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gixxerific
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builder0101 wrote:gixxerific,

Amen. As are most here prbably I am a weather nut as well as other kinds of nuts, and I know you have been right there with me. Real bummer this weather pattern we are in. I think we are in for a lot of it this winter with El Nino (spelling?) Mild but wet which means clouds.

Good luck.

Mike.
You said you are a carpenter, I'm a bricklayer. I was a weather nut before (I just love a huge thunderstorm). But our work rely s on the weather as well as our gardens. I don't watch TV except for the the weather and things like The Simpson's, Family Guy etc. Yeah I watch the news and cartoons.

Just saw the weather it's supposed to be in the 60's all week and NO RAIN. :clap:

builder0101
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Been a carpenter my whole life, but now I am an insurance adjuster for Property and Casualty. So now if there is no weather there is no work for me, and this has been a devastatingly slow year. 50,s all week mix of clouds and sun. partly sunny now. cant wait for the frost to melt so that I can go work in yard.

Mike.

pepper4
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Wet, white and cooold. Expecting more snow :roll:

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Kisal
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Overcast, looks like rain soon from the west. At the moment it's 43º.

The sun was out, earlier, and it was supposed to get up to 47º. I don't think it's gonna make it. :lol:

wingdesigner
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Been cold, in the 20'sF daytime and teens at night, warmed up just enough to dump about 4" of snow and back to teens daytime and single digits at night. Got the Jap. maples wrapped just in time. Put up a string of C-9's for the birdies.

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gixxerific
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About 4 degrees right now negative wind chill yesterday about the same but with snow and 40 mph winds. Yeah I stayed inside yesterday. Very brutal.

I'm gonna till my garden today and gets some seeds going. Or NOT! :P

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applestar
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Maybe if you have a JACK HAMMER! :lol:

Charlie MV
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For the last 8 days here in SOUTH CAROLINA it's been so cold the squirrels have been roasting their nuts.

We're at 28 heading for 17. That's polar around here.

wingdesigner
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Groan--Charlie! That line is almost as old as you, you old salt! 28F?? Cripes, that's a heat wave here. The son in VA whines about how cold it gets there and that's why he's not moving back to MI, yada yada yada. Then turns around and brags about how he's the only one driving when there's a little snow on the ground. News flash, boy, ya don't get it both ways! :roll:

We got our 4" of snow and of course I ran out of gas halfway through (and so did the snowblower--ahem). Our high today was around 28F, and we won't see that number again until sometime next week. Low tonight in the low teens, which will be the high for Saturday; the temp will keep dropping to about 5-8F sometime Sunday; at which time it may warm up to around 17F, plummet again, then maybe Monday or Tuesday it'll start warming up again. Guess I'm leaving the Christmas lights on for a while, for the birdies, so they can warm up a bit.

Urban_wombat
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Today down on the south coast of WA very hot 39C with bush fire warnings

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gixxerific
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I'll just be happy to get above freezing maybe next week. :lol:

Charlie MV
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Wing, you gotta realize we're moderated weather-wise by coastal forces even though we're a hundred miles away. People rarely die around here from heat but they do when it gets this cold sometimes. This cold for this long is a 3 or 4 times in a lifetime here on the SC Ga. line. Nobody I know remembers it staying this cold for what will be 3 weeks by the time it breaks next weekend.

What's a snow blower?

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Earl K
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I hear ya charlie,we actually got snow flurries around here this am.That is VERY uncommon in central FL.Tonight wind chill is supposed to be 14?????????????????yesterday at work it was 71 degrees and todays high was 35? It is just strange.As for the snow blower question....I have heard of them but don't know how they work :? :shock:

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Kisal
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Cloudy, 50º.

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Ozark Lady
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It has warmed up to a balmy 17* daytime high today. We have snow on the ground, that has been there way too long.
I live in Northwest Arkansas, on the Oklahoma border.
It is very unusual to be below freezing for a full 2 week period and snow never lasts long... This is very odd. But every few years we have a winter like this.
As I grumble... I have to remember, I harvested the last of my tomatoes and peppers after Thanksgiving... so it really hasn't been this miserable as long as it seems. We got snow on Dec. 24th and it just hasn't left...
The forecast calls for 50* f next week. I am more than ready... going stir crazy. But, it isn't worth wrecking the truck to go... somewhere.
I haven't needed anything. So why go.
I can drive on snow, but no one can drive on ice, in the hills, with the curves etc. I lived in North Dakota for 7 years, and drove on ice and snow all the time... but the other drivers were not there learning too... ha ha I think we need driving rinks to teach us to drive on snow, when we don't live where it is a common thing. And the snow in North Dakota was more like sand... it was too cold to be slick. Until thaw!
We do lose more people to heat than cold, but this is not our usual cold... this could be very dangerous. We have had windchills of -3*f and that is odd for here.

