To celebrate the recovery of my middle finger from frostbite--and as a belated Valentine's Day outing--Terry and I went to Red Lobster for dinner. Lobsterfest is all it's cracked up to be! The mushrooms we had as an appetizer weren't the only thing to be stuffed.
We also went to Barnes & Noble were Terry got a couple of romance novels and I picked up books by Stephen King and Janet Evanovich on the writing craft as well as a novel by Sarah Hoyt (A Few Good Men) and two by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (The Long Earth and The Long War).
We also stopped at JoAnn's so Terry could get some material for a couple of projects she's working on.
******
We got another delivery of propane today. Our tank was nearly half full so the volume of the delivery wasn't much above 225 gallons but the price was about $3.65 per, or about ten cents more than the delivery we got last month. That should get us through the winter, however.
I'm not going to complain too much about the price, however. In many places dealers are short of supply and if you're not a regular customer you could get into a bind. We signed on with Williams Oil & Propane when we built the Aerie. They installed our heating system and hot water system and have been out several times to service them. Good, local folks who are knowledgeable, friendly and dependable.
I've been burning lots of wood in the fireplace but only on days when the lows have been near zero and the highs around 20. It's reduced our usage of propane, but not by much. It's also reduced my pile of firewood considerably! I'll need to cut, haul, split and stack quite a bit this summer to prepare for next winter. Knees, travel and well drilling put a dent in the amount of time I could allot to those chores this year.
******
The forecast is for another 3-6 inches of snow late tonight through Tuesday morning. *sigh* Guess I'll be firing up the tractor again tomorrow afternoon. Where I'm going to dump it is anybody's guess. I would prefer to put it all in Punxsutawney Phil's burrow!
They promise things will be warming up later in the week and we might begin to see some of this white stuff turn to water. It might even reach 40 degrees for a couple of days but there could be some rain showers along with that. Then it will get cold again for a couple of days early next week. Winter just will not go quietly it seems. Don't mind the temperature dropping again so long as the measurable (2+ inches) snow falls stop.
Showing posts with label Propane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Propane. Show all posts
Monday, February 17, 2014
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Aerie Report, November 8, 2011
We've been enjoying something of an Indian Summer around here lately. Daytime highs have reached 65 degrees and nighttime lows have fallen down into the 30s with a few clear nights going even lower--at least down in the valley. The cool nights prompted me to burn some firewood to keep the house warm without burning through propane.
It's been dry, too. We've had no precipitation since the last 3" snowfall over a week ago. Nearly all the leaves have fallen and the larches (tamaracks) have turned golden brown.
******
Speaking of propane.... We finally got a delivery on Monday after contacting the supplier several times. They're still trying to judge their computer system and it needs some tweaking. Our 78 day long travel in the summer of '10 gave them a little bit of a false read as we weren't home to use hot water, cook, or do any laundry. This resulted in their thinking we have more in the tank than we actually do. As someone who hates to see his truck's gas gauge go below a quarter of a tank, I was getting a little nervous when the propane gauge got down into the red zone (less than 20%). I start getting worried that we might run out before they deliver. This time we were down under 15% on our 500-gallon tank. When they do "fill" us up, it's only to the 80% mark or 400 gallons. This delivery was for 365 gallons so we were pretty low. The company's computer said our empty date was December 6th. With the warmer days and fireplace supplementing things we probably cold have made that. Maybe.
It's comforting to know we have a "full" tank as we head into the colder season, even if, at $2.35 per gallon, it's going to cost us around $850 for that assurance.
It's been dry, too. We've had no precipitation since the last 3" snowfall over a week ago. Nearly all the leaves have fallen and the larches (tamaracks) have turned golden brown.
******
Speaking of propane.... We finally got a delivery on Monday after contacting the supplier several times. They're still trying to judge their computer system and it needs some tweaking. Our 78 day long travel in the summer of '10 gave them a little bit of a false read as we weren't home to use hot water, cook, or do any laundry. This resulted in their thinking we have more in the tank than we actually do. As someone who hates to see his truck's gas gauge go below a quarter of a tank, I was getting a little nervous when the propane gauge got down into the red zone (less than 20%). I start getting worried that we might run out before they deliver. This time we were down under 15% on our 500-gallon tank. When they do "fill" us up, it's only to the 80% mark or 400 gallons. This delivery was for 365 gallons so we were pretty low. The company's computer said our empty date was December 6th. With the warmer days and fireplace supplementing things we probably cold have made that. Maybe.
