Wednesday, December 11, 2013

More Winter Ignorance

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(Picture from the web of SNOW!)

We arrived in North Central Missouri in temps way below ZERO, and a bad generator on the car. We had traveled the last 50 miles on the battery alone, our generator died. (that is the car part replaced by the alternator) . The battery was working over time it was night and it was supplying power for the engine and all the lights on the car and trailer, we actually drove some distances with no lights on long empty stretches to save the battery.

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(I’m having trouble finding snow pictures, this is from the Washington DC area when we were stationed there, I got a ticket for parking on the road with a thousand other cars.lol)

We parked it on the side of the road outside Kirksville, said good bye to Dad and Dick and headed to find a motel.

We found a parking spot at Downing Trailer Park, I removed the generator and had it fixed. Remember this is all in weather we knew nothing about, we did not have clothes for it, and we were cold, and keeping little jack Jr. WARM was our prime aim.  It was impossible for the Ford to navigate the park in the ice and snow so after the trailer pinned me to a tree,  we had to get a wrecker truck to pull the Ford and trailer into our new home spot.

Finally home. Mr. Wilson (our new neighbor) came over to offer any help I needed, of course being self-sufficient (and stubborn, and dumb) I said I have it under control, thanks. I jacked up the trailer, leveled it, then set up my 50 gallon kerosene tank which still had a few gallons in it. Grabbed hold of the brass handle and my had froze to it. I knew enough to pour water on it.

Then  NOT KNOWING about brass and cold I gave the handle a turn no movement.  I twisted harder and IT BROKE OFF. I done the finger in the dike thing to keep from losing the oil and turned the barrel up at an angle to stop the flow. Then to the hardware for a replacement. Replaced and ordered Kerosene. Stove now warming the trailer, some relief for Sherry and JJ.

Oh ho, I attached the hose and was wrapping the pipes with news paper (WELL THAT IS WHAT WE USED DOWN SOUTH). Good old Mr. Wilson passed by and said, ‘jack you will need a heat tape for that.’

I mumbled something like ‘I know it,’ and continued. A few minutes he came back out of his trailer, “Jack, you don’t know what a heat tape is, do you?”

Now embarrassed (as I should be) I said, “No sir, I really don’t.” This was the beginning of a great friendship.

He started my education on cold weather, but not complete. I bought the heat tape and fiberglass insulation, we had water.

I started my assignment at the Radar site and three weeks later, I get a call from a nervous Sherry, “The trailer is moving!”

Final lesson, FROSTLINE, thawing earth. The ground was thawing getting ready for the Missouri farmers to plant.

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(Our second trip to Missouri was in another life when I thought I was a preacher, our family at our first church)

Okay, I learn slow, but I learn, you live differently in the northern winters than in the southern winters. LOL

Nite Shipslog

 

PS:

Some of the hardest words for me in my life have been, “I don’t know!” or “I can’t do that!” Most folks say it is just plain stubborn, might be, no it probably is!

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11 comments:

TARYTERRE said...

Winter's like that are the worst. Glad you survived that cold spell and learned a few life lessons.

Paula said...

I thought of Dennis The Menace neighbor Mr. Wilson. You two sure were brave. I would have been scared to death.

Chatty Crone said...

You sure do learn the difference between the two winters.

Gosh I tell you - this feels like it is going to be a cold winter!!! It is freezing here!

Hope youare warm - those pictures made me colder.

sandie

Woody said...

We are 12 degrees, places around us have 2 or 3 feet of snow, we have a light dusting. Enjoyed your posts of the cold, I remember one winter it was 52 below zero in Pond Settlement where we lived, we all huddled over heat registers as the wood stove was in the cellar, BBRRrrr!

Dar said...

I've been enjoying your photo journal of all the good times and bad. I would have freaked with car trouble of any kind in any weather.
To warm you, let me share this. It's minus -12 right now with a windchill of -24...and warnings of worse to come for the entire state of WI and northern IL. I'm glad you aren't frozen up here like a winter ago...?>if I'm correct. Any-who-stay warm, snuggle, layer your clothes and bundle, bundle, bundle up. Love you guys.
Bill's still on crutches...epson salts are relieving til he sees the doc again.
Go snuggle~ ;)

Glenda said...

Omg, do not remember hearing about your trip to Kirksville, do recall coming to 'vist' you, Sherry and Jackie, Jr. Whan an experience for a kid from the country! Prolly the best of the memories is that you and Sherry were always hugging & kissing and that there was never a child more adored than lil Jackie Darnell, unless it was Mark! Great storyline Jack, love thoughts of days gone by!

betty said...

That must have been so frightening when Sherry called you with the trailer moving. Hubby is a latent boy scout, LOL, he's always prepared for everything and anything so when we have moved to cold temps, he's read up on this, read up on that, talked to people he worked with, etc., so he was pretty well prepared for what we needed when we got to Montana. However, I do remember getting off the plane when we went looking for a house to rent and it was -10 degrees out and the first words out of my mouth was "what have we done".

So true how one prepares for a northern winter compared to a southern winter. We basically do nothing here except put the flannel sheets on the bed and the comforter. Up there we drained this, we drained that, we got the snow shovels and snow blowers ready, etc. etc.

Great memories you are sharing with us!

betty

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

O yes! Living in the north in the winter is not something that would be easy to adapt to. Here this morning it's 11 degrees. I do know the value of a good furnace for sure. I'm one that admits I know little and leave things I know nothing about to others. One thing I do know is that you all are very lucky to be in Florida right now! Hope you both have a wonderful Thursday!

Louis la Vache said...

Your winter tale reminds «Louis» of a very cold, snowy winter he spent in Colorado in 1960 - with many of the same issues...
brrrrrrrrrrrr.....
He gets cold just thinking about it!

*

Ol' Santa needs a bigger car!
:-)

shirl72 said...

Those pictures are making me
cold. The coldest place I have
live was Bel Air, Maryland. The
snow was knee high. I think is
stayed all winter. When they
would scrap the parking lots the
piles of snow was 75 feet high and
took all Summer to melt. NC is
about as cold as I want to be
right now. Glad you are warm..

Lucy said...

And look at you now!!! You can figure nearly everything out.