Fool's Spring (among other things)
When we woke up yesterday it was in the mid-forties and this morning we were greeted by this…
I don’t know about your part of the world but March in Minnesota is referred to as Fool’s Spring. Mother Nature inevitably lures you into a false sense of security with a few forty degree days and then Boom she delivers a blizzard. After thirty years of living in this state I’ve learned to appreciate those occasional warm days this time of the year but never to let my guard down or put away the snow shovel until May.
Finally!
As I was doing my daily curation today I noticed my Hive reputation score finally hit 80. Yes! I’ve been at a 79 for what seems like a year and a half. After nearly nine years of curating and creating content on this platform this feels like a major milestone to me and I think I’ll find a way to celebrate today.
Memoir Monday
I wanted to thank you all again for the support and participation you’ve shown with this initiative! It was so much fun. A few ideas are beginning to gel about how to continue it and I’ll be reporting more about that really soon. I'm leaning towards a new, self-sustaining community that doesn't rely on weekly prompts that's a repository for important memories. I'm thinking of calling it something like Memoir-able. Does that sound like something you'd be interested in?
I Forgot…
…how much work it is to own a home! After a decade of being an apartment/condo dweller it had slipped my mind how much physical and mental energy is required to maintain a home. Believe me when I tell you we hit the ground running with this new house.
Our latest dilemma is a constant ten degree temperature difference between the upper and lower levels of our split-level home. We bought a new furnace–that didn’t solve it. At the advice of our HVAC contractor we had a new cold air return cut into the lower level wall–-that didn’t improve the situation at all.
After hours of research I think I found a full-proof solution: a wood pellet stove. These wood/pellet stoves are a literal rabbit-hole of subjectivity.
Freestanding, fireplace inserts, cord-wood burning, wood pellet burning.
There are actually many brands still made in America. After sorting through all of the different options I think we’ve settled on the Harman P43. The P43 is a good balance of performance without too much technology that could cause issues down the road. It seems even wood stoves have become hi-tech.
These are very clean-burning, run for a couple days at a time, and you can even set a temperature range on them. Unfortunately, by the time we get it installed Fool’s Spring will likely be over and we’ll have to wait until October or November to try it out but it’s Minnesota so it’s anyone’s guess.
Does anyone have experience heating their homes with cord wood or wood pellets? This will just be supplemental heat for us when we’re hanging out downstairs or if the mercury dips below -10 degrees. The 30% tax credit makes this a much easier decision.
Solfeggio Frequencies
Now that I finally have a dedicated office to write in I’m finding myself trying create a vibe that helps to coax out the muse.
A few years ago I started listening to Solfeggio Frequency tracks during meditation. As I was telling @owasco last week, I’ve begun streaming these tracks on the bluetooth speaker in my office during writing sessions. I don’t think I’ve ever found anything that has helped me focus as much as these. It’s making a real difference in my writing sessions. Maybe this will be the thing that will give me that extra push I need to get some of my work into The New Yorker magazine. We’ll find out.
Be well, make the most of this day. Thank you for reading!
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Congrats!
I have three rooms downstairs that don't get enough heat, the three most recently added rooms to boot. You would think those would have the most efficient heat, but no siree they do not. I put a small wood burning stove in the middle of those three, and only use it on the coldest of days. It seriously reduced my electric bill! And the heat is just yummy as can be. I have to feed it a log every hour or so, a bit of an inconvenience, and where am I supposed to keep all that wood? Your pellet stove is an excellent idea.
Thanks! I've learned that these split-level homes are a nightmare to heat. I really wish we knew that before buying this place. Our furnace was thirty years old so it needed to be replaced anyway but it sure was a kick in the pants when it didn't solve the problem.
The ambiance of a wood-burning stove or fireplace beats a pellet stove any day in my book! There's something so comforting about them! It seems to warm you from the inside out. A pallet of 40lb wood pellet bags run around $300 and I think we should be able to manage most of the year with one pallet. The only issue is where to store them. No matter what I'll be getting a decent workout in the wintertime. : )
I think I feel happier when I am in wood-generated heat. I love the way it smells, too. My animals congregate around the stove when it's hot. Unfortunately, my neighbor does not feel the same way about the smell, and I can only light it when he is away. Luckily, that is most of the winter.
And yes, I do get a bit of a workout, mostly having to get down on the floor and back up again.
It's one of my favorite scents in the world! How could someone not like it? That's one thing I loved about our old neighborhood, all of those Victorian homes had fireplaces.
