I cannot believe how "COLD" this winter has been!!!  Southwest Virginia is usually an average of 30 degrees or so for many past winters as I remember.... but this winter has been extremely cold.  We have set several records, and wind chill factor has been in the -teens, once almost -20.  Like I have said before, this was a great winter to experiment with our yurt.

Through all the blowing and gusting winds and sub zero temperatures the yurt has done exceptionally well. With a wood stove in a small 4 x 8 building connected to the yurt it has stayed toasty warm inside.  I am very pleased with it.  (and I am NOT a winter person).

The water has been a challenge though, our water barrel has been getting low and the hose from the house has frozen and busted in a few areas now, so back to carrying water back and forth from the house.  Hopefully that will end when I can get my hands on another water hose.  The stores are beginning to put spring inventory out so I should acquire one soon.  Next time I need to try to leave it more on the bank so we won't run over it with the cars.  lol

One thing I am trying to deal with is the black smoke that the stove puts out occasionally either from the outside pipes getting clogged with coal soot or the wind gusts occasionally blowing it back through the stove and out into the yurt, I hate that the smell of burning coal.  It is probably due to the small area is why the smoke disturbs me so.....I am wanting to get more wood to burn but for now until Steve gets a chance to get some in we have to settle for coal.  It does burn hot though and with some of the cold nights lately, -5 or single digits it feels cozy in the yurt.  I am sure the wood could do the same though, it did well when we had it available awhile back.

I am looking forward to enlarging our yurt this spring, as we didn't get the chance to last fall as planned.  Sometimes I feel a bit of cabin fever sitting in a 20ft yurt, could be just the winter though, I don't like going out in the cold. So I stay indoors at all possible except to feed the animals in the morning and evening.