Preparing For Cold Weather
Greetings from the island on this very windy Jan 12 morning. As I sit at my little kitchen table having coffee, I can hear and feel the steady 30 mph winds, with gusts to 50 mph, blowing across Matagorda Bay and onto this barrier island. When I step outside, the blustery winds hit me like a dang freight train, and the poor chickens have to hunker down to keep from being blown across the yard. I can also physically see the tide dropping lower with the strong north winds, and will surely become very low tides by tomorrow morning.
This strong norther is a pre-cursor to the first Arctic cold weather that will be arriving in a few days, probably on Sunday afternoon, Jan 14, and be bitter cold for several days afterwards. Island temps are forecast to be in the mid to upper 20’s for a few early mornings, so I’ve gotta get prepared for that. I know that many inland places will be much colder, but for a barrier island those are very cold temps.
The evening prior to the temps getting the coldest, I’ll shut off the water pumps for the underground well that provides outside fresh water, and also the pump for the rain water tanks for inside water usage. I’ll then open all the outside water faucets and the inside faucets to drain everything, and this should hopefully keep any pipes from bursting. I’ll fill up a few five gallon buckets with water before turning off the pumps, so I’ll have fresh water for miscellaneous uses.
My nighttime sleeping heat will consist of a small propane heater near the bed, keeping it on the low setting. Flannel sheets, a blanket and 70 pound Mr. Dog, Corky, sleeping at my feet will provide enough heat throughout the night. In the morning downstairs, I’ll turn on a few burners on the propane stovetop, and that will easily heat the kitchen area. And then I’ll just stay bundled up and spend the majority of the day inside until the outside temps start to warm up a bit. As long as I have plenty of propane, I’ll have heat to make it through the brutal cold spells.
Well that’s it from the island for now. I hope that everyone got through the cold without any issues. Please do a nice deed or say a kind word to others whenever you can, and enjoy life. Everyone take care and have a great day.
