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Well, that's it. In sub-freezing weather, furnace running only at night, and only set to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 2 bottles of propane last less than a week.
There's another bottle out there, but I've been up for over an hour, and it's only 2:30 am and it's a merciful 25 degrees, if the internet is right, which is just below freezing, and a lot less cold than last night. I can't put a cold bottle on in the dark, trying to loosen and tighten metal fittings in the cold. It will have to wait.
I have a small space heater, across the cabin from my head in the bed. It's not very good, but it will help a little. I pulled Dog up off the floor, since she was frantically trying to climb up here. Even 4 inches of foam rubber is not enough to keep her warm down there.
I spent most of yesterday trying to thaw plumbing. It never got above freezing, so anything not in the sun (like everything in the house) could not warm.
We were running out of 2 liter bottles of water in here, so I brought in the 2 frozen soup pots and dish pan from the house kitchen. I thawed the soup pots on the propane stove. The dish pan still has three inches of ice in it.
I brought the goats' space heater into the house bath, opened the cabinet under the sink and shut the door. After SIX HOURS, I could finally break the six inches of ice in the bath tub, rescue that poor gold fish and dip a bucket of water out to the goats, who've been sucking ice chips I broke up in their pool yesterday.
I then flagged down a neighbor, got a ride to the dollar & convenience stores, bought some gallons of drinking water and a few other supplies.
By the time I got back, the garden hose, at least, was thawed enough to run. The house never did.
I filled about ten 2-liter bottles and a 5 gallon jug, filled the goat ponds, shut off the water and drained the hose. I put anything made of black metal in the goats' 2 water pools, so sun will hit them in the morning and they will thaw faster.
The problem is the toilet in the house. Water in tank and commode was frozen solid and there were 2 days worth of feces in there I can't flush. After 6 hours with the heater trained directly on it, the commode was still frozen solid. I had a heating element in the tank, and that liquefied. I was hoping that would help the bowl, too, but it didn't. I covered my hands in plastic grocery bags and removed as much feces as I could, so, if I can ever thaw it, it will flush without clogging.
I don't know where to go to the bathroom if I can't free up that toilet. I can pee in the trailer and drain it outside. But I can't collect a month's worth of feces in the black water tank. I have no way to empty that.
By the appearance of the feces, it would seem I also have worms. I never would have known that, otherwise, as I don't examine bowl contents and can't see that well, anyway. But something is there that should not be, and appears to have crawled up the toilet paper, trying to escape freezing solid. I feel no discomfort.
I can't afford a doctor and have no way to get to one and, frankly, can't waste the time. So, I'll look up what kind they are and dose myself with veterinary de-wormer or "home remedy." In the mean time, I guess I'm losing weight.
So, after an entire day, battling just to boil spaghetti last night, I passed out asleep at eight at night, only to wake at 1am to a cold trailer. Fortunately, I very badly had to pee, so forced myself out of bed. I thought, a cup of coffee and a cigarette would be nice right now. As the coffee warmed in the mircowave, I tried to start the oven. That's when I discovered the propane was out.
I went in the house, got a quilt and Mylar emergency blanket to staple gun in the trailer hallway, to keep heat in kitchen & bed area. That's when I noticed I couldn't hear the goats' heater, so went around back to fix it. They knock into it sometimes, and it has a "tilt" switch that shuts it off. That's why they have that heater, instead of this one, even though it's a better heater: I can't risk having them burn the house down until i get my stuff out of it.
It's a quarter to 3 am now. I'm in bed with only 2 cats, but 2 dogs, electric blanket on full, in a flannel gown and thick, terry cloth robe. It's four hours until sun up. I'm shivering.
The night is extremely clear and dark. There's a meteor shower and I saw a falling star. No clouds to keep the cold of outer space off my head tonight.
Tomorrow, I'll put that last propane bottle on. I may flag down another neighbor and try to get to the next town, where a guy sells propane, hitch hiking, with one bottle. I can't possibly carry two.