It's comforting to know we have a "full" tank as we head into the colder season, even if, at $2.35 per gallon, it's going to cost us around $850 for that assurance.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Propane---delivered
When we got back from our lunch, we found we had not yet had a delivery of propane--as promised. Terry made a phone call while I spread more salt on the still icy portions of the driveway.
Terry talked to the people at the propane company and heard that they were not going to be here today. Then she went through the list of promises and phone calls we had been making. When she mentioned that I had been promised delivery today when I went to the office on Saturday and that we were now down to 10% on the tank's gauge, Terry was told that as soon as they got in touch with a driver, we would have a delivery.
And we did.
Our 500 gallon tank took 366 gallons. Doesn't sound like 10% but when the propane gets that low, you've got 1) very low pressure in the tank because 2) there's a lot of empty space.
The driver was kind enough to bring the bill to the door. He was an experienced driver who had made deliveries to our house before. He's of the old school who prefers the regularly scheduled monthly deliveries like they used to do over those made based upon degree days and previous usage. No one ever ran out of propane using regularly scheduled deliveries even if some of them may not have been large deliveries. The current method, he said, does not take into account secondary sources of heat, such as wood stoves, which are at best intermittent. Those secondary heating systems may cut propane usage for a couple of months pr a season, only to see the propane usage go way up when the homeowner stops or can't use it.
Even so, I told him, their current program is not working. My last delivery was back on November 30th. Their program should have gotten me a delivery quite some time ago. I should not have had to start calling two-and-a-half weeks ago. And when I did start calling, I should have gotten service sooner.
I've made my feelings known
Terry talked to the people at the propane company and heard that they were not going to be here today. Then she went through the list of promises and phone calls we had been making. When she mentioned that I had been promised delivery today when I went to the office on Saturday and that we were now down to 10% on the tank's gauge, Terry was told that as soon as they got in touch with a driver, we would have a delivery.
And we did.
Our 500 gallon tank took 366 gallons. Doesn't sound like 10% but when the propane gets that low, you've got 1) very low pressure in the tank because 2) there's a lot of empty space.
The driver was kind enough to bring the bill to the door. He was an experienced driver who had made deliveries to our house before. He's of the old school who prefers the regularly scheduled monthly deliveries like they used to do over those made based upon degree days and previous usage. No one ever ran out of propane using regularly scheduled deliveries even if some of them may not have been large deliveries. The current method, he said, does not take into account secondary sources of heat, such as wood stoves, which are at best intermittent. Those secondary heating systems may cut propane usage for a couple of months pr a season, only to see the propane usage go way up when the homeowner stops or can't use it.
Even so, I told him, their current program is not working. My last delivery was back on November 30th. Their program should have gotten me a delivery quite some time ago. I should not have had to start calling two-and-a-half weeks ago. And when I did start calling, I should have gotten service sooner.
I've made my feelings known
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Fuel, Fools and (less) Frigid
Last Thursday I wrote that we were waiting on a propane deliver. Our last delivery was on November 30th and we were getting very, very low--now less than 15% in our 50 gallon tank. Well, they have been promising delivery but that promise has yet to be fulfilled. Thursday AND Friday passed without a tanker pulling into our drive. So Saturday morning I gave up calling and went down to see what the heck is going on.
As I suspected, they have a couple of new drivers. The older guys have found better jobs with the the gas drillers. The newer guys are inexperienced. When the last attempt was made (Tuesday or so) and the driver couldn't find the house, he didn't bother to call the dispatcher or my home phone. (Company policy is that he call the office...he didn't.) Why couldn't he find my home? The ticket for delivery had my address wrong. They used my PO Box number instead of my house number. We got that straightened out ad I was promised (yeah, worth the paper...etc.) that Monday would be a clean-up day for orders and that I could expect a delivery then. (There were no propane drivers on the road on Saturday, just one oil truck. The propane guys were at the gas wells where this same company is supplying heat to keep the fracking fluids from freezing as they pump them down into the shale.)
They have also changed the way they determine when and where they make deliveries. It used to be they would deliver every month whatever your needs. Now they use an industry program that uses the degree days and previous usage. This is supposed to prevent situations where the delivery is so small as to not make it economical. Needless to say, they are still fine tuning their calculations.
