Staying Warm and Yard Troubles

Yesterday was a very cold day here. When I left the house my car thermostat said the temperature was 5 degrees and the highest I saw it reach all day was 15. The only time I left the house was to drop a child off at school or to pick one up from school. I didn't think that 5 degrees would really feel that much colder than say 10 or twenty degrees, in my mind cold is cold. However, there is a big difference between 5 degrees and 15 degrees. During the middle of the day when we reached our high it definitely felt warmer than it had in the morning. The kids were more than happy to spend time hanging around inside and baking all afternoon. We made banana muffins and biscotti. I will have to share the recipe in another post. The dog was taking full advantage of my sympathy for her coldness. At one point I found the dog blocking one of the heat vents with her body and later I found her passed out on the couch with a pillow and blanket to keep her warm and comfy.

It's tough being a dog.

The rapid melting of our last snowfall followed by an immediate freeze has lead to the formation of a miniature ice rink in our back yard. The problem has bee there since we purchased the home and was made worse when we extended our driveway with rocks. Now anytime we get a heavy rain fall the low area fills and rises above the foundation of our shed and floods part of our garden. I am thinking that come spring we may need to install a dry well to facilitate drainage but I still need to research a little more.

The water was up above the wood on the right and flowing in the rocks.

This is the small garden the water floods several times a year.

The tan shed we built ourselves unfortunately the water covers the foundation sometimes.

The house was pretty warm thanks to our heater, although I found myself longing for the warmth of a fire. Maybe next year we will have a wood burning stove if I can find a place to put one. The draft blockers that I made in the fall have been very handy in keeping the cold out and the heat in. I think I may need to make more for the doors in the basement to keep the areas without heat from chilling the areas with heat. Better yet since Grandma gifted my 8 year old with a sewing machine maybe I'll let her  whip them up herself since they are a pretty easy project she could learn with. 

Homemade draft blocker.