Winter

[jal_ut]

Winter is just around the bend. 21 degrees here this morning. Nothing growing but ice. We don't have snow here yet, but the mountains are white. Next storm will no doubt come as snow. Since I do not grow indoors, guess I will go through the seed box and make a list of what I have and what I need to buy for next season's planting. Making plans............

[SQWIB]

I'm glad I have other seasonal Hobbies, Headed to Trap Pond tonight for a 4 day weekend.

November





December will be our 7th annual Manday

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ote8m



January will hopefully be our Winter camp.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ou1yg



Will be canoeing the Delaware come March






Then there's my smoking and Schwenking

[youtuDOTbe]https://youtu.be/BGTcsnxyQvg?t=2[/youtuDOTbe]





Time alone in the workshop, sprucing up the Fish Tank and turtle tank
And another Fall Hobby that will not be mentioned.



Maybe a winter backpacking trip or two?





I pretty much stay busy in the winter more so than the summer, I guess I should say, "I stay Busy doing MY STUFF during the winter".

[jal_ut]

I am a Ham Radio Operator and can go turn on the radios and work the world. I also feed the birds on a good sized outdoor feeder I made. I also like to take pictures and then do something with the pics. Here is one for your desktop:

[SQWIB]

I am a Ham Radio Operator and can go turn on the radios and work the world. I also feed the birds on a good sized outdoor feeder I made. I also like to take pictures and then do something with the pics. Here is one for your desktop:

http://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/wallpaper_oct_12.jpg

Wow, very nice. Cool on the Ham Radio, always wanted to get into that.

I also dabble with photography and like to put together videos, at a very amateur level of course.

[jal_ut]

http://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/Wdriving.pdf

If you are a new driver, you may like to look at this paper about winter driving?

[Gary350]

I am a Ham Radio Operator and can go turn on the radios and work the world. I also feed the birds on a good sized outdoor feeder I made. I also like to take pictures and then do something with the pics. Here is one for your desktop:

Jal, what ham radio frequency are you on? I got into ham radio once for a very short time. Those were the days when I worked a full time job. Had a 40x80 ft garden and ran my own business. I did not have much time for the ham radio. I have been thinking about doing ham radio again it might be more fun than this computer.

[ACW]

http://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/Wdriving.pdf

If you are a new driver, you may like to look at this paper about winter driving?

Thanks for the Link there James.
going to pass it on to my son ,he has never driven in snow ,yet .
Unlike your climate, the south of England where we live, may see no snow for several years, and then we have plenty for a week or so and everything grinds to a halt.

[thanrose]

Haha, ACW! In North America, well maybe just north of the Mason Dixon line (Civil War reference, tongue in cheek), we will typically note the degree of snow tolerance and ability to drive on snow and ice of a given area by how long school is out or bridges closed. And we would poke fun at areas with less snow. Atlanta may get a dusting of snow every decade or so. Buffalo and Toronto will probably have white Christmases. Those of us acclimated to snow and ice would laugh about Washington DC shutting down with an inch of snow (@2.5cm?) while Boston keeps going until it gets knee high or so. I lived there through a huge blizzard with only National Guard tanks getting through and all air traffic grounded for a week. They'd shove the snow off the runways into Boston Harbor, you know, where the tea went? (another war reference, haha.)

Part of the problem with infrequent snow or ice is that municipalities simply can't afford the vehicles and maintenance used for snow removal in the amount required. Chicago and Ottawa can't afford to be without.

People like digit and jal_ut may even have their own snow plow attachments for trucks or tractors. And they may have snow chains for some tires. I've been in snowless Florida for over thirty years and I only just gave up my windshield ice scraper for lack of use. Just didn't want to be without in case we had a freak storm, I guess.

[jal_ut]

thanrose, interesting you mention giving up your ice scraper. Here in this high mountain desert an ice scraper is a necessity. Yes, I do have a blade mounted on the tractor. I drive a 4 Wheel Drive truck and have what we call "All Season" tires. They are made with a little wider space between the lugs so they will dig in good in snow or mud. I am fortunate to have a garage to park in at home, but when we go out we can get some snow.

[jal_ut]

"Jal, what ham radio frequency are you on?"

There are a lot of frequencies one might work on the ham bands. I like to work the 160 meter band in winter. I have a 2 meter radio radio in the kitchen for local communications. Also have 2 meters in the truck. I have a 5 band radio in the car and when we take a trip can put on an antenna and work the whole country from the vehicle. I usually check into the local 40 meter net daily at 12:30. 7272. This covers all of Utah and parts of surrounding states. My HF radio down in the shack covers from 160 through 10 meters. I have enough antennas up that I can work 160, 80, 40, 20, and 15 meters.

