Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Dreamzchaser]

HI everyone! Sorry I have been gone for so long. Between no electricity, internet going on and off, and cellphone problems thanks to AT&T 5G crap. Then holidays.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas and a New Year's celebration. I did had my son and grandbabies for Christmas but then the beauty of weather started to makes sudden changes. I managed to put an electrical heater to keep the coop just above 15. Have not turn it on yet but sure I will tonight. It has been blowing snow like crazy on my neck of the woords. So far it is above 12 inches and still falling. I used a yard stick to meassure the farther side of the house where not much wind is blowing.
The snow is coming in through the ventilation into the run. Not much but some. I had a few spots also by the main door of the coop but stuffed it with feedbags in the crack and it is ok now.
Freaking AT&T blocked my cell phone stating it was a 3G. I told them it was a 4G. They unlocked it but locked it again. So they did sent me a new free phone. A small piece of junk they had laying around. It is a model from 2018. A Samsung Galaxy S10e. I have been using it but I can barely hold it in my hands. It is so small it slides through my fingers. I guess I am used to a big phone,lol So, Hub got me a Samsung note 10+ 5G for after Christmas. However, I cannot do crap with it yet because it is snowing and will have to go to Norton Shores to the store.
Then when things were kind of getting a bit easy and after 2 trips to Ann Arbor and finding that his cancer is finally all removed and nothing is there to grow, this Monday, hub calls me that his Dodge Durango died on him. It is cold, so I had to call a towing truck. The insurance stated that it could take about 6 hours to get to him. I called the office and told them that a person cannot be stranded in that cold weather for that long. They told me that if I knew a wrecker, to use them and they will reimburse the money back. So I called a neighbor and he went right away. So the vehicle was left at the mechanic in Shelby/ It was the gas pump and after 660. bokaroos later, we have it here today. Nevertheless, I had to get up at 130am to take him to work and then pick him up because I had a therapy appointment. Not going to do that again. I will cancel but not driving at the wee hours of the night into Muskegon Heights and be in the middle of any drive by shooting that always happen in the area but never make it to the news. Anyways, Besides all of this complaing, I am safe and missing being able to come to the computer. But the internent is a freacking pain. It come and then goes. So, My alarm system is always sounding because it needs wifi.

I read through most of the posts. Raz, glad you are back at work. Rose, congratulations on becoming a greatgrandma. Sally, I miss you. Mrs. Mary, I thought of you the times I went to Ann Arbor. Michelle, I love the postcard with all of your chickens. It was a nice idea. Aart, glad to know you are safe. Thank you for the weather alerts and all of your much information tha you contribute for us newbeeis to learn. You are so smart and I am glad you are here.

I love you all.
Should I say happy valentines just in case?
Just joking!
I can be texted to 407/272/8610 so if it works, I can get back at any of you,lol

~Hugs~and~Kisses~

 

[RaZ]

The wind has been blowing hard and steady all day. Some of the gusts have been brutal. Wind advisory has been extended. It has also been snowing all day and quite cold. What amazes me are the number of small birds braving the elements to visit my feeders. Dozens of goldfinches fight the wind to get to my feeders and window sill. Blue jays and wood peckers are abundant. I had to refill feeders and the peanut butter log.

When I see the small birds coping with the weather I'm not too worried about my chickens and ducks. The ducks come out as soon as I open the coop door. The chickens are slower but they all come out and make a bee-line to the front porch. It's sheltered and they stay there most of the time.

It was just too cold for me to go out and do much. All of the birds were seen to but I didn't bother to bring in any more firewood. I have enough for a couple of days, so I'm good to sit by the fire and binge on Netflix. I don't have to be anywhere until Saturday. I did venture out while it was still fairly decent. Picked up bread, milk, and an impulse buy of a 12 pack of Killians. Gotta make the best of the situatiopn, eh?

Stay warm my friends.

 

[aart]

Wind has stopped gusting and snow has really picked up in the last hour or two.
Just went out to the mailbox, then shoveled coop path to lock up.
Depths are probably almost zero to about 6" where its drifted.

 

[Sammster]

Hmm... I wonder if we're in for snow. Haven't checked the news. Havent done much of anything. We are about 8 days into Covid.
Currently snowing, lightly. Girls are heading to roost, now. DH added a panel heater, today. I set it at its lowest setting, just to take the edge off. I'll be watching the coop thermometer and coop cam to make sure the girls are safe.

 

[RaZ]

Wind has stopped gusting and snow has really picked up in the last hour or two.
Just went out to the mailbox, then shoveled coop path to lock up.
Depths are probably almost zero to about 6" where its drifted.

The wind has picked up again here. Right now it's a steady 14 mph.
The mail never even came down the road toady. When I went to town, mine were the only tracks in the snow. They usually drive down the road to the turn around even if I don't get mail. Can't say that I blame them for skipping dicy dirt roads.

I always wondered how the weather service calculates snowfall, especially in windy conditions. I shoveled my porch earlier down to bare wood. Now I have some of that bare wood but also drifts of 6 inches. My digital rain gauge says 0.01" of precipitation.

Nothing we can do about the weather but it does give us something to talk about, eh?

 

[aart]

The wind has picked up again here. Right now it's a steady 14 mph.

Gusts were 35 here, not only 25.

I always wondered how the weather service calculates snowfall, especially in windy conditions. I shoveled my porch earlier down to bare wood. Now I have some of that bare wood but also drifts of 6 inches.

Not sure. I don't put too much faith in them...tho often they are fairly accurate.
Hard to measure snow accumulation when it's windy.
Last guesstimate I heard for us was 4-16" between now and Friday.

 

[Sally PB]

The wind was blowing snow into the south facing opening in my coop. I got a feed bag and stapled it over to keep the wind and snow out. It didn't do anything like that last winter. I think the chickens stayed inside all day, though I hope they went out for a drink. Sorry, I think that reads funny.

I bet our road is drifted shut. DH is spending the night at the hotel next to where he works, and I'm very glad. Yeah, so he has a Jeep. It's no match for some of the gusts we had today.

I hope the wind stops so that the county can actually do something when they plow. We got mail today, but probably because the carrier went out early. I walked out to give DH a road report, and when I walked out again an hour and a half later, my footprints were gone.

I'm really hoping the power stays on. We have a generator, but one of the tires is off its rim. I can barely move it on the pavement, can't on the grass, and not even gonna try on the snow.

 

[snowflake]

Grandson works in GR, said they got about 4 inches more then we got up here, roads were not bad, freeway was slippery but main roads were not bad just had to drive slower than usual. We didn't get much overnight, maybe an inch.
Chickens stay under cover when there is snow on the ground, only one or two will venture out onto that white stuff.
Glad everyone is staying warm and safe

 

[aart]

~6 fluffy inches overnight....as much or more forecast for today.
Easy to chuck but gotta pace my out of shape self.

Never know what the Lake Effect Machine will do,
but that doesn't look good.

 

[Sally PB]

Our road hasn't been plowed yet. Our neighbor plowed the private part from the mailboxes up to our drive. I shoveled our drive. DH says he will be coming home tonight, road plowed or not.

The chickens are staying inside, for the most part. I'll go out in a bit with some chickie snack to check on them and scoop the poop. The way the wind is swirling, there is a half inch of snow on everything in the run. I would not have thought so, but there it is.

At least it's a light, fluffy snow.