Letters from Broadwell Hill

editors | 02 February, 2009 21:15

by Kathy Jacobsen, kathy@broadwellhill.org

www.broadwellhill.org

January 17, 2009


It's a windless morning here; about 8 degrees.  Folks about an hour north
of here are experiencing much lower temps with high winds. Such
temperatures are not a big deal to me given my up-bringing in North
Dakota; where I hear they've also been breaking records...something like
minus 36 f, not counting wind chill. (I need to call my mother today.)


We've been going through a bit of firewood but the passive solar and
well-insulated space has stayed very warm with no breezes coming through
the house  The little experiment is doing well, this living space
stays in the 70s with little input, the lower unheated passive solar heat
sink area stays at about 50 F all the time and even the totally unheated
lower spaces are staying above 32 F, with the unfinished root cellar in
the 40s.


The sun is just coming up but it's looking like it's going to be a mostly
sunny day.  The cold, which equals increased panel efficiency, combined
with the reflections coming off the pond ice should provide just the right
conditions for an awesome PV charge to my batteries.  I may even push them
into equilize today.

Once the balance between sun and cold reaches the point where it makes
sense to open all the curtains I'll be collecting more than enough passive
solar heat to warm the house.  In fact, it's probably time to shut down
the woodstove or it's going to be too warm.

I'm sitting here, quite warm with great thanksgiving.  I'm sure there are
many folks who are very cold and even in danger due to this cold spell. 
My heart goes out to the homeless and the folks I know living in shacks,
vans, etc.

I partially opened one of the curtains to the south and am being
entertained by the view: a multi-dimensional bird feeding station full of
our little fluffed up friends (goldfinches, sparrows, etc.).  The pond is
frozen with very interesting patterns emerging on the surface: a big
curved swath is running across it, parallel to the dam.  It looks like a
road. There are also strange polka-dots here and there in other the areas.

The pond fascinates me to no end...why this, why that?  Nature's artistry
within very complex, dynamic and chaotic systems.  Fun.   The big siamese
mix cat was sitting out on the ice... focused intently on something in the
edge weeds, a frozen pounce waiting to happen.  Now he's trotting across
the dam looking all proud with a fairly good sized critter in his mouth. 
Happy Cat!