Charlie MV
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Earl K, I have a bilge blower and a leaf blower. Hopefully Wing will drop by and tell us why in the world anybody would want to blow snow. He's a little strange anyway.

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Kisal
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I live in a fairly good sized metropolitan area of over 150,000 people, but when we get more than a flurry of snow here ... which happens every 5 years or so ... most places just close down. The city doesn't own a snowplow. Salt isn't considered to be environmentally acceptable, so when the snow finally stops, they send out dump trucks to spread sand on the roads. :)

wingdesigner
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Sigh. Oh, you poor people who live off of the Gulf Stream. (Do I hear violins?) I'm not belittling the effects of hypothermia, seriously. Had my run-in with that and hyperthermia a few years back, don't care to repeat it. But keep in mind, this writer still entertains the thought of moving to AK vs. HI. Besides, here in the Pleasant Peninsulas we have the moderating effects of the Great Lakes. 17F IS moderated! :lol:

I'm grateful to have an electric start snowblower, since my spine would not tolerate the yanking of a pull start. Of course, it helps when one remembers there's a black plastic garbage bag under the snow BEFORE one runs over it with the snowblower and kills the engine. Guess the shutoff works. Wasted a half hour untangling the blasted thing. Yes, I turned the thing to "off". No, it's not totally electric, just the start. No, it's not one of the big, honkin' machines that blasts the snow into the next city, just enough to make quick work of 80%; then the rest gets done with a shovel.

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Ozark Lady
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Sounds like you mow grass in the summer, and mow snow in the winter... ha ha.
Wonder if you can compost the snow?
We don't get enough snow to warrant even a snow shovel... so when we are surprised with it... We have to make do with gardening and mucking the barn type tools.
I wonder if snow blowers... could be adapted to be manure blowers in the off season... Hmmm?

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gixxerific
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Ozark Lady wrote: I wonder if snow blowers... could be adapted to be manure blowers in the off season... Hmmm?
You have obviously never seen a snow blower in action, I'm gonna go with blowing manure not being a good idea. :lol:

As for composting snow I think not as well but I always hear that a good cover of snow is good for your yard/garden. Can't say I know why but That is what I have heard.


By the way it's neg 6 degrees here right now. I don't even want to know what the wind chill is. :shock: Oh and I have a foot (or more) of snow in my garden. Though we only got 5 inches the other day with the 40 mph winds it stacked up pretty good there.

pepper4
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Here in Ohio it is presently 9 degrees with a hi of 21. At least we got a break in the snow for now and I am seeing a hi of 34 for Thursday. :shock: Don't own one but snowblowers are very common here and if you don't have one or a good neighbor that does, you better have a shovel. Better days are coming and we'll be out gardening soon complaining about the heat and rain :wink:

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Kisal
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On the rare occasions when we do get enough snow, the streets and sidewalks are full of cross-country skiers, kicksleds, and you even see a few dogsledders out mushing. Snow sports are very popular here.

When there isn't any snow, the dogsledders and their teams practice in the sand dunes, over on the coast, and the x-country skiers use skis with wheels. :)

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Ozark Lady
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You didn't mention snowmobiles... Aren't they still popular in the northern areas? I lived in North Dakota, and deep in winter, my fenced backyard, was often driven on by folks on snowmobiles. I just knew someone would hit a soft spot and go down and get into the fence... but they never did.
It warmed to 31*f here today, and it is melting... not like it would if warmer, but the sun is pumping out some heat, and still able to melt.
That will freeze and make the highway treacherous tonight and in the morning... I hate... winter, snow, ice, cold...
Come on Spring...

