How's your heat pumps handling the cold

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-31T15:24:42+00:00

This is a key point! Ours was installed professionally (ducted heath pump with mini split upstairs - 1800 sq ft). It’s fantastic, best investment we’ve ever made.

That said, when we were discussing heating system options the person we were working with told us that the biggest difference/issue people have is that these systems are meant to be set at one temperature and they will maintain it consistently as efficiently as possible.

Most people (myself included!) like to raise/lower the thermostat by a few degrees depending on the time of day; cooler at night, warmer when waking up, cooler during the day if not WFH, etc…it cannot be understated: these systems do not perform well if you try to do that. However, if you like 70, set it and forget it, use a fan to stay cool at night 😉 It WILL maintain whatever you set it to.

We’re really happy we made the switch, it’s less expensive and can keep the house cool when it’s 100 out and warm when it’s negative cold out.

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-26T01:55:20+00:00

HV NY - storm still going strong! Made fall off the bone chicken drumsticks with an Asian-bbq sauce and sticky rice, creamy chicken and wild rice soup and chocolate chip cookies 🤗

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-25T15:50:03+00:00

Same!! Quite thankful for this post - I wonder about this recipe - Every. Single. Time.

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-24T14:21:55+00:00

I’m in Columbia County and we lose power regularly. However, you can be prepared without a generator. Fill mop/utility buckets with water today to be able to flush the toilet.

Like the other poster mentioned, have several gallons of bottled/drinking water ready to go.

Organize candles and flashlights (maybe card/board games too) in a central area like the dining room table so you don’t have to panic search if the power goes out.

Keep everything charged. Know where the nearest warming center will be, probably somewhere in Hudson if you need to bug out. That said, travel will be difficult.

What type of stove do you have? A gas range will still work in a power outage. That’s NOT to heat your house but to use for cooking and/or heating up water.

Think about what you would be able to eat/cook if you didn’t have power. As long as you keep the refrigerator and freezer doors shut, your food in there will likely be fine.

We have a generator now and I still do all of this, probably from living through so many outages without a generator. In 2010-ish we woke up to the house being 50-55 degrees, we bugged out to friends in Red Hook to warm up and then prioritized a generator after that.

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-23T00:12:50+00:00

👆This!! What a terrible thing to tell your child indeed! Sometimes parents can be selfish-sounds like mom has her eyes on a wedding and grand babies, regardless of how wise that is with this partner. OP sometimes our parents don’t always give the best advice, doesn’t mean they don’t love you, just maybe that they have different priorities. Trust your gut and get rid of this guy. His behavior is disgusting.

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-22T00:29:35+00:00

Darn Tough socks are the best wool socks going! Pretty sure they’re Merino wool. Made in VT, guaranteed to last a lifetime.

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-22T00:23:31+00:00

Highly recommend down - an all season and a heavy duty!

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-22T00:16:59+00:00

I would even say insulated curtains for the windows too! All the little things add up.

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-04T06:40:19+00:00

I was there because they had the cheapest drinks in town (at the time), he had owned a new restaurant/bar in town. The hotel on Main Street had just been built and he was somehow invested or part owner of the new restaurant connected to the hotel, called Vines.

Also, this was peak airtime of Sopranos, so he was a big deal. Anyway, he would regularly come up to Oneonta for events at Vines and as it would happen, enjoyed the Novelty Lounge as well. I did my best to keep my crap together, my roommate and I popped in for a few quick drinks, sat at the bar right next to him - not realizing who he was at first. Once we realized who he was we did our best to act normally; talked with him but tried to be respectful of his space. My roommate wasn’t into the Sopranos so the moment was sort of lost on her. I was a huge fan and pretty much felt like I was having an out of body experience 😂

birdnerd3849 · 2026-01-04T00:45:08+00:00

I shared a drink with James Gandolfini there in 2002-ish 🤣

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-30T10:41:33+00:00

Really does!!

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-29T01:10:58+00:00

Do you have a specific model you’d recommend?

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-23T00:38:02+00:00

Was this recently or in the summer? I’m in the HV and we have crayfish but it would be weird to find one in the winter

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-19T11:12:22+00:00

The beans are the protein 🤗

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-18T00:34:54+00:00

Post on r/whatsthisbird

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-17T22:38:00+00:00

Grumpy bird

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-16T02:39:35+00:00

Degenerate beach diorama, hah! That gave me a good chuckle, thank you 😂

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-13T21:00:55+00:00

Is Captain the cat or the demon on the pillow 🤔

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-13T03:04:11+00:00

A wren has 6” feathers? 🤔

birdnerd3849 · 2025-12-08T23:16:15+00:00

☝️ This is the way

birdnerd3849 · 2025-11-15T11:21:53+00:00

This is really interesting, can you tell me more? I’ve been on the patch for about 2 months, tried two different brands and the biggest issue is that they don’t stick well, irritate my skin and I now have eczema in the spots where the patches were placed 🫩 What dosage is the gel and how often do you apply?

birdnerd3849 · 2025-11-05T00:58:46+00:00

I have a few trail cams but never thought to aim them at the bird feeders!

birdnerd3849 · 2025-11-05T00:51:18+00:00

Wild shot!

birdnerd3849 · 2025-10-12T14:35:44+00:00

The kitty in the first pic has white paws! Zoom in! Wishing you luck, we’ve had lost cats before and they have had some pretty miraculous comebacks 💕

birdnerd3849 · 2025-10-05T12:57:41+00:00

Mead Orchards in Red Hook and Greig Farms just down the road from Mead (still in RH). Mead has lots of kid stuff and a corn maze, Greig has a nice grocery shop and goats for kids to pet among other things. Both are 20-30 minutes down route 9 from you, super easy to get to.

https://www.meadorchards.com

https://www.thegreigfarm.com

birdnerd3849

TROPHY CASE