Posts Tagged ‘Wintervale’
Post Storm
As soon as I got home from work yesterday, I jumped on the tractor to clear the snow from in front of the barn, and around the new loop we have planned. I still haven’t figured out a system I like for plowing that area. It is kind of a quick drop down from the asphalt, and working up to the barn doors limits what can be done. It is also currently made more complicated because of the trailer of fence wood that is still parked there.
I’m not entirely pleased with my results, but I think it will be sufficient. Daytime temperatures will be well above freezing in the coming days, and that will melt much of what I missed.
After a quick bite to eat, I headed back into the woods on my skis. I would be very pleased with myself if I were able to make skiing a daily exercise, but I doubt that will happen. This late in the year isn’t the best time to start a goal like that, anyway. Already, after just 1 day, I recognized very noticeable change in the snow, both out in the open where it is exposed to a lot of sun, and in the woods.
It changes so quick that it makes the beauty and splendor of that just-after snowfall scenery extra special. The slightest breeze, or a clear sunny day, will dry up those tree branches in a blink. It will look like it never even snowed.
I tried packing additional length of trail, but I started just after sunset, and it became increasingly difficult to see as the light grew dim, so I’m not too sure how well I did. It got me to thinking, though, that I should search online to see if there are any suggestions for a way to groom a ski trail using human power. Trying to pack it with skis is just too inefficient.
I always like it when the search box pops up hints that match what you enter, taken from the history of search terms. I started by entering “human powered trail…” and it had one for trail groomers! The internet is a great thing.
There were several styles, but I am particularly intrigued by this one: HPTG. Seems like they’ve thought of everything.
I believe I will be saving up to get me one of those for next year. I have a feeling I am going to enjoy working on making a groomed trail even more than I will skiing on it.
Beautiful Storm
First off, let’s just look at a ‘before’ and ‘after’ view, comparing that shot from Sunday with one I took yesterday afternoon. What a difference a couple of days can make.
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It snowed most of the day yesterday, and I wanted to wait until it stopped before plowing, so that meant I was able to go out and play! First, I hiked on snowshoes for a lap around the entire 20 acres. When I got out to the road, I discovered our mailbox had been knocked off its post by the snowplow. It would take some tools to fix, so for the time being, I laid it sideways on the post, and kept on snowshoeing.
I took a picture of the back of the house, because the snow drifting over the eaves looked cool, and I realized we don’t take many pictures from that vantage point.
While in the woods, I packed down a portion of the trail, with thoughts about the possibility of trying some skiing. I hadn’t gotten around to doing that yet this winter, and the days when that will still be possible are numbered. I was pretty worn out by the time I made it back to the house, but the conditions were so perfect, I decided to get out the skis.
Mind you, I haven’t been on them for a very long time, and I still haven’t quite mastered the art of skate-skiing, so this was a pretty significant undertaking. I’m sure I could have done better if I hadn’t been fatigued, but it was a lot of fun, and I worked to pack down a little more trail with each pass back and forth that I accomplished.
By about 2:30 p.m., the snow had tapered off, and I wanted to get the plowing done before dark, so I ended the ski experiment, before I incapacitated myself with exhaustion. The skiing worked really well, and I’m hoping to get right back out there soon, to make the best of it while it lasts. There’s still plenty more trail yet to be groomed, and I’d like to see how I perform when I am not already worn out.
The plowing turned out to be quite a challenge, because of the amount of snow (I’m guessing 11 inches) and the fact the temperature was warm enough to make it a bit sticky. I wasn’t very successful using the back blade, so I mostly resorted to the bucket. There’s a lot more monkeying around to maneuver to where I can empty the bucket when it gets too overloaded, and I can no longer push it in front of me.
I want to report to my siblings, I was thrown back to wintertime at the old Intervale farm, after I was finished plowing, because I had created giant piled-up snow mounds in a few spots. I visualized my 6-year-old self standing on top of the mountain of snow at the end of that driveway, back in the day.
They must have used a lot bigger tractor than the one I have, though. (Did Dad do that plowing, or someone else?)
Today, it’s back to the day-job for me. No playin’ in the snow till evening. Maybe I’ll do some night skiing in place of my half-hour walk.
Snow Accumulating
Melting snow, slowly making its way off the barn’s steel roof.
I’ve never had much luck interpreting what the weather was going to do next, but I have always had a keen interest in what’s happening in our skies. That is, I’m interested when the weather presents us with something dramatic, like storms, or record-setting extremes. I think meteorology is fascinating.
As a result, and since I am lousy at predicting on my own, I make frequent use of weather web sites. As I write this, we are currently under a winter storm warning, and I have been checking the radar frequently. I started checking on Sunday. The storm was predicted to start in the early morning hours of Monday.
