I haven't seen any animals (except for a tree squirrel)- not even birds.

I'll keep my clocks on Daylight time until I get back to civilization tomorrow.  Next weekend will be the last time I spend here in the mountains this year.  The weather this weekend has been spectacular.

 

[Tunhope]

I thought  that was was really interesting about the cold temps @Muledeer and @SkyenAutowegCaptain (That the tops of things freeze first hadn't occurred to me.) There's talk about not having Daylight Saving Time here  - just keeping the same time all year.  I don't have strong opinions either way, but I imagine that people in northern Scotland would feel strongly as visibility travelling to work or school would be affected.  

[cdrdash]

One clock left to change to one hour earlier, my car clock.  I'll change it when I set off for the volleyball game this afternoon: Stanford vs Oregon.   

 

Enjoyed a nice 8 hours of sleep last night with an odd dream: hiding in a luxurious bunker in the desert with a couple other nameless folks one of which later in the dream appeared to be a priestess of some sort, coming out of the bunker to find there were dinosaurs that might come get us but not seeing any dinosaurs.   I was a kid in the dream and found I was able to fly on the wind, then suddenly being somewhere else where there were lots of white suburban refuges next to a river and discovering  a huge recliner there.  I sat in it and discovered when you stretch out it moved forward.  And those are the bits and pieces I remember.   Who knows what my brain was working out with this dream.   

 

[Skycaptain]

That was fun, three hours sleep, a 250 mile drive at night and in the rain and fog to go straight into an eight hour driving day at work 

 

Happily followed by kitty play 

[Myssterry]

5 hours ago, cdrdash said:

One clock left to change to one hour earlier, my car clock.  I'll change it when I set off for the volleyball game this afternoon: Stanford vs Oregon.   

 

Enjoyed a nice 8 hours of sleep last night with an odd dream: hiding in a luxurious bunker in the desert with a couple other nameless folks one of which later in the dream appeared to be a priestess of some sort, coming out of the bunker to find there were dinosaurs that might come get us but not seeing any dinosaurs.   I was a kid in the dream and found I was able to fly on the wind, then suddenly being somewhere else where there were lots of white suburban refuges next to a river and discovering  a huge recliner there.  I sat in it and discovered when you stretch out it moved forward.  And those are the bits and pieces I remember.   Who knows what my brain was working out with this dream.   

 

Jealous. 😮  I hardly ever remember my dreams and they are always really boring when I do.

[Mocha Jo]

Wow, @Muledeer, what a mess that could have been. At least it doesn’t sound like you had pipes to burst. I can’t believe you are having mid winter temps already- we are just getting our first hard freezes the last 3 days. 
 

I had a lot of fun at the last fiber festival of the season, and bought some things I didn’t really need, and a Corriedale fleece which I did need for this next years competition. Every year they pick a different featured breed. Now to start getting it cleaned and combed and spun.

 

I hate the time change no matter what direction it goes. I end up jet lagged for days. I am closing at work tomorrow which means I will be brain dead and up past my bedtime just getting home.  I am not looking forward to it.

[Muledeer]

2 hours ago, Mocha Jo said:

I hate the time change no matter what direction it goes. 

Just the opposite for me.  I like the time changes in both the spring and also the fall.  It provides a level of certainty or confirmation that the seasons are indeed changing.  

[daveb]

I don't like the time change. And now I am supposed to meet up with some people for dinner tomorrow evening, already a couple of hours later than I usually eat dinner, and the time change will make it seem even later.  

 

(I keep checking clocks and thinking, "is it really not even 7 PM yet?") 

[Semisweet]

This US time change worked well for me as I was just returning from a long trip and was even gladder than usual for the extra hour of sleep.  But I can never decide whether I prefer it to be lighter earlier in the morning or lighter longer at day’s end. Getting up before sunrise is not my favorite activity, but neither is driving home from work after dark. It has also prematurely turned quite cold here (though balmy compared with @Muledeer’s experience!).

[teatree]

12 hours ago, Mz Terry said:

Jealous. 😮  I hardly ever remember my dreams and they are always really boring when I do.

I wish I didn't remember so many! It gets exhausting....

[ryn2]

I remember few of mine and am not jealous at all!  

[pickles.]

My time has been all over the place this weekend.  Drove to Idaho (a different time zone) on Friday to visit with my ex in-laws, so went forward an hour.  Then we went off Daylight Savings early Sunday morning, so went back an hour.  Then I drove back to Oregon last night and had to go back another hour.  I'm someone who is not bothered by time changes, so it has all been fine, but I have been kept busy changing the clock in the car back and forth.

 

I'm in eastern Oregon--not back home yet--and I'm about to start a hike near Mt. Emily.

[Tunhope]

20 hours ago, Mz Terry said:

Jealous. 😮  I hardly ever remember my dreams and they are always really boring when I do.

I only remember mine if I wake up at ,say, 5 am and then drift off again for a bit. I just don't seem to wake up, usually, from a dream- time state of sleep. I know I must have dreamt about something, but I rarely know what. 

[Tyke]

I went to a lecture tonight at my old University, on the subject of 'Happiness'. It's an annual affair with a different guest speaker each year. Funded by a bequest from a journalist who died back in the 1970's who saw, even then, less and less of the subject matter. This is only the second one I've been to (I get an invite because I've remembered the University in my will and only did that relatively recently). It was a mixture of amusing tales and attempted analysis of that most fleeting of states. Interesting. Preceded by a finger buffet and wine during which we were played music by one of the current undergraduates, on a harp.

 

One of the better ways to spend a few hours on a dark Monday early-evening.

[daveb]

Sounds interesting.

[Gentle Giant]

Our door latch for the screen door in the garage going into the house broke. So today I got a new latch from the hardware store and installed it on the door frame. Feels good getting that repair done. I also raked and bagged leaves in the yard. Just did some document shredding while listening to the Golliwogs which became Creedence Clearwater Revival.
 

Last week was very tiring. My coworker had a medical emergency and was out all week. It happened on Monday at work. It was scary and I was very worried about him. He’s doing better now and back to work.

 

I was off on Halloween, so didn’t get to participate in the costume contest at work. I still wore my mad scientist/Einstein costume to answer the door and hand out candy to the kids. The kid costume that stood out in my mind were 2 kids in huge inflatable dinosaur costumes. I don’t know how they could walk around in those things. I’d be claustrophobic in it.

[ryn2]

2 hours ago, Gentle Giant said:

He’s doing better now and back to work.

Glad to hear he is okay!

[Skycaptain]

34 hours and no posts 

 

@Gentle Giant, I echo @ryn2's sentiment, glad to hear that you're colleague is OK