Coach B

48 minutes ago, Carvers Gap said:

 An outdoor boiler?!  Bet that is awesome to have.  Is that a new edition?

They are pretty common in the hills around here. Built like tanks out of stainless steel. My FIL has had his for over 20 years and an older man at church is working on 25 years on his. The huge firebox has a large water jacket around it. Hot water is pumped into a heating coil inside the duct work of the central unit. I'm heating my entire house and dumping 170 degree water into my hot water heater with it. The downside is the older units while very tough are not really efficient and produce large amounts of smoke at times. I used to run it from October through April, but because of concerns about all of the smoke and use of wood have cut back to Dec-Feb. They really shine during extreme cold. 

1 hour ago, Carvers Gap said:

On the wood stove front...looks like I am going to get to fire that baby up next week!  

I fired up the Jotul(inside stove) back in October. The cold next week will force me to fire up the big dog(Hardy outdoor wood boiler). That sucker is a beast when it comes to heating in really cold weather. Unfortunately, its also an older model so it smokes like a freight train so I limit it to the core of winter. 

Nashville recorded 7.2" of snow on November 2nd back in 1966! I think 96 was the last mid-November or earlier significant accumulation I can remember. 

Thanks! You are right down the road from where my folks live and I grew up. Spent plenty of time running up and down Concord Road back in the 80s and 90s! 

What do you all like to use for wind forecasts? I can't stand the little flag and hook thingies! I know they are out there somewhere because I saw them(using actual shading and numbers) during the hurricanes. For some outdoor activities the wind forecast is more important than the temp at times. Plus it always seems wrong whenever I go fishing.

Great link there JAX! Good overall explanations on the major drivers. Those young men were impressive with the info. They are quite bullish for our area. 

We are way behind. Had some frost this morning so not a big deal except for the lack of early season stuff. Supposed to get it tilled tomorrow, then will have to fence out the chickens. Hopefully will get much of it in the ground by Friday. MIL says we are getting our own tiller for the tractor next year. 

Had some snow in the air down this way earlier this morning. Loaded up the stove with a mix of red oak, locust, and bois d'arc before I left. That's a mid-winter mix of serious hardwoods. Come on spring!

17 minutes ago, jaxjagman said:

Snow shower now.We haven't had snow here in over 10 years in March,rare to see it snow twice

Are you still in Brentwood? I'm near Lewisburg and we've had accumulating snow 5 out of the last 6 years in March. A couple of them were trivial, but three were over an inch. 

Edit: Sorry, didn't mean to come across argumentative. Just seems like the March nuisance snow is pretty standard.

Still waiting on the first tomato, should be pretty soon. Have had some sweet corn in the last couple of days. Wife has put up a bunch of green beens, but they have been a little buggy this year. Lots of squash, cukes, and zuchini. She has been dehydrating some if the squash and zuchini. Was a little behind on the okra so its still a ways off. 

 

Another project that I'm super excited about is my chicken coop.  I have all the lumber ready to go, just need some rain free days to work on it.  Once that's built I'll need to get the run setup then hopefully get the baby girls in March (aiming for six birds).  Super pumped about having some country eggs and chicken poop for the garden!  I've been toying with the idea of putting solar panels near the coop for indoor lighting, water dish warming during winter, and door automation. 

Good luck with the chickens. They were my first foray into farm animals, and now several years later I've still got them. Make double sure to keep them out of the garden. They are awful on seedlings, but great on post season cleanup. They can make a mess if they get into places you don't want and it is a balance to find the right amount of free-range/pen time. Once you get used to fresh greenery fed eggs the store bought ones are hard to go back to.

Coach, I have always wanted to do my own wood cutting and splitting. Do you go out and get your own wood? Impressive sight. Also, do you have a wood burning stove...you must?

Actually, I have three stoves. Big wood boiler outside heats the whole house and water.  A nice traditional wood stove in the living room which is my fav, and an old piece of junk in the barn.  We cut and split all our own which I have always enjoyed.  Been tougher lately to do with lots of kids running around, farm work, and a demanding job.  The new wood stoves are incredibly efficient, can provide heat and a place to cook meals during a power outage, and are just nice to have on a cold winters night.  If I don't run the inside stove for a few days the kids will start bugging me to build a fire.  I'd recommend one to just about anyone. 

Everybody complains about electric and propain bills this time of year.  While we just throw another load in and put out feet up by the fire with a 77 degree living room.  Wood stacks are like money in the bank, only better.

Pic of one way I enjoy the great outdoors in Tennessee.  I have about 2" here in Marshall county. I need to cut a bunch more after all I've burned this winter.

Nice write up on the New Year's Storm from 63/64 from OHX and HUN:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=ohx&storyid=96629&source=0