Mad about winter
As yet another storm drifts over the taller Rocky Mountains and onto the Bar B Ranch, I realize one thing:
I’m getting sick of snow.
Earlier today, the ground was beginning to show and the driveway that has become a lake has begun to recede. With another possible foot of snow in the forecast, I’m getting weary of it all, the hunt for firewood, the worry about the amount of propane in the tank, and the icy spots on the ground and the ice damn dangling from the gutter above. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ready to give up on my mountain chalet, but Lordy, more snow?
Earlier today, Paul, Mariah, Kristen and Danielle came up so that Paul could wrangle the finicky chainsaw and cut up some much needed wood for the stove. Once again, I’ve chosen a diva of a chainsaw, and it’s been a challenge to get it to run right, possibly because of the fuel mixture and the altitude. I asked Paul if that instruction book that came with the chainsaw had a high-altitude section, just like cookbooks do. No such luck. After a broken chain and trying to split some pretty wet wood, we called it a day. There’s more wood on the pile and I’ve noticed that I look for wood as I’m driving, and have been tempted to stop and pick up stray pieces along the road. Anything to help ward off the cold, but this is ridiculous.
I estimate next year I’ll need two cords of wood, stacked and accessible for the coming winter. Hopefully, there will be a new natural gas line into the house and I can do away with the propane tank that’s a problem for two reasons: first, if the tank runs out, there’s no heat. Second, the tank requires filling and that only happens when I call the propane company. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great and come right out and fill the tank, but that usually costs somewhere around $500 – $700 to accomplish. Ouch.
I figure I’ll have to replace the gutters out front this summer, there’s an ice damn that’s weighing down the corner where the long part meets the short part and even with the 50-degree weather, that dam don’t move. The heat tape isn’t working, and a neighbor told me that to run the tape runs up the electric bill. I’m happy with my low bill. I stare at that ice dam and think damn.
I think I’m going a little stir crazy with all this nutty weather.