The Great Conundrum

I'm becoming like an old farmer, checking the weather first thing.  Here are NOAA's predictions for the next three days.  They won't go out on a limb about the winds more than three days out:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Windy, with a west wind 20 to 23 mph increasing to between 29 and 32 mph. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph.

Tonight: Areas of blowing snow and a chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wind chill values as low as -5. Windy, with a west wind between 23 and 33 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

M.L.King Day: Snow likely and areas of blowing snow before 11am, then snow and areas of blowing snow after 11am. High near 22. Wind chill values as low as -5. Windy, with a west wind 27 to 30 mph decreasing to between 18 and 21 mph. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Monday Night: Snow likely and areas of blowing snow before 11pm, then a slight chance of snow after 11pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 0. Wind chill values as low as -22. Breezy, with a west wind between 21 and 24 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 20. Windy, with a west wind between 24 and 32 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph.

The temperatures had been a little higher yesterday and there was one brief period during which the winds calmed down enough that I raced out and brought in wood.  But it looks as if temps are heading down again and combining with really high winds...or breezes in NOAA speak.  Monday night looks like a real challenge with a wind chill of -22.

High winds cause white-out conditions outside because of blowing snow and white-out conditions inside because of blow-back smoke.

The big conundrum when the temperatures are low and the winds are high is the wood fire.  The wood stove, as I may have mentioned, suffers severe blow-back in high winds, filling the cabin with smoke.  (I've tried to capture this phenomenon on camera with little success).  But the cold temperatures and high winds make it impossible to open the doors and windows to let the smoke escape.  I had so much smoke in here last night that visiting dog Dixie--and yes, her name is Dixie, not Daisy, if you read yesterday's post throughout which, prior to editing this morning, I referred to her by both names interchangeably, which I do in actuality--who I think has had fire safety training, left her warm spot on the bunk and hunkered down on the floor.  Smart dog.  I was up walking around, leaning over the smoking flames, poking at the wood trying to get the updraft stronger than the downdraft, eyes streaming and nose burning.  Woke up this morning with eyes swollen and nasal passages so congested it took an hour to get back to some semblance of normal.

Then, there's the question of whether to stay here, keep the smoking fire going and the cabin warm or head down to Boulder, escape the wind and cold and smoke but return to an icy cabin and spend the rest of the evening trying to get the cabin warm while inhaling smoke.  Neighbors suggest propane.  It's tempting.

But today, I'm heading down.  Savers is giving card holders a day's start on tomorrow's Martin Luther King half off sale.  Their prices are so high, these few 50%-off days are about the only time I can shop there.  Wish me luck!  Teddee