01/02/2016 in Russian Village; Sunrise to Freedom…
You have not seen grouchy!
This morning as I checked the crippled thermometer, it read between -20 and -25 (-4 to -13 F. for you Americans,) and after walking the dog, fixing several village homes fences and listening to the bell tower ring; Boza and I made it home and I decided to start the car. To be sure I was not sure if the car would start in this temperature. It has never started this cold before. But it did and started easily…
As it warmed up and I brushed the snow off the car, I watched person after person walk up the hill in -20 and colder weather. They were all going to church up the hill!
I just wondered how many of you reading this would walk 4 to 5 kilometers in weather like this just to go to church?
I walk in this weather for fun, so yes I would walk to church in this weather…
Back to the car…
Sammy the Volga fired up and warmed up with no issues. The antifreeze is good till -45 and the windshield washer fluid is good till -31. Lets hope that neither of those temperatures is reached, but yes, it is possible here in Russia…
Therefore. I started the car to make sure that tomorrow I would be able to get to town early and get my shopping done. I want to pick some items up and I have dog food to pick up also. Boza has plenty of dog food, but as Sveta demands; “Her doggy needs lots of food!” (And that is that!)
I turned just now to see where Boza is and found him sound asleep curled up in a ball on the bed, in my spot. Yes I have to fight for my spot on the bed… 😉
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As I walk and Boza walks, the snow is so cold that it squeaks. My walking staff squeaks as it twists in the snow and life in general just squeaks in general, for it is cold, crisp and wonderful. The sun has made it up and is trying, but I have seen a single cell old flashlight with more heat than what I feel today from the sun. The sun actually seems to be making it colder instead of warmer and seriously, the sun seems so far away. Makes me wonder how a solar cell would do up here. I would like to get a kit and set up a solar collector station to supply electricity. Something that is crossing my mind…
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I have been mending fences the best I can around the village. All I can do is try to prop up sections that have been snapped by the excessive cold. This morning, I found top of the hill goat ladies fence broken off from the cold. The cold takes old wet fence posts and freezes them solid and as it gets colder, the fence swells, as in frost heave and the post will explode sometimes. I then find good logs and prop things back up, at least until they come to fix it in the spring. Can’t dig or nail; the ground is like stone and the posts are like steel beams…
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Vova is grouchy, he did not stack firewood like he should. He was too busy chasing the woman from Saria (Big Village) and kinda slacked in the getting prepared department. I have offered him a whole stack of firewood, but he is so mad at himself that he is splitting everything he can find in his yard to burn. The offer stands, but he is like me, really grouchy…
You have to get prepared, for we will very possibly have a few -30 nights and it will take some wood to keep warm. I am burning around a wheelbarrow a day of wood, if it is cold at -20. Warmer than that, and I have no issues with usage. I still have not used even half a stack of my wood and I have three more. Plus I have tons of wood to chop up if need be…
January and February are going to be brisk and next summer I will be rebuilding my wood piles, with the realization that I need to build at least five piles minimum. Or better yet, build a wood lean-to in the corner of the yard and put at least a three year supply under the roof. Then a stack near the house to refill from that lean-to…
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Gotta go; need to haul wood inside, get water and today I am going to take a bath. So have a nice day…
Kyle and Boza from the Tiny Russian Village…
Windows to Russia (WtR)