Bitter cold or...dont put away your winter jacket

[ss20ts]

Originally Posted by newcomputer

no heat here except for one small baseboard heater for our week of extreme cold. This is the first morning that there hasn't been ice on the inside of the kitchen window. The only water that froze is to my washer. We are fine but I have been wrapped unbathed in unwashed quilts, in several layers of clothing with two smelly little dogs for a week.


I asked the repairman who was coming today if he could come instead next week when it warms up. I don't mind muddling through but I hate for anyone to see us like this.


He thinks I'm crazy

I agree with the repairman! Why force yourself to live like this? Having ice on the inside of your windows is a very bad sign!

[ss20ts]

Originally Posted by charlygal

Have we as mankind forgotten that animals are meant to live outside? They have fur and their natural instincts. They know how to take care of themselves.

This is NOT true at all for domesticated animals. There are many animals who will sadly freeze to death in these temperatures. Even wild animals who live out in the elements will struggle when it's this cold. They're bodies aren't used to it. The white tail deer here are not polar bears and don't have the same type of fur. They're not designed to be in -15 and colder for a few days. Polar bears can handle it not problem. They're designed for it. Dogs and cats certainly aren't.

Natural instincts? Yes, go sit in the kitchen when they hear the bag of food rustle or the can opener. Cats and dogs who have had homes aren't used to the elements. Most don't survive long outside of their normal home. They don't have the survival skills that wolves and coyotes have. Conditioning is a huge issue.

Trust me, my 8 pound Yorkie would freeze to death in less than 30 minutes right now. She is outside for less than 1 minute and comes back inside to a warm house. She has a sweater on. She will stay shivering for a good 15 minutes after she comes back inside. I've been wrapping her up in a blanket to help warm her up and warm her feet back up. They were like icebergs this morning! Poor thing!

My 10 pound Schnoodle wouldn't do much better. He'd last a few more minutes out in the cold. He has much more fat on his body to help him where the Yorkie has none. He has struggled with going potty because of the cold. He panics! He's freezing and needs to go potty and is very stressed.

None of us would enjoy sticking our butts in a snowbank at -15 to poop! Go walk outside barefoot. That's what dogs are doing. You'd be a popsicle, too. This weather is fit for neither human nor animal.

[newcomputer]

Originally Posted by ss20ts

I agree with the repairman! Why force yourself to live like this? Having ice on the inside of your windows is a very bad sign!

a bad sign of what?


I just read that you use a wood stove that smokes up your basement.


Why force myself to live like this? Because this weather is an uncommon event which will be over soon. I'm not a princess. I can tough it out. Nobody is suffering.


I could run to town and buy 2-3 electric heaters (if there are any left) and pay a hefty electric bill. I chose to hunker down, unwashed, and wait it out.


In the meantime, I figured out what's wrong with my primary heat source. Looking forward to getting it up and running next week.


its a good thing you have someone to look after you

[ss20ts]

Originally Posted by newcomputer

a bad sign of what?


I just read that you use a wood stove that smokes up your basement.


Why force myself to live like this? Because this weather is an uncommon event which will be over soon. I'm not a princess. I can tough it out. Nobody is suffering.


I could run to town and buy 2-3 electric heaters (if there are any left) and pay a hefty electric bill. I chose to hunker down, unwashed, and wait it out.


In the meantime, I figured out what's wrong with my primary heat source. Looking forward to getting it up and running next week.


its a good thing you have someone to look after you

No, you didn't read that I use a wood stove that smokes up my basement. I said I have a fireplace and when we use it there will be some smoke in the basement because the 70+ year old cast iron door to the chimney is broken. The door goes to the shoot for the ashes. We've used the fireplace once since that happened because we had a power outage and no heat. It doesn't fill the basement with smoke.

Why wait until next week to fix your heat? This is record cold is a good part of the nation. It's been something. Not fun. That's for sure.

[newcomputer]

I wouldn't use a wood burning heat source such as you described under any circumstances. Even once.


Trying to get my primary heat source working has been an ongoing saga, not one that just occurred, so I didn't see the point of having the exhausted, over worked guy come out in the bitter cold on a Friday afternoon when we were managing fine and, as far as the cold snap was concerned, the end was in sight.


Lots of things in life are "not fun". I'm not a martyr. If I can get through a short term difficult situation without spending money, that's the way I do it. I know many people had it rough during this cold spell but we (me and the animals) made it fine. It was an adventure. 50 years ago, it would have been much the same with me and my children.


But I am proud and if I have to have workmen here, I would rather it not be when I have not bathed for a week and we are camping out in front of the baseboard heater under a pile of quilts. I watched the whole series of The Good Wife

I may be a little old lady but I am still a pretty tough old bird.

thank goodness we are over the hump! It was a balmy 26 degrees this morning and 60s predicted mid week