We've had just two nights of frost so far. Our lowest temp so far was 28 degrees. It went back up into the 80s after that during the days, and then now it's been around 50-60 for our daily highs and about 45-50 at night. We haven't burned any oil or wood yet. We basically just stay in the living room in the evenings with a small electric heater on until climbing under our blankets for the night. We will probably start burning a little oil a couple hours a day in the middle of October through until it gets to be really cold at night--probably around the second week of December. Once we set the fire going, we don't usually let it go out at all until spring--unless we are going away for a couple days--which is kind of rare for the Jan-March period.
Jack sounds like a very good "guy" to have around. We hear the coyotes hear, on average, about twice per week, but they don't get too close to the house. I think they know there's a loud stick there that shoots fire and worse.
sir mepatriot! Well, for some reason I was thinking that you just used electic and your woodstove for heating, I either didn't realize about the oil furnace or didn't remember, probably the latter because you explain things so well.
So in addition to your woodburning stove which you have in the living room I assume, you have an oil burning furnace? And you have to have an oil truck come out and fill it up? And what does oil cost these days?
Wouldn't it be nice if you discovered oil in your backyard? I think that you would stay right there but perhaps build a mansion on the arcreage that you have? Or build a mansion but just go ahead and keep your house there for the hired help or servants quarters! lol.
On the topic of coyotes, you have quite a distance from the trees from your house right? I mean you have alot of open fields until you get to the woods if I understand your photos well enough. And that's where those dang coyotes are, in the trees.
Because ours don't come out in the open at night in view of the house, but we have trees fairly close to the house and we can hear them right on the other side of the trees. In other words sometimes they're about 150 to 200 feet from the house, not normally that close but we've heard them that close before and it's a little startling when it sounds like there are about a dozen of them howling, barking, yelping and doing what sounds like screaming! lol.
I'd like to know what they are doing out there when they go crazy like that. I've heard other people say that they do that went they make a kill and then all the others in the territory come running to share in the kill but I don't know if that's true. Especially given the selfish nature of man,...I mean animal..why would they want to share? I figured that they'd be fighting over the carcasses of killed animals, not sharing them with their hideous kinfolk! lo. But that's just my thoughts, what do you think about it? It would be fun to have night vision equipment and go out there and be able to see what's going on, might be a little scary because the only time they attack humans is when they're in packs unless they are crazed with rabies. Might want to go sneaking up on them with a buddy, and both of us be armed with AR's. Actually I'd like to kill a bunch of them to kill them off because they are just getting too numerous here and killing off the deer population and so forth.
What I don't understand is why they leave our rabbits alone, we have tons of rabbits on this property and they could thin them out with no problems but I guess the deer are a larger prey that can feed the whole den for awhile. ok well that's my random thoughts on it anyway.
We also use oil when we go away in winter...which usually isn't far or for long, and only when the weather is predicted to be milder those days. We can't depend on oil if the temps are going to be under 15-20 degrees with any kind of wind. Oil costs about $2.50-3.00 gallon, but it varies a lot.
Yea...we are a good 400 feet from the nearest tree line, so no, they don't usually get much closer than that, though I have seen their prints in the snow a couple times over the years coming right up the driveway.
howdy sir mepatriot! so when does it normally start snowing there? and I assume the county has great snowplows that work around the clock to keep the more rural roads clear?
And you guys have a big oil truck come out and deliver oil there?
You already got all the wood cut and stacked I know that. wow I love the smell of wood stoves and fireplaces and you get to have that for those long winters up there. ..very cool.
It could start snowing any time now...flurries usually can start any time from late September on... The snow doesn't usually stay though until around the middle of November.
Yes When it is snowing we can count on plows going by about once per hour, but we are on U.S Route One. The back roads get a bit less attention.
Yes. I think they carry about 5000 gallons, but not sure exactly...
sir mepatriot! so how do you get the snow cleared from your driveway to the road, just your snow blower?
Yep that's it, but it's a big one.