OK Gary350 lets get on the ham bands again.

http://www.arrl.org/licensing-education-training

[jal_ut]

December 5 at 3:00 PM its sunny and 24 degrees F. About 4 inches of snow. No bees flying. Nothing growing except ice.

[ACW]

Well i have seen my first few snowflakes ,they lasted till they hit the ground and the shower was over in 30 minutes .
Not really expecting much more in London
However my son and I will be salmon fishing on the Spey some 600 miles north ,where we will see more than enough snow and sub zero Celcius over night temperatures .

[rainbowgardener]

Winter!! Lows the next three nights are 29, 25, 22! That's about as low as it usually ever gets here. I'm not sure we saw 22 at all last winter. Seasonal would be 34.

[thanrose]

Yeah, time to break out the winter flip-flops. Kidding! Most people here are wearing light jackets at dusk to dawn. Not this snowbird.

Everytime I see someone here bundle up with a parka or similar I laugh to myself. How about a nice ice storm with driving sleet and quartering winds coming off the Atlantic? Now that's what separates the bears from the cubs. Slogging through wet snow that comes in over the top of your knee high boots? Having your scarf freeze to your hood? Ice on your eyelashes? Walking the snow mounds on the sides of a street and realizing you are stepping on someone's windshield?

Actually, I love winter. I love inclement weather. I miss the magic of the first snowfall of the season. I don't miss mud season, though.

[jal_ut]

Clear skies 10 degrees F and 8 inches of snow on the ground. No bees flying. Since I don't go sledding these days, decided to mix some bread. Hey, this thread gets me to remembering my childhood years. We lived on a farm and Dad had milk cows. So it was up early every morning to milk, then go hitch horses to the wagon and go get some hay to take out on the field to feed the cows. Then again in the evening milk the cows and feed, and it was every day, twice a day, hail, rain, snow or shine. You just learned to bundle up for whatever the weather was.

[rainbowgardener]

Well, we don't have cows to milk, but we do have to go out every morning and take care of the chickens. In weather like what is coming, that includes breaking the ice out of their water dispenser. We have one about like this:

[jal_ut]

7 degrees here this morning. I don't have chickens at this point, but have had them in the past. At one point I got an electric heater that we sat the chicken waterer on and it kept it liquid.

[rainbowgardener]

That's a good idea, but our chicken area is at the very back of the yard and there's no electricity out there. We don't even (so far) have electricity on our deck.

[jal_ut]

A light in the coop is a good idea too. Chickens won't lay eggs unless they get so many hours of light. You can get a roll of underground burial cable and with a spade split the sod and poke the cable in. You may need to talk to your electrician? Certainly its a worthwhile investment if you are going to keep chickens. How many hens do you have?

[rainbowgardener]

We only have six hens. It's about enough for our suburban half-acre and the size coop and run we have.

We understand that hens don't lay as well with less hours of daylight. Right now they are barely laying half as many as they were at their peak. We thought about trying to put light in their coop (like a battery powered lamp). But some people said that hens (like human females) are born with all the eggs they will ever have and if you "force" them to keep laying all through the year, they will just lay for fewer years. Anyway letting them rest through the winter just seems more natural. The way I do my gardens, I'm all about natural, so we decided to let the hens do what comes naturally as well. As it is six hens laying about 3 eggs a week each still takes care of our egg needs for the two of us, we just don't have eggs to sell, as we did when it was 6 eggs a week. Since our hens started laying, the only time we have bought any store eggs was when I was doing a bunch of Thanksgiving cooking and needed 14 eggs all at once.

[jal_ut]

Well when they quit laying eat the chickens. Get some new ones come Spring.

[rainbowgardener]

Not going to happen. I've been a vegetarian for over 40 years. I don't eat chickens anyway and I'm definitely not going to eat our pet girls. When they quit laying, then we will add to the flock, but we will be running an old age home for elderly chickens!

[thanrose]

I've done that old aged hen home thing, too. I relished their eggs, but they were individuals with distinct personalities that could really tear up a weedy patch when necessary. Not as good as goats, perhaps, but worthwhile. I'd love to have chooks again. Mine were either Araucauna or Americauna, with the different colored eggs. I did use a light on a timer in the small coop.

Princess Stephanie was a spectacularly beautiful chicken. She made me realize why farmers don't want smart chickens. Sure was fun for me, though.

