Gone a week in winter - no heat - no freezing - a Testimonial to a bermed home

Testimonial for our bermed home in the Maine foothills - Closed it up on a Monday morning - no furnace - drapes pulled 1/2 way - temperatures ranged from the low 30's to single digits at night - and it snowed about 10-12 inches one day with wind - we returned in the middle of the night on the next Saturday - living room was 63 degrees and the back bedroom was 61.  Can anyone beat that?

Mighty Mouse (Vole) hunter

She is sure there is something down there - if she could only dig through the ice.

Icy Christmas 2013

We were very lucky as our electricity did not get lost and the ice only took down some branches - wishing all our neighbors and fellow New Englanders a return of power and a good holiday season.

some pictures from today at our place:

Bring on the Snow

Other than the snow in the face when it is windy - either need a cab or "not blow in the wind" - this is a better winter for snow removal.

We have had several storms and they are saying temps below 0 the next few days.  Another storm forecast for mid-week.  The blower in action:

We do have a truck being delivered soon - and will put a plow on it for next winter (probably).  Stay tuned.

Hallloween - Snow

This morning, we woke to snow on October 31st.  I checked my pictures and the last ones I had of new whiteness were taken on April 17th.  So, this year we only had 5 months without snow - whew.

We have snow, we have wood-fire, we have football - winter seems to be here.  I took some pictures on the morning walk.  They are posted here on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=252727&id=806763755&l=db669bbd65

At least Milos is happy.

The Perfect Start to Spring Break

First day of Spring Break and we woke to a fresh coating of wet snow. Yesterday, everyone left work with travel on their minds - one off to London, another to visit sunny Acapulco.  Did it disappoint me to not be off with my colleagues to places sunny and warm?  Let me consider...
Headlines today:

London:  Ash may hover for days over uncertain Europe
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/16/volcano-spews-ash-spawns-wider-flight-chaos/

Acapulco:  the scene of a war in recent months between gunmen from ...
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/03/16/mexico.calderon.juarez/index.html?iref=allsearch

Here:


You be the judge.

Technorati Tags: maine, leonberger

Not Spring - Not Wiinter

This winter has avoided Maine for the most part - the heavy storms have all gone out to sea after playing havok with our neighbors to the south.  I have read commentary about "this is global warming" in heavily sarcastic tones from the residents of the Atlantic coast.  I just reply, yep - it is climate change.

This latest wave has made one ugly mess out of the foothills.  Many are without power due to the rain laden snow and others just slogging through the slush.  The mountains have received many inches (feet) though which is great for the skiers and snowboarders.  :)

We have been through about 7 inches of snow - followed by a couple inches of slush - then just a little rain - back to a couple more inches of snow overnight - then into the rain/sleet - and on - and on - and on.  Here was the look this morning - sheets of ice on our roof - and dirty snow around the mailbox.



Technorati Tags: Maine,sharonbetts,winter

January 2010 tracking

A beautiful day in Maine foothills.  I snowshoed out with Milos and we had a great time investigating all the snowy tracks.  The forecast is for ugly rain - hope we luck out!  I know what creature made the tracks - do you?  Love your comments.


maine
wildlife tracks
sharonbetts

2010 New Year Storm

The blizzard level winds made this one memorable. Today it is in the low 30s are everything is so heavy. Even the dogs are relaxing inside. It seems that it even adds insulation to the house - quite warm inside even without sun.
A few shots:


Technorati Tags: maine, snow, sharonbetts

Warm stove - blowing snow - enjoying bermed home

Over 2 feet of blowing snow made a tunnel out of the front lawn. It has even overwhelmed the "snow-monster Milos".

Dave has been on the tractor for over 3 hours clearning the drive and now I hear him pushing snow off the roof. Obviously, no school today which expanded our winter vacation (due to snow, ha).
The Tulikivi is warm and the cocoa hot - things could be worse.

Technorati Tags: tulikivi, maine, snow, sharonbetts

Spring Tails and Trails

The snow is finally melting and temperatures are forecast for the 60s in the next couple of days. The waiting is nearly over (see pic) and everyone is feeling Springish including the dogs. Tracks are appearing in the shallow snow and mud - this makes for very interesting walks. The latest: squirrels, skunks, chipmunks, deer, fox and a mystery animal which we think could be a bobcat. As the snow melts, the mice tracks become evident in the damp ground - this is a cause for major digging and massive mud-feet. Sophie has spent 9 years trying to rid Maine of those troublesome chipmunks and Milos is certain that he can clear the skies of all flying objects. Unfortunately, there are some crows that seem to taunt him daily.

Can't believe it has been over 9 years since Sophie came into our home. She is doing extremely well and still gives Milos a run for his money in the nightly battles. Milos was 3 on December 20th. He has filled out and although not a large leonberger, weighing around 130 pounds, he has a beautiful coat and is the most loving big-boy. It has been quite different to raise a male for me. I have (and still am) working on understanding his spirit. He looks at me with those beautiful brown eyes and reads my every thought - his word recognition is also quite admirable. We find that we can pretty much carry on conversations with both of them. Call us crazy!