When I was rudely awakened, several times, by the crashing and banging activity of raccoons on the deck in those wee hours of the a.m., I took advantage of the motion-light which had triggered, to find out the deck was still bone dry. That just added suspense to what daylight would reveal, at the break of dawn.
Daylight revealed nothing. Still dry as could be. I checked with folks at work, on the other side of the Twin Cities, and learned they were getting accumulating snow. I immediately checked the radar, to see how far off it was, and what I found was pretty useless. The radar looked as if it was already on top of us and snow was falling over Beldenville. Maybe, but just not at my house. Or, maybe it was one of those situations where snow falling from the clouds was drying up before it could reach the ground. Whatever.
Finally, by 12:10 p.m. yesterday afternoon, I started to see some falling flakes. However, by 12:18 p.m., it had already stopped. By the end of yesterday, all we had received was a trace of snow. What was going on?
I checked Minnesota Public Radio’s Updraft weather blog. The post said they knew all along that the snow accumulation from this event would come in two waves, and the second wave would be the heavier amount. It also indicated that their computer model “insisted” that the area of greatest accumulation remained directly over the metro area, into western Wisconsin.
The prediction for the timing of the heaviest snowfall was now the early morning hours of Tuesday. I made an advance decision to stay home from the day-job today, based on the warning of the ‘insisting’ computer model.
I don’t dare hold ill feelings for the discrepancies between meteorologist’s predictions, and what really takes place. I certainly am not able to do any better.
If all goes as planned (hoped), I will wake up (from a full night’s sleep), to find a massive accumulation of beautiful white snow, and then snuggle back under the covers to sleep in, giving the storm more time to move out of the area, toward the east. The afternoon will then be spent plowing and shoveling.
That is, if the weather doesn’t deviate from what the computer model insists should happen.
Beautiful Night
It was another beautiful night on our new property. Breathtakingly so. The richness of being here is almost overwhelming sometimes. Walking through our woods on the snow-covered trails, heavily marked by the frequent activity of wildlife, large and small, is an enthralling experience. It is a dance of life. It is a privilege and a pleasure, and a feast for the senses. The crunch of footsteps in the snow makes what seems like a thunderous cacophony announcing my presence, but stopping to stand still, immediately wraps the surroundings in a blanket of comparative silence. Just as quickly, subtle hints of movement can be detected in the increasing darkness of distances. Branches creak in the flow of cooling air, a dog barks somewhere far away, and the sound of a bird brings a sensation that springtime is locked up in everything here, on the verge of bursting forth in all its splendor.
I can’t wait to see it happen, but I wonder if I have the capability to bear it all. Part of me senses the beauty of this place could be incapacitating if I am exposed to too much all at once. There are times I feel like I’d be perfectly content to just sit down in any spot here and do nothing but absorb the surroundings to the fullest until my ultimate demise. It is intoxicating!
Tractor Lesson
Last Saturday, we received a visit from our fence contractor, who came over to shoot some elevations in preparation for locating and creating the new driveway loop, and the hay shed. Work here has been in a holding pattern, due to the weather we keep getting smacked by. When the spring melt happens, we will be subject to road restrictions for gross weight allowances. That means our plan becomes a bit pinched. Can’t start too soon, but don’t want to wait too late.
In a phone conversation discussing the status of our project, Cyndie asked the simple question about getting the dirt/gravel fill we need, delivered early, before road restrictions are in place. That was deemed a good idea (she’s so smart) and triggered some activity. Our contractor showed up with an assistant to take some readings. The first thing that needed to happen was removal of snow, to provide a good base to work from. I offered to try with my tractor, but warned them I was inexperienced, and had already gotten myself stuck on the ice there, multiple times. Luckily, the guy he brought with him was skilled with heavy equipment.
I jumped at the chance to have him use my tractor, and give me some tips. It was a great opportunity to stand by and watch from the ground, beside the tractor, to see how he manipulated it. I don’t get to enjoy that view when I’m the one driving, taking my lessons via trial and error.
I’m pleased to report that my operation is not very far off. Mostly, it looked like he was doing what I do, except he was doing it better than me. He definitely demonstrated a better ‘touch’ on the hydraulic control for the loader bucket. It made me realize that I usually over-correct. His adjustments were much more subtle.
I was happy to discover that there is an indicator that tells me when my bucket is level to the ground. It was always right in front of my view, I just didn’t know what I was looking at, and thus was operating blind.
When he developed a leg cramp, we switched up and I got to mess around on the tractor while they took care getting elevation readings at a few key spots. I got the snow cleared again from the path where the new section of driveway will be.