[digitS']

Winter time, it was so much more comfortable getting your head against the cow's flank and your hands on her utter at milking time. Of course, there was warm water to wash her and to warm your hands before the enterprise began. Still, I remember Daisy or Violet dancing around when the hand or water was too cold .

This was in southern Oregon so we weren't often trudging through snow to get out to the milking parlor or dealing with much sub-freezing temperatures. Now, I live further north than any part of New England but am comfortable knowing that there is much of that corner of the US with more severe winter weather than here at home.

RainbowGardener, I would just use a metal bowl for chickens' water in freezing conditions. It would need to be in a strategic position so that they would not step in it but it's easy to dump the ice and put in fresh water, 2 times each day.

Steve

[jal_ut]

"and I'm definitely not going to eat our pet girls"

and there in lies the problem. You have made PETS outa the stinking things!

I am sorry, I grew up in the post war depression of the early 40s. We lived on a farm and Dad had milk cows and also kept chickens and a pig now and then. He grew a garden. Yes, we lived off the farm, we ate what it produced. Including chickens and eggs. ....... and damned happy to have it. Some families were not so fortunate and I remember Dad giving them milk and garden produce.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, we have made pets of them and we think they are adorable. Doesn't matter, since as a vegetarian, I wasn't going to eat them anyway. We just got them for the eggs and we have been very satisfied with that. Even here, approaching the shortest days of the year, they are still producing enough eggs to meet the needs of the two of us. In the summer, we were selling 1-2 dozen eggs a week, which covered cost of their feed, etc.

[jal_ut]

You claim to be vegetarian, yet you eat eggs? Arguah, did it not occur to you that an egg is just a little hen waiting to hatch? It is animal not vegetable. Might as well go get a big beef steak and live it up?

[applestar]

Stop. stop. You know there’s nobody home unless the egg has been fertilized and rainbow doesn’t keep roosters.


It’s snowing again here. Sooo cold!
Upper teens overnight though mid-20’s on the brick patio. I wonder if the can-o-worms I didn’t get the chance to let escape into the ground have frozen solid.... At least I salvaged a 2 gal bucket mini tower worth to carry on over the winter and re-stock in spring....

[rainbowgardener]

yes, the eggs are not fertilized and I don't harm the chickens to get them. Sort of like picking fruit from a tree... Yes, I am what is called ovo-lacto vegetarian. I eat eggs, milk, cheese, etc. I keep inching towards vegan, eating less cheese etc, than I used to. But having our own chickens, upped my egg consumption.

[ElizabethB]

I have been away for a while - cooking rather than gardening.

James - the cold you have adapted to is beyond my imagination. Temps in the low 40's upper 30's with wind chill and humidity - I am shivering.

We actually had a little bit of snow last week. It rained for 2 days prior. Snow did not stick - quickly turned to mush. An interesting novelty in this part of the country.

My #1 brother had back surgery yesterday. He lives in Denver. My lovely SIL has to travel for business January 6 - 12. I am going to Denver to visit with and "Ta Ta" my brother while she is gone. I have been thinking about clothes. I do not own a heavy coat or water/snow proof boots. I will get a pair of boots. I will rely on layering and borrow a coat from SIL's closet. Not worth buying a decent, heavy coat for a week.

The severe cold that so many of you experience is truly foreign to me. I can not begin to imagine the depth of cold at 7 degrees. I do not want to. In my mind I see my bones freezing and shattering.

I do complain about the summer heat and humidity and the nasty, wet chill of winter - I will take that any day of the week rather than face the extreme cold that some of you face. Bless you all - you are stronger and braver than I am. Call me Wuss.

[rainbowgardener]

Those of you on Facebook will know how FB pops up "memories" of things you have posted on the same date in previous years. So a couple days ago it popped up a memory from Dec 14, 2010, while I still lived in Cincinnati:

"18 degrees now, going down to SEVEN tonight! I was just out at committee meeting. I want to live somewhere, where if your car would happen to break down, you would not DIE in two hours!"

So now I in fact do live somewhere where it never gets cold enough to kill you if your car breaks down. I love Chattanooga!

[thanrose]

Elizabeth, consider visiting a thrift store for heavier winter gear if you can. Absolute warmest garments that aren't synthetic will be wool, specifically lambs wool. Silk is also good for little bulk but extra warmth. Not so good on its own.

Wear a thin pair of gloves under heavier outer gloves. If wind chill is a problem, having leather, vinyl, or ski wear synthetics as the outermost wear significantly improves warmth. Pretty scarves worn outside of coats are useless. Tuck those bad boys in under your coat. Fluff a bit up your neck. I would use a knit scarf to filter warm the frigid air I was breathing, but it could also insulate my ears if necessary.

