It's a cold one...

...but that’s February in northwest Minnesota. Probably the best way to put it is to borrow a phrase from Gerald Ford: “Things are more like they are now than they have ever been.” I saw a reading of 32 below on the outside thermometer as I was making the 4 AM trip to stoke the wood stove. The dogs are becoming unwilling to venture outside. It’s pretty pathetic watching a big, bad German Shepherd squat for her morning poop while she gingerly lifts alternate paws off the ground for momentary relief from direct contact with the snow.

Fortunately, we had the foresight to finally insulate and install a heating system in the outhouse. Mr. Heater is basically a grid that glows red hot on top of a 20 gallon LP tank. In less than 60 seconds the chamber warms to a cozy and expeditious 70 degrees. The problem is that propane gas combustion produces a lot of carbon dioxide and water. The window frosts right up, and we lose our view. Luckily, the door has not iced shut – not yet anyway. After reading of the Jim and Sam escapade, better to be locked in than locked out.