Meanwhile, I've been burning wood like crazy to ensure that the propane continues to provide for cooking and hot water. The fireplace manages to keep the house even warmer than it usual. We have the thermostats set to 63 degrees which is sufficient with our radiant floor system. The fireplace gets things to a toasty 68 degrees or so. The humidifiers are working overtime with this dry air the fireplace is pumping out, but that's okay.
You can bet that if I do not get a delivery on Monday, I'll be banging on the office door first thing on Tuesday.
******
On a related note, the very cold weather we've been experiencing has at least temporarily broken. It never got below 20 overnight and got up to 38 degrees this afternoon. It remains at 38 as I'm typing this (8:00 PM) and may not get below 30 overnight.
I spread ashes from the fireplace over the driveway in anticipation of sunshine that arrived too late in the day to do any extra melting, but the next two days we are supposed to see plenty of good old Sol (after a brief rain shower during the AM on Monday) and the temperatures getting into the 40s and possibly the 50s. That should help remove the ice from the driveway.
Although we still have over a foot of snow on the ground and much, much more where it's been piled up, the white stuff should be compacting and/or melting. It's already melting off the roof. It will be interesting to see what the ground cover will be like by next weekend.
I hate to say it, but I'm looking forward to mud season.
As I suspected, they have a couple of new drivers. The older guys have found better jobs with the the gas drillers. The newer guys are inexperienced. When the last attempt was made (Tuesday or so) and the driver couldn't find the house, he didn't bother to call the dispatcher or my home phone. (Company policy is that he call the office...he didn't.) Why couldn't he find my home? The ticket for delivery had my address wrong. They used my PO Box number instead of my house number. We got that straightened out ad I was promised (yeah, worth the paper...etc.) that Monday would be a clean-up day for orders and that I could expect a delivery then. (There were no propane drivers on the road on Saturday, just one oil truck. The propane guys were at the gas wells where this same company is supplying heat to keep the fracking fluids from freezing as they pump them down into the shale.)
They have also changed the way they determine when and where they make deliveries. It used to be they would deliver every month whatever your needs. Now they use an industry program that uses the degree days and previous usage. This is supposed to prevent situations where the delivery is so small as to not make it economical. Needless to say, they are still fine tuning their calculations.
Meanwhile, I've been burning wood like crazy to ensure that the propane continues to provide for cooking and hot water. The fireplace manages to keep the house even warmer than it usual. We have the thermostats set to 63 degrees which is sufficient with our radiant floor system. The fireplace gets things to a toasty 68 degrees or so. The humidifiers are working overtime with this dry air the fireplace is pumping out, but that's okay.
You can bet that if I do not get a delivery on Monday, I'll be banging on the office door first thing on Tuesday.
******
On a related note, the very cold weather we've been experiencing has at least temporarily broken. It never got below 20 overnight and got up to 38 degrees this afternoon. It remains at 38 as I'm typing this (8:00 PM) and may not get below 30 overnight.
I spread ashes from the fireplace over the driveway in anticipation of sunshine that arrived too late in the day to do any extra melting, but the next two days we are supposed to see plenty of good old Sol (after a brief rain shower during the AM on Monday) and the temperatures getting into the 40s and possibly the 50s. That should help remove the ice from the driveway.
Although we still have over a foot of snow on the ground and much, much more where it's been piled up, the white stuff should be compacting and/or melting. It's already melting off the roof. It will be interesting to see what the ground cover will be like by next weekend.
I hate to say it, but I'm looking forward to mud season.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Weather, Outdoor Cookery,
and Indoor Heating
I mentioned early this morning that I woke up ...well..early this morning. At 4 AM to be exact. It was a rather brisk 7 degrees outside at that time and fell to 4 degrees by 8:30 AM before the sun made its way over the hill top and started to warm things up.
It got so warm that I opted to grill a nice big sirloin steak on the deck at noon when it was 16 degrees. It took a while to get the grill up to temps, but the wind was down so that helped. And the beef tasted great! with the baked potato and asparagus spears. And we had plenty of left overs for a cheese steak sandwich for our evening meal and even more for tomorrow's main meal. (Did I mention this was BIG sirloin steak?)
The meat is from the quarter of a steer we bought up near Amsterdam, NY last fall when it was becoming obvious that the deer were avoiding me. It had been previously butchered for a different customer who must have specified packages for a very large family. Very. Large.
