*falls over*

[sholio]

Not exactly how I was planning on spending part of my afternoon .... I called yesterday about getting a coal delivery -- our heating system is an outdoor boiler than burns coal for heat (it's a long story, and we really would like to replace it with something more eco-friendly and less of a hassle to feed, but can't afford to put in a whole new system). With the unusually cold weather (well, more like usually cold weather, but the last few winters have been anomalously warm) we've really been going through a lot of coal this winter. I left a message, but they didn't call me back to schedule it as usual. So I called again today and discovered that our delivery was already on their books for today -- which, on the one hand, is awesome, because we're almost out of coal and running out of coal means running out of HEAT, but on the other hand, it meant that a dump truck with 10 tons of coal could be rumbling into the yard any minute. And nothing was ready. CRAP. I scampered around the coal shed picking things up (nothing worse than having your coal shovel buried under a few tons of coal) and then discovered that one half of the industrial-sized tarp that we use to cover the coal pile (the part outside the shed) was VERY thoroughly frozen down under a few inches of ice with two feet of snow on top of it. Which means that I couldn't move it out of the way of the coal truck.

Cue 45 minutes of frantic shoveling and hacking at the ice with an axe. MY LUNGS. OW. Lungs do not appreciate intense cardio at -35F. Neither did the rest of me. On the other hand, the coal shed is all cleaned up and ready for delivery. Which hasn't shown up yet, but that's okay -- we're ready and that's what counts.

*cough, hack, collapse*

ETA: Also, wow, now that I'm hydrated, I am craving sugar! I think I really did a number on my blood glucose levels with that little burst of activity, as well as maxing out my heart rate and all those other metabolic things that function properly for people who, y'know, exercise. I actually came pretty close to passing out while I was out there -- I had to stop at one point and lean against a wall for a couple of minutes while I stopped being dizzy. When I came back inside, all I could do for a few minutes was flop on the bed while I recovered the ability to use my body. WHO IS IN TERRIBLE SHAPE? ME! But if my body needs chocolate for glucose recovery, who am I to deny it?

Comments

[zillah975]

Ohgod, what a day! *pets and pets and pets* Just tell me the coal arrived.

[sholio]

Thank you! *accepts petting* It hasn't come yet ... and the sad thing is, it might not actually come 'til tomorrow or even the day after, because it all depends on how the rest of their delivery schedule goes! We are a 45-minute drive (at least) from their coal depot, and sometimes other deliveries take longer than they figured, so basically we just have to accept that they can't give us a specific time and then be there at that time, because things come up.

But I am, by golly, READY FOR IT.

[winter_elf]

*puts sunshine and palmtrees in box for you* -35F!?!?!?!?!!!!!!! :(

[amalthia]

I am personally not enjoying the -20 weather in Anchorage. :(

I have a lot more sympathy for you being outside in -35 trying to prepare for the coal delivery.

I think it's the cold air that makes you feel out of shape. :)

[astridv]

Wow, 45 minutes in -35F? I can't imagine!
Out of curiosity, what counts as an "anomalously warm" winter in your area?