So am I happy about that -- no not really. I admit it did lead to some extra fun at our Christmas Eve gathering because some people who, usually, would not be around showed up. They were not able to go to their families' houses, due to snow and air travel problems so instead they supped with Nutsy, Tigratto and the rest of my family.
When I said bait and switch weather I am talking about what it did yesterday. All day yesterday the snow melted -- I mean really melted at 40 degree temperatures. I have a couple hose bibbs that are frozen, because I did not get them turned off under ground soon enough. They thawed yesterday, right before the company arrived, so today I was going to go drain them and shut them off properly so I no longer have to think about them. (Did I say I am off to Mexico in two weeks -- more on that later). Wrong as to my being able to shut them off this morning -- today we are getting several inches of snow and the mercury is back down at freezing.
I was expecting a pre-fight handshake from the weather after yesterday and today the weather delivered a hard uppercut to my now glass jaw and it has left me reeling on this Christmas Day. Them is the breaks when trying to second-guess the darn winter weather. I was sucker-punched.
Steven L. Smith
Bellingham WA Home Inspections
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Kind of have the same thing going on here in Michigan all last week it was freezing it gets to Christmas and starts to rain? Kind of upset with that.
We do not have snow here. It was suppose to rain all day. This morning it was windy and stormy. Now that I am heading out to see my grandson, the sun is out. YEAH!
What a beautiful winter scene! Our weather here in Arkansas changes every day!
Lovely picture. Thanks for sharing.
It is thawing again now. I got those pesky underground shutoffs shut off....Yeah, I do not have to worry about getting it done prior to visiting Mexico.
Steve
happy Holiday to you
Sincerely
Tom Braatz
What the devil is an underground shutoff shut off. Must be some kinda yankee stuff....like basements.
Steve, well, you, Nutsy and family got a white Christmas! That was cool! Hope it was a merry one!
Sucker punched eh? Well Steve thank you for the Christmas Wishes. and I'm thinking we're celebrating a similar White Christmas.........God Bless - have fun - stay say.........xox Liz
Steve, I read on the news that y'all were getting hammered with snow. No white stuff here thank goodness...
Happy New Year...
Barbara,
With an outdoor hose bibb, sticking out of the ground like at the garden, we need a way to shut it off and drain it so it is not a sitting duck. Below the frost line, a couple feet underground, there is such a valve -- usually under a covered 4" piece of plastic pipe. You pop the cover off and reach down with this long device and turn off the valve. When it is off, it also drains the water out so the pipe above is then empty.
Pat,
Thanks for the Christmas cheer.
Liz,
It is warming up in the afternoon but still hanging in there making it hard to get around.
Sounds like our freeze-free faucets. They're supposed to never freeze.
Steve,
You need to get and install some "yard hydrants". They never freeze because the actual valve is below the frost line and when you shut it off any water in the vertical pipe drains back into the ground.
No freeze, ever. No worry. No rooting around in the ground to get it shut off.
http://www.plumbingsupply.com/woodfordyardhydrants.html
Have a great time in Mexico!
-
ERby,
That is on my list. I need three. Back when I put these in 20 years ago it seemed simple enough to shut the water off. It has since proven to be impractical.
Steve what is up with the weather. That would normally be a picture very much like what I would be posting. Thought you guys out there didn't get much snow?
We got lucky here. Just eight days before Christmas is was snowing down to the 1,000-foot level. I live 884 feet above sea level. Fortunately, weather returned to normal for Christmas Day with a nice, sunny 73°. I even did one inspection on a large house Christmas morning.
Best wishes for health, happiness, peace, and prosperity in 2009.