I would like to get back to therapy work with Sophie when I retire in a few more years. I am back in class with Milos once a week now - we are working on some of Brenda Aloff's "Get Connected" protocols on canine body language which are really fun. It is great to watch him try to figure out what will make the clicker click and the bananas fall. Finally, we can get out for our walks again, too. I still can't trust him off leash when we are in the woods as we are not "connected enough" for me to be more interesting than the track-makers. That is a goal which I hope to reach someday. I remember thinking that we would never be able to hike with Sophie off leash, but it happened. Maine in the Spring is a joy to experience.

Technorati Tags: sharonbetts bobcat maine leonbergers

Top to Bottom

Ceilings are done - as posted earlier (still a little trim to go). So, down to the final floors with the dining - living next. The border has been done for a long while and we planned on filling in the main portion with that same tile. A polished brown separates the border from the floor. Last week we painted with a dark blue - this week the tile is taking shape.

Don't know if I blogged about our TV's mishap. While working in the living room a couple of weeks ago, the TV slid off its stand and didn't survive. Yesterday we joined the new generation and purchased a new LCD HDTV - went with Samsung 650 model. Had to add a Blue-Ray player and rush home to plug it in. We need to trim the wall and then mount. Such a great idea to have all the cords inside the TV wall.

The April snow is going away slowly - Spring must be coming (immediately after mud-season).

sharonbetts
tulikivi
samsung

Several items - Shower Vanity and Living Room Ceiling

A quick catch up on interior work. We have finished all the tongue and groove! Wasn't sure that I would ever be able to type those words. We have tongue and groove on nearly all the wood framed walls and most of the ceilings now. Some still needs polyurethane - but it is up. Took a break from the tiling to install a vanity in the shower bathroom. Our cabinet maker, MidMaine Furniture (did such a fabulous job on the Hickory kitchen) is extremely busy and won't be able to get to our final work until summer. We can wait for the pantry, towel closet and dressing table - but really needed a sink in this bathroom. So, here it is - he is going to match it as well as possible. It is a good brand, but I can certainly see the difference in this and his products.

The last few days have seen Dave back outside - he discovered that he needed to take some of the winter build-up off the roof (I'll blog that separately). We have had some ice and that makes the driveway a skating rink - slid down it using the piles of snow as bumpers last week. So, he is working to try to get some traction somehow - next year we are going to get a pile of sand to use when this happens. Having sun today and yesterday - brought the house temp up to around 80 and helped a little.

The study floor is filling in - having a non-square room is not conducive to quick tiling. The den is where the jog in the floorplan appears - lots of triangles....
We now have the fan and wall lights ready to mount in there - that may be the first completely finished room! It will be good to get my corner cabinet and the computer back into that room and out of the garage and dining areas.

Looking at a Vermont company, Hubbardton Forge, for the lights in the dining and living room - Love their products and like the idea of purchasing from a US company (especially one in the NE).

sharon+betts
bermed
Maine
HubbardtonForge

Piles of snow and lots of clouds

This has been a very snowy and cloudy 2008. Last year, I was complaining that I coudn't get away from the scalding sun and the house was always heading above 80 during the days. So, we worked on some bamboo shades for this year, and have used them some very successfully. But, we really haven't had much need to drop them. Snow - snow - clouds - rain - snow - clouds have led to a real test of our bermed concept. We found that if we add nothing except the Tulikivi and get no sun for 3 or more days, the temps in the back bedroom drop a little too much for me. When it hit 62 degrees, I flipped on our portable electric heater - cheaper than using propane to run the radiant heat. That worked like a charm.

Today, the sun came out - the house warmed and we are all cosy watching the mountains of snow outside the windows.
click on the picture to enlarge it -----------------
You can see more pictures of this winter at the Gallery.

sharon+betts
bermed
Maine

Asheville Adventures with Monster Milos - Episode 4

The trip home - weather forecasts continue to be for a huge Northeaster. Packing up in the morning, we took off on our 20 hour trek back to the north country. Probably the scenery was just as nice as on the route down, but we couldn't tell you. Fog, sleet, rain and WIND pretty well camouflaged it for us. We plowed on, getting soaked at each potty stop and marveling over the gusts that waved the van around the road.
Mid-morning we passed Blacksburg, VA with no inkling of what was about to happen there in the near future. On we plowed until the weather really got ugly and we really got hungry about 1/2 way through the corner of NY. So, we pulled over at a truck stop and called our daughter-in-law for a weather report while grabbing a bite. "Snow and freezing rain" -- better get a room.
So, we stayed at a Motel 8 - great, except for the 3rd floor room and the shaky elevator. First trip - no problem, all four into the little box. Milos wasn't thrilled at the slippery tile floor, but Sophie was with him.

Then the door slides shut and the box jolts to a start! PANIC! The world is coming to an end and we are stuck in this little box! Bounces to a halt and we are released into a hallway. WHEW! Everyone (canine and human) was exhausted and hit the beds (the dogs each had a chicken leg that I had sneaked out of the truckstop in a napkin - both must be losing weight).