If the weather holds, we are hoping to see truckloads of gravel dumped for the driveway loop, and the start of progress on the paddock fencing, next week!
Looking at this picture now, I realize the dramatic difference the last 4 days of warm weather have made. Our driveway is mostly melted, and there is a lot more gravel and grass exposed in front of the barn where we cleared the snow Saturday.
You can see in that shot that we put down some sand to break up the skating rink ice that was developing on the driveway. That, and the above-freezing temperatures have helped immensely!
Little Victories
First off, I want to thank everyone who took time yesterday to contact me with valuable information in support of my education in sink drain plumbing. Of course, the secret ingredient was, Plumber’s Putty!
I started the morning with a review of some youtube videos that revealed tips and tricks, which bolstered my confidence that stopping the leak was well within my capabilities. It also verified my suspicion that it would probably involve something like Plumber’s Putty. Sure enough, front and center, that is what was needed.
I headed to town with my sights set on the fireplace store, and the hardware store. I came home with new rope door gaskets, high temp silicone sealant, and the putty.
The day was filled with a series of minor accomplishments.
- Cleaned out some pallets and tires from the house garage, and got them moved down to the shop garage for storage.
- Tossed out dead mousesicle and reset trap in the garage. (Steve, I haven’t got the new trap you gave me set up in the barn yet.)
- Scraped some of the melting ice off the upper portion of the driveway, near the house.
- Sprayed lubricant into the latch for the hood of my car, getting it to hold the hood down properly (securely).
- Installed batteries and started the indoor/outdoor thermometer we bought weeks ago.
No, it wasn’t 75° here yesterday; I just didn’t clear the initial data
- Got the remote sensor mounted up under the eave, to protect it from rain.
- Mounted the other thermometer we bought, which sticks directly to the window.
- Dismantled drain of kitchen sink, cleaned all the parts.
- Re-installed sink drain, with putty, and snugged it up tight.
- Replaced rope gaskets on fireplace doors.
The number of obstructions to the success of each project were minimal, and I won praise from Cyndie for my success with the plumbing lesson, so it was a rewarding day of work.
We have an appointment this morning for the dishwasher, for which Cyndie accepted responsibility to be home, so I could get to my day-job.
At the end of the day yesterday, I had saved the expense of hiring a plumber, but I may have initiated something that will cost me a lot more than one service call. While at the fireplace store, I inquired about their geothermal heating and cooling system installations. I now have an appointment next Monday to host a visit from a salesman. We’ll talk about how such a system might fit this location, and what kind of financial commitment it would require to pull it off.
In my dream world, I would also add solar, or wind generated power for the electrical needs of the system.
As long as we are in this Wintervale Ranch dream, we might as well dream big.
New View
Not long ago, I posted a picture of what our planned hay shed might look like, situated by the barn, and with the new loop of driveway around it. Creating it had been a rather quick effort to find a shed that looks like what we have in mind, and paste it onto the existing image. A little while after that effort, I was walking down our driveway and experienced a moment of clarity. The hay shed in that image was in the wrong orientation.
We have been mulling over how it might look, and I suddenly realized that, when coming up our driveway, the view won’t be directly in at the stored hay, you will see the side of the shed. So, I spent some time last night doctoring up another photo image.
In trying to correct for the scale, I may have overdone it a bit, and made it too big this time, I’m not sure. I also darkened the new portion of driveway, to make it more visible. However, then I went and covered it up by adding some fence for the paddock that will be going in. Here’s a representation of the current plan we have in mind:
The fence line isn’t quite right, as we haven’t exactly determined where we will be putting gates, and what route it will ultimately follow, but it helps to see it there, to envision the impact it makes on the look of the new shed in that location.
I’m feeling encouraged that it might end up to be a logical and coordinated layout, and hopefully won’t look as disjointed as I originally feared it might. Now, if the weather would just cooperate, we could start making some actual physical progress on the project, not just image-manipulated simulations of progress (even though simulations are a lot easier and a heck of a lot cheaper).
Love it!
This is not to scale, but shows a hint of what we are contemplating for a hay shed beside the barn. Yesterday, I shoveled a mock driveway that you might be able to discern in front of the image of a shed that I have pasted into the photo I took.
There is no denying that this will impact the visuals of arriving to our place, but we think it will fit in the long run. There will be fencing of the paddock which will run on the near side of that new driveway loop, and often times, horses grazing in the pasture along the entrance. Just the addition of the fence alone is going to greatly alter the way things look in that area.