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Kisal
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Oh, yes, I'm sure they are out in the rural areas. I live in a city, though, and I don't think snowmobiles would be considered an acceptable means of travel here. :)

wingdesigner
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Gixx, snow cover acts as an insulating blanket to what's underneath. If there's enough, it breaks the freeze/thaw cycle that heaves plants out of the ground and can protect crowns from frost kill or dieback. Insufficient cover leaves plants vulnerable.

A properly made snow shelter keeps the inside temp right around 30F (I think) but will insulate from colder temps outside.

I agree, manure is best left to shovels, of any size, including backhoes.

a0c8c
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We finally got over a three day freeze. Now are temps are about to steadily climb again. 100's here we come!

wingdesigner
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Just got the drive and sidewalk done, and the roof raked, and we get another two inches. Since the last time I used the snowblower I spent a half an hour untangling a (bleeped) garbage bag from the axle, I used the shovels, but didn't get to the roof this time. I know this sounds like a Monday Moanin', but it's already Tuesday so missed my window. I'm sure my body will remind me tomorrow I shoulda used the snowblower. But you people and your posts about manure blowers, bilge blowers, etc., at least kept my mind on a pleasant distraction. :)

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applestar
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In one of Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books, she talks about Pa -- or maybe it was Armanzo's Father -- plowing an early (I.e. ground still not frozen) snow cover under the soil for the good nutrients the snow brings down from the air. I guess that was in the days before air pollution....

Charlie MV
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I always loved the "Little House" show. Michael Landon seemed like a truly decent man. I saw him and Melissa Gilbert in an interview years back. Landon said that when she was a child Melissa was so buck toothed she could eat an apple through a picket fence. He had a way with words.

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Kisal
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Intermittent showers, 53º. :)

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gixxerific
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I use to watch LHOTP even read some of the books back in the day. Boy that is showing our age. Ask kids today about Little House .... and they will have no idea what you are talking about.

By the way it's actually gonna be in the 40's today and tomorrow. Finally out of the extreme freeze.

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Kisal
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Absolutely pouring rain! Temps in the mid-50s, though.

Got totally drenched running into Starbuck's with my friend this morning. Good thing my parka is virtually waterproof! :lol:

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applestar
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Did you get any UCG? :wink: 8)
We could use some of that rain around here.... No significant precipitation since NYE, AND continuous sub-freezing temp = ground is freeze-dried. The sun is making fun of the possible snow flurries forecast for this PM. I'm a bit worried about my I. opaca I planted in the fall. I might have to wrap a burlap winter jacket around it (but the ground is too frozen to stake the edges down.... Maybe I can do it after tomorrow when we're supposed to have highs in the 40's for a few days.)

Charlie MV
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Do you guys ever wonder why nobody from the south retires to the north? We've had 3 weeks of the coldest weather I can remember and our ground still isn't frozen. :shock:

wingdesigner
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Nah, Charlie, we'd have to listen to you all whining about how cold it is (<50F), how much dark we have in the winter, too much snow (>2"), etc., etc. Sigh. Leave us to our smugness up here. We can pretend to be jealous. :P

The Helpful Gardener
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Our frosty, frozen, bone-chilled smugness :cry:

Pretend, my heinie :P

Still, I like having real seasons. Where I live they balance out just about right (or at least they HAD been; seems winter is shortening on either end but making up for it in the middle) :shock:

HG

wingdesigner
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Hey, I want to move to AK, remember? OK, so once I've had my fill of northern lights and drunken excuses for "entertainment", I'd rent a couple of rooms in HI until spring breakup, but so what?

pepper4
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Here in Ohio it is white as the eye can see. We got hit with another storm over the course of the past 3 days. Due to the strong winds we had there are 3-5 foot drifts in places. I have had just about enough of this weather. I look at my starters indoors and am really getting really excited and anxious to plant then I look outside and get depressed. :(

pepper4
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The last few days and the next week or so we're looking at 40's. Now that's what I'm talking about. Still has aways to go but alot of that white stuff is starting to melt. I can actually see some green now. :)

The Helpful Gardener
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Well it's the morning of our CT movie premiere of "A Chemical Reaction" which I have been organizing for months, and it's 40 already (at 8:30 AM) and expected to go to 60. Of course. The first really spring like day after an ugly little winter, and I am asking people to sit in a theatre. :roll:

I hope SOMEBODY shows up...

HG



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