A Cold Spell has been cast upon us

Cold Spell

Now that the global warming scam is history, many of us are scrambling to keep the home fires burning hot enough to ward off the cold.

Here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, temperatures seem to be much lower than in the nearby cities like Roanoke and Christiansburg, Maybe these are example of Urban Heat Islands which are significantly warmer than their surroundings. The town of Floyd is definitely not warmer than its surroundings.

We are burning firewood at double the usual rate in order to keep the house temperature in the 70's. I can't imagine what the people burning other fuels like propane must be going through.

Another sign that we are experiencing severely cold weather. We are
sprinkling birdseed out the door and we usually have a carpet of birds
all day long. Yesterday I saw crows feeding about 5 feet from the front
door. When they start banging on the door to let us know that the seed
is running low, we will know that the end times are near.

It is at times like this that I am so thankful that we have a well-engineered house from Southern Heritage Homes in Rocky Mount. After weeks of temperatures in the teens and a wood stove blasting away 24/7, the roof is still covered with ice and snow from edge to edge. This is a sign that the insulation is keeping the heat inside the house where it is needed.

The only visible sign of heat loss occurs around the skylights where the thick coat of snow and ice is being melted by radiant heating from the skylight.

We have had a week of icy winds and temperatures in the teens. Life continues and we gather in warm places like Food Lion and the local coffee shops to exchange news of frozen pipes and stalled cars.

I have a Dodge Ram Van that is sitting useless in the driveway because I cannot get enough traction to move it even on level ground. The driveway is a sheet of ice with occasional bits of gravel sticking up out of it. The rest of the yard is covered with ice as far as you can see.

The all-wheel drive Subaru takes the weather in stride and will even climb icy hills if driven cautiously enough.

We work at home so commuting is not a problem, but we miss the easy access to friends in town. Neighborly visits are done with the engine left running and we keep them short to make use of the limited daylight available.

When cabin fever strikes, we organize a trip to town and try to make every minute count. There is no running into town to pick up something. When we sally forth, we have lists of supplies to get, errands to run, and finished products to deliver to customers.

Thanks to the Internet we can manage most personal and business matters by email or by ordering online. When you live in the Country, UPS and FEDEX trucks are frequent visitors. We see the friendly faces of these drivers almost every other day.

Stay warm.

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