Vests are a good idea. Keeping your torso warm is important. It's not true that we lose all of our heat through our heads, but wearing a knit hat will help keep you warm.

Chap stick and a glass of water at bedside are practical especially for those of us accustomed to more humidity and lower elevation.

Enjoy the contrast in environment.

[digitS']

I hadn't thought of me layering gloves. That probably isn't easy for my digitS'; hand or feet - even x-large can be a tight fit.

Other than those extremities, loose fit is best. Layers there are a possibility and I have been known to wear as many as 4 shirts. Pullovers used to be common but I grew tired of pulling off my hat and making a big scene, removing layers. Except for the first layer of a t-shirt, it's buttons and zippers. Yes, vests became a common feature. Pajamas can go under denim, I don't care what cowboys might think of that.

Hats. It is a habit that I have long cultivated (so to speak). I have hats for different seasons and will even pull one over a knit ski mask in below zero weather. Scarfs become common and, yes, put them on before shrugging into your coat .

Steve

[jal_ut]

Lovely this morning. 30 degrees and snowing. Still dark outside as I write this at 7:30 AM.

[SW WA Gardener]

Hi There

I am new to the forum. I assume it's OK to post on ongoing message threads

Being in SW Washingotn, we have mostly wet chilly winter with a few episodes of freezing into 20s, sometimes snow or ice storms.

I've gone through my seeds and organized them. I don't know why I keep all of the old packets. Last year, I diluted new ones with old ones of the same varieties, since they would need thinning anyway.

I also bought mail order seeds for most of 2018's kitchen garden, plus some for rows of flowers. Mostly ones I am sure, or think, will be rabbit and deer resistant, like zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, poppies, and gladiolus corms. I also have a box of gladiolus corms in the pantry, waiting to be replanted.

So now, I can mull over what went well and what didn't, in 2017. I am getting older, and take medications that make me fatigued and achy, so one big change is make maintenance easier. That will mean the raised beds are further apart to allow mowing with a riding mower. My orchard has deer fences around each young tree. I'm working on how to eliminate those,to make for easiler mowing. The big plan is to have all branches above 6 feet off the ground. The deer in our area don't browse above that height.

I did order some new fruit and nut trees. The first, another hybrid chestnut, went into the ground 2 weeks ago, and got immediate protection from voles and deer. I think the others will come in Feb or March.

Meanwhile, I am getting the plant stand ready to start. The first will be onion seeds, which I started last year in Jan to great effect, and daylily seeds that I stratified in the fridge. Those daylilies have shoots after only a few days out oft he fridge. Also some persimmon seeds. I don't know when to take them out and plant them. Maybe in Feb.

We have hens and ducks who need ongoing feeding and attention. The Indian Runner Ducks are especially entertaining.

That's a lot of rambling.

Daniel

[MoonShadows]

As someone who spends Spring, Summer and Fall in my greenhouse and gardens, I hate the winter. There are just so many seed catalogs I can look at. And, my home biz really slows down for January - March. This year I have a new internet website project to keep me busy. This should help.

[jal_ut]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/148851736 ... ed-public/

Did I happen to mention that I hate this board software?

[ElizabethB]

Shopping thrift stores is a good idea but in the deep south thrift stores don't normally have heavy winter wear - wrong market. The coat is not a big issue. SIL wears the same size I do and has a closet full of coats. I have a warm knit hat and scarves - designed for warmth not fashion statements. I will get a pair of boots and wool socks. I don't think my light weight cotton socks will cut it. Also warm gloves. I will not be spending much time outside - driving Brother to and from physical therapy and maybe a quick run to the market. Most of my time will be spent visiting with him and cooking. He has been away from Louisiana for so long that does not remember how to make a gumbo.

For Christmas we pull names between the siblings and the adult nieces and nephew. I happen to have Brother's name this year. My gift to him will be food - south Louisiana specialties that he can not get in Colorado.

Thanks for all of the good suggestions. I am really looking forward to visiting with my Brother. He is a lovely man and we do not get to visit often enough.

[digitS']

At home much of the time, get some warm slippers. Or, a double pair of wool socks. I wear wool socks year round .

Our snow is melting! A local airport had reported a daily record of 7.1". Now, it didn't freeze overnight! We have a 100% chance of rain tonight and tomorrow. Then! The forecast highs will be below freezing going into the holiday weekend. Oh boy, icy conditions!

While it's raining down here, it might be fun to check out the other border of the Idaho Panhandle. It's just a little over an hour's drive away ... under good conditions : Lookout Pass

Steve

[ElizabethB]

James - beautiful photos.