Oh, and I think the community is a great idea. Perhaps a prompt a month? Every week wore me out.
Monthly might not be a bad idea! I would take the pressure off of me too. : )
I cannot imagine how you did it, weekly, for full year. Great job!
I enjoyed the challenge, honestly, but couldn't maintain that pace for more than twelve months without it effecting productivity on other projects.
First, congratulations on reaching 80 HP.
So it took about a year and a half to reach that number.
And I thought I had been standing at 71 for a long time.
As for the Monday memories, I find it interesting to keep them somehow because it is a connection we have with the me of yesterday that we miss so much. Any idea will be welcome and you can count on this server. You can even propose a contest in which they suggest variants of how to continue or what to do. Although, it seems to me that a new community is also interesting.
I can't tell you anything about the heating because I have no experience with it, since the temperatures here are warm.
Congratulations again.
Happy Wednesday
Cheers and greetings.
Thanks! I guess PeakD rounds up so I'm still, technically, in the 79 range. I'm close to 80 though! : ) It takes a long time to increase that Rep #!
Great idea about the contest! I'm still thinking about it, there are so many different directions we could take it.
I wish I could say I don't have experience with heating a home. It would be so nice not to have that expense every month.
Thanks my friend! Have a wonderful Thursday.
Congrats my friend!
We woke up like that last week. Fortunately, it is warm and will be warmer incoming days.
I appreciate it! We're warming up too over the next week or so but that doesn't mean it won't snow again here. We've learned to expect anything until mid-May. Sometimes we experience three seasons in one day! : ) It boggles the mind why people chose to settle here.
Wow great post
Thanks
We have always struggled to keep the upper and lower levels of our house at a reasonable temperature. Because the lower section is below grade it is always cold down there. We bought one of those infrared fireplace heaters that worked pretty well, but you can't really use it upstairs where the thermostat is because then the heat never kicks on. Having something in case you lose power is always a good idea. We can hook that heater up to our generator and be good to go for a while. Those frequencies sound interesting. I might have to check them out. I usually just listen to music. Congrats on hitting 80! I think the snow you got turned into rain for us!
Oh man, the struggle is real! Half of our lower level is below grade too and on a concrete slab and I think both of those things contribute to the challenge. I've just grown weary of the HVAC contractors' theories of how to fix the problem. The only other possible fix would be to run larger ducts and registers lower on the wall, this would require cutting into the drywall. So far none of their ideas have made any difference and have only costed us major $$$.
I think the wood stove will be a nice back up heat source and would be nice aesthetically. Unfortunately the auger that feeds the pellets into the stove runs on electricity but I think I'm going to buy one of those larger battery power banks for emergencies. The larger ones should power the auger on the stove for 5-7 days. We can use that for camping and roadtrips too.
Our portable infrared heater has been our savior. We bought one in 2016 and have used it in multiple apartments and now at the house.
Thanks! It's been a long road to (almost) 80. I just discovered PeakD rounds up. Yes, my family in Ohio said they're getting drenched.
Ah, that sucks. I am sorry that it has been such a hassle. I'm pretty determined that our next house is going to be a ranch. We might still have a basement for storage and stuff, but for just the two of us the whole split level style hasn't worked out the way we had hoped. We had a wood stove when I was growing up and those things can put out some heat. I think that is a smart idea to get the small power bank to get you through those tough times.
Thanks! It hasn't been that horrible in the grand scheme of things. I think we'll be looking for something on a slab next, hopefully in Arizona somewhere. That'll be 5-8 years down the road though. They do put out the heat! We might have a few chances to try it out before summer.
I don't blame you about the slab. We used to live on a slab house and if it had been set up right it wouldn't have been so bad. It wasn't though, so we had to deal with things like pipes freezing and stuff like that. Our current house is nice, but I don't like that there isn't one big room where more than five people can gather. I mean we don't have many friends and we don't really ever have people over, but if we wanted to, it just isn't feasible. I guess that's why a lot of people have turned their garages into hang out spaces these days.
There are radiant heating pads now that eliminate the chill you get from the concrete slab. That would really be the way to go in a home like that. Radiant heat paired with solar.
That's tough when you don't have room to gather. We've never lived in a home we could entertain in until now. Even our bungalow was sectioned off into small rooms. A garage is a good alternative! You can do a lot with that space.
That is a good point. I always seem to forget about the radiant heat they have now. Like I said, we don't entertain a lot, but part of that is because we just don't have the space for it. On the deck we do, but the weather doesn't always allow that.
