Birchtree Farm

...you are outside and the warm moist air rising up from behind the scarf wrapped around your face condenses and freezes on your eyelashes.

So, yes, it's been cold. Readings of -12F to -20F in the mornings have not been uncommon. I know, I know, there are places in the US that get much colder so I shouldn't complain. But after a certain point, can you really differentiate that much between -20F and -40F anyway? The water in the animals' buckets is still a solid mass of ice that has to be knocked out before more water can be poured in. Your fingers still burn from the cold even with heavy gloves on. And the drain pipes under the apartment are still frozen.

Which brings me to Operation Commode, Part II. The day after we got the toilet re-installed in the main bathroom, we had to get the shower back in usable shape. The panels for the tub/shower surround were not well installed, so they were loose, allowing water to get behind them. No, I didn't want to look and see what was behind them at this point. Yes, eventually everything will be gutted and rebuilt, but for now we just needed a shower. Ken found some tub/shower surround construction adhesive at the local hardware store and glued the panels back on where they were loose, and then duct taped everything for a couple days while the adhesive cured. So for 2-3 days we were taking showers surrounded by duct tape. I felt like those folks on Extreme Makeover Home Edition who end up getting a whole new house after they send in a video of their falling down/rotting away/decrepit living conditions. Hmmm... maybe Ty Pennington would like to come see our place? :-)

After the stuff cured however, we stripped off the tape, and caulked everything. It's good enough for now.

Speaking of now, it is snowing like crazy out there. They are predicting 12-20 inches of snow for our area by tomorrow. Ken went to work, but hopefully they will send everyone home early, as it's only supposed to get worse as the day goes on. This piece of equipment is going to get another good workout.