Chores cont.

I have a few more pics of some of the things that have to be done pretty much every day to get by. The first photo was taken looking into the atrium entry, where the big wood stove is located, showing how much snow I melt every day. I use the melted snow to water the animals, water the plants, for dish washing, bathing and up til last night to flush the toilet. The temperature has dropped off the last couple days and now the drain pipes are frozen. According to Doug this is the longest the pipes have ever stayed open during the winter season. With a little more work to the plumbing during the summer season I think Doug is hoping to keep the pipes open all year long.

The other two pics are of the snowmachine and sled I use to haul loads up the hill. On the machine and in the sled is a typical wood load that will usually last about two days. When the temp really drops off I also fire up the cook stove on the kitchen, using wood scraps from the saw mill, to help heat the cabin.

When the temperature is 25 below, as it was this morning, you can't expect the snowmachine just to start right up. To get the machine started I have to pre-heat it for at least an hour by putting a 300 watt heat lamp under the hood and covering it with a blanket to keep in the heat. And while it's getting warmed up I also turn over the engine a few different times, with the ignition off, to help circulate the warmth. Down at the river level today it was almost 40 below and when it's that cold I won't turn off the machine, once it's started, for fear of not getting it started again.

I spend most of the day light hours doing chores like this, not just to keep myself busy, but because it is required to keep the plants, animals and myself alive.