This March/Last March

[spike60]

What a difference a year makes.

Noticed that last year's calendar was still hanging behind this years, so I looked at some of the notes I made on it. Last March I only had a fire 15 out of the 31 days in the month. This week last year was so nice that I didn't light the stove the entire week. People were mowing grass 3 weeks from now in mid April.

This month so far I've only had 2 days without a fire, and both were due to getting home too late to bother lighting up. Only had 3 nights this month where the temp didn't go below freezing and two of them were 33 and 34. This week, overnight temps have dropped to teens or low 20's every night, and the 6" of snow we got Monday night has hardly melted at all. No real warming in the forecast through next week. Seems more like early Feb than late March.

In wood usage, that translates into at least a couple extra weeks of solid burning. And it's round the clock burning, not just an evening fire which should start to be the norm for this time of year, so I'm still going through wood at a mid-winter pace. Glad that I'm well stiocked!

 

[ETpilot]

My conditions are a bit milder than yours. I thought my wood burning days were coming to a close so I let my wood supply go down on my backporch wood rack. Today I looked at the forcast weather and we are getting some cold nights next week. Today I will have to reload my wood rack so I can get thru next week.

I have a family of Chimney Swifts that occupy my chimney each summer. They help clean the chimney. They usually arrive in late March/early April. I have been on the lookout for them but they are still not here. So maybe in a warmer April they will arrive. I would hate to burn them out. This has been going on since 1990 when I moved here.

 

[Whitespider]

Last year I started the last fire on March 19 and cut the grass on March 24...
This year, today March 21, the ground is still frozen solid, there's ice and a few inches of snow sitting on it, and I haven't gone a full 24-hours without a fire yet!
I believe I've used darn near as much wood this March as I did all of January/February last year.

 

[Rsquared]

Last year on my birthday, 3/17, it was 81 degrees. I too let the wood supply get low in the house thinking we would get a warming trend.. Big mistake. I re loaded on Sunday and I am glad I did. High of 29 here today with 20 mph winds. They are calling for a storm on Sunday night as well. I better keep her full until I actually see the sun and feel the warmth outside..

 

[kodiak]

I can't compare last year to this year in terms of wood usage. However, I do know that last year we had the boat out for the annual maiden voyage on APRIL 1st!!.

Oh yeah, I even did a little wakeboarding while we were out there (48° water anyone?). That was without a doubt the earliest I've ever been out wakeboarding or skiing. This year we'll be lucky to be out by May 1st.

 

[hardpan]

Easy fix. Just repeat to yourself over and over, "global warming, global warming, global warming" and before long you will be headed outside wearing short pants.

 

[Mike from Maine]

This week last year my one year was running around the front yard barefoot.

Today he was in snowpants hat and mittens. And I put him in his sled and trudged through a foot of snow so he could throw sticks in the frozen creek out back.

Is that global warming last year or cooling this year?

 

[zogger]

Today is my first day mowing, going out in a bit to finish hawging the airstrip, but tonight we are supposed to get flurries, and its cold here right now with the wind. Gonna shovel ashes and rebuild the fire.

 

[blades]

Last year green grass mowing 84 degs this year foot of snow or more and struggling to make high 20's during daylight, teens at night.

 

[Cheesecutter]

Last year I put 1800 miles on the bike in March, this year I'll be lucky to even get a short ride in March. I did ride 25 miles in Jan. and 7 in Feb. Tonight the low will be around 8 and highs in the 30's. I wonder if we can get another hour of daylight savings time to warm things up. (that still cracks me up)

 

[spike60]

18 again last night. Forecast for the rest of the month is mid 20's at night and low 40's for daytime highs. Might hit April with snow still on the ground.

Plenty of burning yet to go for us folks and some wood piles are getting low. Had 2 customers in yesterday who have run out and they stopped in for chain/oil supplies. Also, my firewood guys are getting calls from people who need another cord or pickup load to finish up the season. Not too much seasoned wood available, but there is a fair amount of ash due to the ash borer.

 

[loadthestove]

At this point I really looking forward to the days when I can complain about the heat.I have a bizillion things I would like to do around the house and yard but cant get them done because of the weather.

 

[cnice_37]

Another 4" of white stuff hit the ground overnight, and similar temps as spike60, mid 20's every night.

I am looking for excuses to stop burning, but the smell/ sounds of oil heat remind me to suck it up.

 

[sherrick]

Still Winter

Snow's coming down by the 1 ton load as I type! Last year we had an easter egg hunt here for my kids and my nieces and nephews. This year the Easter bunny's still in his burrow. Last years wood consumption was 6 cords. This year 8 cord and no end in sight!

 

[zogger]

18 again last night. Forecast for the rest of the month is mid 20's at night and low 40's for daytime highs. Might hit April with snow still on the ground.

Plenty of burning yet to go for us folks and some wood piles are getting low. Had 2 customers in yesterday who have run out and they stopped in for chain/oil supplies. Also, my firewood guys are getting calls from people who need another cord or pickup load to finish up the season. Not too much seasoned wood available, but there is a fair amount of ash due to the ash borer.

Sometimes I wish we had that demand here, I have a lot of seasoned kicking around, love to sell some at decent prices.

...but...this is all the winter I like anymore, no desire to go back up there to live permanent. I put up with the mud, I like the real long outside gardening season. And believe it or nuts, less bugs! The black flies/gnats/ and skeeters whatnot little guys that chomp on you are much worse up there than here.

I am thinking maybe I can sell some hickory cookwood. Havent tried to yet, have to custom cut some, see what happens. firewood, meh, too many desperate guys selling real cheap.