Next morning around 6 am, they can hold it no longer. Up, on with the sweats - a peek out the window shows more downpours - on with the boots, the raincoat. Trotting off and all is well with the world... until....
Mom wants us in that dangerous box again - NO WAY! Sophie hesitantly gets in the elevator. Milos bulks. I am holding the door which is trying its best to close. Coax Milos onto his feet and he starts in, but wait - Sophie bounces back out and that puts a stop to any progress. Deep breath -- by now both are dancing around wondering why we are messing with this stupid machine instead of finding a nice wet grassy area.
Another method - I go in and firmly state: "Gotta go? Come on". Mother nature's call overcomes the anxiety and they both come in. Door closes - Down we go.

When they were thoroughly soaked, but empty - I put them into the van - and went back upstairs to get ready for the final leg of our journey.

We stopped in Wells (our old hometown) for lunch -- flooded roads and wind damage. Up the turnpike (closed to trucks due to the wind which was measured at 74 mph) and home. We were able to get up the slush on the drive thank goodness.

We had some minor damage - one of the solatubes broke from ice expansion. Dave has it covered with a bucket and plastic until the weather breaks and we can get it fixed. He had just mentioned that we needed to put up a weather / snow break above each of those before next winter. It is always the last storms that get you.

Late April Fools

We woke up to nearly two feet of slimy snow. During the process of cleaning out the driveway, we managed to get both the tractor and the truck stuck for awhile. Perhaps we better rethink our snow removal methods.

The fifth season

It's not called Mud season for nothing! Maine produces prize winning blueberries, maple syrup, potatoes, and an abundance of that gooey Springtime mud.
"Tipicditocreps" -- not a disease, but a soil type (a clay) that is widespread in the state. Certain properties of the clay favor production of the stickiest gooiest mud you have ever encountered.
The snow melts too fast for the soil which remains frozen a few inches down. It can't infiltrate and you get -- MUD! Deep, brown, mud - a prize season for every Leonberger.
So far, I have been able to keep them out, but their run is rapidly deteriorating and I can see it coming. Another great reason for no carpets; better get out the hose.

The current understanding is that certain soil particles have a high affinity for liquid water. As the liquid water around them freezes, these soils draw in liquid water from the unfrozen soils around them. If the air temperature is below freezing but relatively stable, the heat of fusion from the water that freezes can cause the temperature gradient in the soil to remain constant. The soil at the point where freezing is occurring continues to draw in liquid water from the soils below it, which then freezes and builds up into an "ice lens". Depending on the soil's affinity for moisture and amount of moisture available, a significant amount of soil displacement can result.

The earliest known documentation of frost heaving came in the 1600s.
Three conditions are generally necessary for frost heaving to occur:

* freezing temperatures
* a supply of water
* a soil that has:
o the ability to conduct water
o a high affinity for water
o saturation (i.e. the pore spaces are filled with water)
We have all three.
There is a video of some of our mud in Betts Blab - your will need flash, click on the picture.
The orange player is not functioning correctly, but if you click the download link, you can hear the podcast without video.

Sunday March 3, 2007

Took a walk in the new snow (on top of the old we are up to about 28 in. now). Click the two in the snow....

Feb. 24, 2007

Went for a walk today. click the arrow to hear how it went.

Feb 24th walk
Enjoy! -- Sharon


Posted on Podomatic.

sharon_betts snow leonbergers

Finally winter - stuck in snow

10 degrees outside - 82 inside and no fire since yesterday morning (no furnace either of course) :)
But there is finally some snow - Last week we got around 2 feet (last night another inch or so). It then decided to blow like it was tornado season and drifted everything everywhere with temperatures remaining in the single digits. I can recall such nice soft snows when I was a kid with the sledding hills and cross country trails just perfect. This is impossible to even walk through.
Yesterday, it warmed up to the 20s and I got all dressed up with Dave's snowshoes (since they are longer than mine). Got the dogs and headed back to one of the trails. There hadn't been any snowmobiles down it yet (we were wondering why). I found out.

The texture of the snow and the blowing had made it over 2 feet deep with no crust. The snow shoes sunk down about 10 inches and were nearly impossible to pull out. Then because they were too big, they would turn sideways further inhibiting my progress. The dogs bellies were dragging and Sophie just can't haul her carcass through that much drag anymore.

I decided that the snow shoes weren't doing any good - sat down and got them up out of the snow and off my feet. Milos thought this was interesting and proceeded to kiss me and try to roll around too. Finally got him to sit and thought I would get up - mistake. Did you ever try to get up when your hands sunk up to the shoulder? Put a foot down and it sunk above the knee - now what. Such a funny situation that I started to chuckle - this brought on more cavorting by Milos and Sophie and eventually more cold kisses. Idea - put the snow shoes on the snow - put my hands on them to get enough oomph to push to standing. Then trudge back to the tracks I had left - get the snow shoes back on (in a standing position) and return to the driveway.

All said, this walk took about 10 - 15 minutes and lasted about 100 feet. Back to the house - all three completely exhausted (ha). Now, I know why there were no snow mobiles -- they also would have sunk and gotten stuck. That must be why the groom the trails......

berm
sharon_betts
passive_solar