Well, that's it. In sub-freezing weather, furnace running only at night, and only set to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 2 bottles of propane last less than a week.
There's another bottle out there, but I've been up for over an hour, and it's only 2:30 am and it's a merciful 25 degrees, if the internet is right, which is just below freezing, and a lot less cold than last night. I can't put a cold bottle on in the dark, trying to loosen and tighten metal fittings in the cold. It will have to wait.
I have a small space heater, across the cabin from my head in the bed. It's not very good, but it will help a little. I pulled Dog up off the floor, since she was frantically trying to climb up here. Even 4 inches of foam rubber is not enough to keep her warm down there.
I spent most of yesterday trying to thaw plumbing. It never got above freezing, so anything not in the sun (like everything in the house) could not warm.
We were running out of 2 liter bottles of water in here, so I brought in the 2 frozen soup pots and dish pan from the house kitchen. I thawed the soup pots on the propane stove. The dish pan still has three inches of ice in it.
I brought the goats' space heater into the house bath, opened the cabinet under the sink and shut the door. After SIX HOURS, I could finally break the six inches of ice in the bath tub, rescue that poor gold fish and dip a bucket of water out to the goats, who've been sucking ice chips I broke up in their pool yesterday.
I then flagged down a neighbor, got a ride to the dollar & convenience stores, bought some gallons of drinking water and a few other supplies.
By the time I got back, the garden hose, at least, was thawed enough to run. The house never did.
I filled about ten 2-liter bottles and a 5 gallon jug, filled the goat ponds, shut off the water and drained the hose. I put anything made of black metal in the goats' 2 water pools, so sun will hit them in the morning and they will thaw faster.
The problem is the toilet in the house. Water in tank and commode was frozen solid and there were 2 days worth of feces in there I can't flush. After 6 hours with the heater trained directly on it, the commode was still frozen solid. I had a heating element in the tank, and that liquefied. I was hoping that would help the bowl, too, but it didn't. I covered my hands in plastic grocery bags and removed as much feces as I could, so, if I can ever thaw it, it will flush without clogging.
I don't know where to go to the bathroom if I can't free up that toilet. I can pee in the trailer and drain it outside. But I can't collect a month's worth of feces in the black water tank. I have no way to empty that.
By the appearance of the feces, it would seem I also have worms. I never would have known that, otherwise, as I don't examine bowl contents and can't see that well, anyway. But something is there that should not be, and appears to have crawled up the toilet paper, trying to escape freezing solid. I feel no discomfort.
I can't afford a doctor and have no way to get to one and, frankly, can't waste the time. So, I'll look up what kind they are and dose myself with veterinary de-wormer or "home remedy." In the mean time, I guess I'm losing weight.
So, after an entire day, battling just to boil spaghetti last night, I passed out asleep at eight at night, only to wake at 1am to a cold trailer. Fortunately, I very badly had to pee, so forced myself out of bed. I thought, a cup of coffee and a cigarette would be nice right now. As the coffee warmed in the mircowave, I tried to start the oven. That's when I discovered the propane was out.
I went in the house, got a quilt and Mylar emergency blanket to staple gun in the trailer hallway, to keep heat in kitchen & bed area. That's when I noticed I couldn't hear the goats' heater, so went around back to fix it. They knock into it sometimes, and it has a "tilt" switch that shuts it off. That's why they have that heater, instead of this one, even though it's a better heater: I can't risk having them burn the house down until i get my stuff out of it.
It's a quarter to 3 am now. I'm in bed with only 2 cats, but 2 dogs, electric blanket on full, in a flannel gown and thick, terry cloth robe. It's four hours until sun up. I'm shivering.
The night is extremely clear and dark. There's a meteor shower and I saw a falling star. No clouds to keep the cold of outer space off my head tonight.
Tomorrow, I'll put that last propane bottle on. I may flag down another neighbor and try to get to the next town, where a guy sells propane, hitch hiking, with one bottle. I can't possibly carry two.
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