Except for the ground beef (in one and a half pound packages) everything we've opened so far has been enough for four to six people. (Well, I guess if you're going to make 1/4 pound burgers, the chop meat would fit that description too.) But we're not complaining. To steal a little from Norm Abrams, wood worker, "Cook once, eat twice...or three times."
And this grass fed beef is tasty! It also is not marbled with fat the way beef out of a feed lot may be. There's just enough fat in the beef for flavor and enough on the outer edge so that the meat positively sizzles when it hits the pan or grill.
******
We've been waiting and waiting for a propane delivery. Called the gas company two weeks ago and was told, "The ticket has been printed, they should be there on Monday." Monday came and went with no tanker appearing. Then, a week later, we called again. "They'll be in your neck of the woods on Wednesday (yesterday)", they said. Wednesday passed without a delivery.
So this morning I checked the tank. I've got about 15% according to the gauge. Good thing I've got a fireplace and wood to burn or that 15% would have disappeared days ago. Then I called the gas company again. "The ticket is right here. The driver was up there yesterday and says on a note that he couldn't find the house."
Hell, we've been here since 2006, they have delivered fuel here since then, the house is quite large, AND there's a 911 mandated reflective sign on the road clearly showing above the snow bank in bright blue. I'm guessing they have a new driver since anyone with a CDL and one that's specially tagged for hazardous materials, can get any number of jobs right now with the gas drilling folks for more money--and bennies--than the family owned business has been paying.
Any who, I was told they will be here on Friday. I need the propane but hate to think of what the bill is going to be like to fill my 1K gallon tank.
If I hadn't leased my mineral rights, do ya thing I could drill for my own gas?
Temperature is dropping again. After a bright, clear day, we have a very clear night ahead of us. That means all the heat(?) the sun provided during the day--it got up to 20 degrees-- will escape into space. We might see that zero degree mark.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go put another log on the fire.
It got so warm that I opted to grill a nice big sirloin steak on the deck at noon when it was 16 degrees. It took a while to get the grill up to temps, but the wind was down so that helped. And the beef tasted great! with the baked potato and asparagus spears. And we had plenty of left overs for a cheese steak sandwich for our evening meal and even more for tomorrow's main meal. (Did I mention this was BIG sirloin steak?)
The meat is from the quarter of a steer we bought up near Amsterdam, NY last fall when it was becoming obvious that the deer were avoiding me. It had been previously butchered for a different customer who must have specified packages for a very large family. Very. Large.
Except for the ground beef (in one and a half pound packages) everything we've opened so far has been enough for four to six people. (Well, I guess if you're going to make 1/4 pound burgers, the chop meat would fit that description too.) But we're not complaining. To steal a little from Norm Abrams, wood worker, "Cook once, eat twice...or three times."
And this grass fed beef is tasty! It also is not marbled with fat the way beef out of a feed lot may be. There's just enough fat in the beef for flavor and enough on the outer edge so that the meat positively sizzles when it hits the pan or grill.
******
We've been waiting and waiting for a propane delivery. Called the gas company two weeks ago and was told, "The ticket has been printed, they should be there on Monday." Monday came and went with no tanker appearing. Then, a week later, we called again. "They'll be in your neck of the woods on Wednesday (yesterday)", they said. Wednesday passed without a delivery.
So this morning I checked the tank. I've got about 15% according to the gauge. Good thing I've got a fireplace and wood to burn or that 15% would have disappeared days ago. Then I called the gas company again. "The ticket is right here. The driver was up there yesterday and says on a note that he couldn't find the house."
Hell, we've been here since 2006, they have delivered fuel here since then, the house is quite large, AND there's a 911 mandated reflective sign on the road clearly showing above the snow bank in bright blue. I'm guessing they have a new driver since anyone with a CDL and one that's specially tagged for hazardous materials, can get any number of jobs right now with the gas drilling folks for more money--and bennies--than the family owned business has been paying.
Any who, I was told they will be here on Friday. I need the propane but hate to think of what the bill is going to be like to fill my 1K gallon tank.
If I hadn't leased my mineral rights, do ya thing I could drill for my own gas?
Temperature is dropping again. After a bright, clear day, we have a very clear night ahead of us. That means all the heat(?) the sun provided during the day--it got up to 20 degrees-- will escape into space. We might see that zero degree mark.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go put another log on the fire.
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