January of 2013 came in with what the meteorologists called the Polar Vortex. Yes, bitter temperatures below zero and a wind chill value of -25 degrees to -40 degrees. The last time I remember such cold was in 1996 when an ice storm blew in and temperatures were about the same. The power was out for five days on the farm after the electric pole split and fell to the ground. The Polar Vortex experience wasn't nearly as devastating as 1996, but it wasn't pleasant. You know it's cold when you have to carry warm water for chickens to drink in the coop and your dog doesn't want to go outside to do his business. The cows stayed in the shed and the barn munching on their hay and could get water by stepping on the ice on the edge of the stream that runs through the pasture.Thankfully the worst of it only lasted two days, but left many reminders of the frigid temperature behind. Our pellet stove in the living room suddenly wouldn't blow the heat from the stove on the high setting. Each day it decreased in it's ability to operate properly until the blower quit working. The Polar Vortex got the best of it I guess and new parts had to be ordered to fix the problem. Thankfully, we had no frozen water in our house nor did we lose power, but my youngest son paid a big price due to the dreaded Polar Vortex. The lock on the front door of his house froze and his key broke in half. Thankfully his back door opened. The radiator cracked in his car and it needed replaced and the mechanics at Don's Service Center fixed it. Thanks to Don for being there to help. When my oldest son dropped him off at my house to borrow my car, yep, my car wouldn't start. I couldn't find the keys to my husband's old truck and he wasn't home. So the battery charger came to the rescue in the dark cold night. It only took an hour and a half to get it running. But by far the most horrible result of the Polar Vortex was when my son's water pipes broke in his house as he was all lathered up with soap in the shower. Glad I wasn't around when that happened. It took my sons two nights after work to fix that problem. A week after this ordeal my older son's water line ruptured and his basement filled with water. He said it was a nightmare. The outcome to that fiasco is pending. Looking back on the whole ordeal, we couldn't help but laugh as the story was rehashed over and over again. After reading the news on Facebook I realized many people were without power for eight hours. And I thought to myself, see, it could have been worse. Well, today was in the 30's and tomorrow is going to be beautiful with a high of 47 degrees. Woo-hoo! Time to celebrate! I learned a few things from this Artic Blast that came our way in SE Ohio, I don't ever want to see, hear or feel it again and our old farm house needs more insulation.! Stay warm out there. Winter has only begun! :)
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