We don’t think having the hay shed right there, front and center –the first thing you come to when arriving– is ideal, but this is the way to make it most functional. Without having it physically in place to judge, we have to just guess how well it will fit. I fear the reality will be a bit shocking. I expect it to look larger than I am imagining it to be.
We are hoping to be able to adjust to it in a short amount of time, and let the activity surrounding it establish the justification, and the ultimate appropriateness, for the location. This is not the kind of thing that we can easily change our mind on after it is built. By that time, we will be putting our energy toward convincing ourselves how much we totally love it.
Frozen Solid
Not much worth doing on the ranch after a heavy rain downpour in January is followed by plummeting temperatures. Especially when it falls way below zero Fahrenheit. Everything is ice. Extreme ice. It is brutal in so many ways.
First off, our driveway is a disaster. Cyndie suggested I try cleaning it by plowing with the tractor the day after it rained. I balked, fully aware that doing nothing would lead to this, but there were small odds I would have had much success with plowing. Under the slush, it was too icy to provide enough traction, even with chains on the tires. Also, it was still warm enough that the wet slush would stick to the blade, and quickly become too heavy for what little grip my wheels could accomplish. I figured I could make a bigger mess of things than we already had, and get the tractor stuck, to boot.
Now the driveway is one solid block of ice. Either I will get lucky, and it will slough off in big chunks when the next warm up occurs, or we are stuck skating our vehicles up and down the drive for the next few weeks. Either way, any small cracks that existed before, are now being stressed, big time.
Water flows and seeps into every crack and crevass, then it expands with destructive power when it freezes. It’s how we accomplish some of our world class pot holes in the roads around here. I can’t wait to see how the driveway looks, come spring.
The colder it gets, the harder the freeze. The harder the freeze, the more dramatic the breaking. When ice expands, it makes a lot of noise. The bigger the ice, the bigger the noise the cracking ice makes. Standing on a frozen lake, when the ice ruptures, the boom of fracturing ice can be very disquieting. When a mass of ice on top of the roof cracks, it is downright upsetting. Of course, it tends to happen in the darkest, coldest hours of the night, which just so happens to coincide with the time a person is trying to get a restful night’s sleep.
Quite frankly, it scares the hell out of me to be startled awake by, (((BOOM!))). Sleep tight.
Cyndie snapped a shot of me as I was about to enjoy trying to navigate the driveway disaster, walking the trash down to the road last night, with the windchill at 21 below.
Flash Boom
Shortly before midnight on Monday night, I was having a very interesting dream, the gist of which I have now totally forgotten, likely because the dream was abruptly interrupted by a curious booming sound. It was thunder.
There is a brief period of transition from asleep and dreaming, to being awake, when logic has yet to establish firm footing. I raced right through that confused state of mind when the next bright flash and booming thunder snapped me to attention. That was when I realized we weren’t experiencing one of those rare thunder-snows. I was hearing a full-fledged downpour of rain, …in January. I have never witnessed anything like it in my entire life. It was pouring. A deluge. It included continuing lightning strikes, (we counted 7 in all), in about 15 minutes of roaring rainfall. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if this fell as snow.
I was like a little kid, running from window to window, trying to take it all in. This was an exceptionally dramatic weather event for me. Where was all this water going to go, with our ground frozen solid? I wondered if we might lose electricity. While I was still able, I hopped online and summoned a radar image.
There was a pretty big area of sleet that funneled down to a small tail of the classic green, yellow, and red of a thunderstorm, and that was centered right on top of us. It looked to be only about a couple of miles wide. Hmm. Aren’t we special?
We chuckled over suddenly having two cats show up in our bed, looking for some extra cuddles, a lot like the way children are known to act during a thunderstorm.
Yesterday afternoon, Cyndie and I took a walk to survey the aftermath and decided the rain was a good thing, even though it trashed the snow, and turned our roads into a nightmare of icy-ness. With the rainfall unable to soak in, it provided a perfect graphic representation of the drainage in the area we are planning our fences.
The spot where we cleared out the brush and created a small runway appears to work wonderfully. Then there is an area where the wetness 
spreads out a bit, before coming together again, right where we expected it to. The stakes that our fence contractor put in to identify the drain path are smack-dab in the middle of the wettest spots.
The whole experience was pretty exciting, if maybe a bit unnerving. It’s going to delay the start of our paddock fence installation for a while, but we learned a little something out of the event.
This is the second time since we moved here, last October, that our sleep was interrupted by a dramatic thunderstorm. With the house situated on the high point of our property, I’m not entirely surprised. It’s just that we haven’t been here during the normal time of year for thunderstorms yet. I wonder what’s in store for us when springtime finally arrives?