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!PGM !LUV !BEER !PIZZA
We maybe got 7 or 8 inches in the western burbs. Hard to tell with all the drifting we had. Probably a foot and a half on the hood of our car this morning, barely an inch on the back deck.
We just moved and, for the moment at least, own two houses. Double the shoveling fun!
I think we got slightly more than that in IGH. I'm learning we get more severe weather here because the thermal updraft from the cities pushes the storm systems to the south and the north. It should be an interesting tornado season. : )
Oh no! I hope you're able to sell your second one quickly. The market seems to still be good for sellers if the property is priced right.
Congratulations on turning 80! 😅
Thank you! It's kind of cool to be a Hive octogenarian. : )
You live in the snowland:)
We sure do.
I think I need something that sounds softer than that.
That stove sounds like something to have. We are going to drop back into the fifties and I hope this is the last time.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next.
Do you mean the music? There's all kinds of nice music like this on YouTube.
The fifties in Florida feels super cold. I was down there once when the temps dropped into that range and I wished I had my parka.
Thanks, my thinking cap is on!
Sorry I wasn't clear, yes the music, I did not care for it, I like a more calming sound.
Yes, it was cold this morning but warmed up later in the day, still light jacket weather.
No worries! The Solfeggio Frequencies do irritate some people, my wife is one of them. I can't wait until it's light-jacket weather here. Maybe in a few weeks.
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Congratulations on your new reputation in 80!!!! It is a moment to celebrate. It must be said that those sounds are doing their job: because you are writing more often! Well, the new house and writing office also take credit for awakening your muses. As for creating a community, that would be great. You should connect with people who already have the experience of creating communities, so they can give you suggestions and advice. As I was saying, you have my humble support, my friend. I send you a hug from this country that does not know about stove, but about inclement sun.
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Thank you my friend! I am writing a lot more often. Great idea to connect with others who've already created communities. I'd really like for it to be, mostly, self-sustaining. I appreciate the support! Hugs to you as well. Our snow will be melting in these next few days and we'll be approaching sixty degrees in the next week or so (but that doesn't mean it won't snow again).
80 reputation is truly a milestone, Congratulations.
Thanks!
Honestly man, Fool’s Spring is the ultimate betrayal. One day you're enjoying the warm sun, the next you're buried in snow 🤦. Minnesota weather is unique. Also, huge congrats on hitting that 80 milestone, 9 years is some serious dedication and commitment. This definitely calls for a celebration, maybe something warm, considering the weather 😁
It feels that way! Thanks!
you're a GOAT on Hive .... Respect to your work and I'll be following to get inspired to push this hard 🙏🙏🙏
https://x.com/lee19389/status/1898054727067201739
#hive #posh
Fool's Spring, indeed, @ericvancewalton. We have a similar experience leading to our annual joking or pleading with our bushes and flowers NOT to fall for it this year. Of course, they don't listen and every Spring we experience the same thing. Out comes the buds and blossoms and WHAM, it freezes and snows some more.
They seemed to be used to it, though, and come back for more of the same year after year! Hahaha ...
Just getting started, this seems like an amazing accomplishment. Especially when reading it took a year and a half from 79. Congratulations! I would imagine very few get anywhere close to that.
P.S. Here reading my first post from your account, it is intriguing looking at the picture on your profile and then reading you are writing from Minnesota. That profile image is very unlikely to have been taken anywhere near Minnesota, so I would imagine there must be a story behind it. A link is welcome, to read about it, if it has been written and not too much trouble to find it.
We have that same problem here. A few years we've had nearly full grown leaves on the trees and a hard freeze tricked them into believing it was already autumn in May.
Thank you! I've been blogging here so long I don't know what I'd do without it. The platform has changed quiet a bit over the years. It was a very exciting place to be in those early days (2016-2017).
That profile picture is from Sedona, AZ. My wife and I try to spend part of the winter there every year. Eventually we want to buy a small property in or around that area.
Being an amateur gardener, I can only touch on the idea of plants native to an area versus those which have been imported. I would assume ones which can somehow be confirmed as native have adapted to the Fool's Spring conditions in which they not only survive, but thrive.
Had I been asked, as I am familiar with that part of America, I would have guessed either Utah or Arizona. Thank you for the confirmation. Sedona is very well known for that type of scenery. I hope you realize your vision of living there one day!
Too good. Congrats 👏 as you reached your reputation to 80. A real dedication and half work. Thankyou once again as we were able to recollect the lost memories, after a while. 🙏
Thank you! I'm glad so many people enjoyed Memoir Monday.