@Gwendolyn2018 ah, ok thanks for clarifying...was thinking you had some favorite local burrows...

@Gwendolyn2018 Thanks for the reminder. I have a well and a rain harvesting system and both link in a pump house I built which is attached to the house. The house is well insulated and a large piece of 1/2 inch rigid insulation gets attached to the window. There is also a 100 watt bulb which is turned on during cold weather (I need to turn it off since it may get to the high 40's today). Some ambient heat from the house trickles into the pump house + one can buy a special outlet/plug with a built-in thermostat. When the temp drops the plug turns on (about 35 degrees) and then turns off around 40 degrees. There is an infra red light plugged in and aimed at critical elements. Portland actually has a wider range of temps than here so it is both colder in the winter and warmer in the summer. Geography plays a big role in ones climate and my island is in what is known as a rain shadow (from the Olympics) so we get a reduced rainfall. Even the south end of the island has more rain than in my part, the north end. Often I get a rain fall amount from Orcas and am often surprised at how much more that large island gets then we.
[tractorsupply.com]

@Gwendolyn2018 I can't imagine living in a climate that gets really cold. FFRF often has it conventions in it's home town, Madison, WI. One year they took us on one of 2 large lakes and told of how the lake freezes over every year. People actually deliver building supplies to an island driving over the lake. We were told it often gets to -10 degrees and stays there for weeks. This is a whole different world of dealing with plumbing woes. Still, the extreme weather there seems short.

@Gwendolyn2018 I agree. I was stationed in Boston for over a year and I thought that was cold (one time it got to -50). More and more I am watching the horrible storms across Texass and north and east. Hope it misses your area.

@Gwendolyn2018 To freeze in an hour, that must be cold. Hopefully, the pipes did not break. Here, it warmed up (high 40's and, at my place actually hit 50) and got sunny. I went for a long walk and saw a bunch of Canada Geese navigating a large pond. Around the edge water was thawed and the geese went in and started to swim until they hit the frozen part. Then they had to climb on which they did not like so many retreated to the ground and just stood there. The one thing I dislike about winter here is the long hours of darkness.

@Gwendolyn2018 SAD is a common ailment here. Have heard there are hats that have lights in their visor to help with this. This area, especially Seattle, is noted for its gray days and it does have an effect on many people.
In my pump house there are pipes of copper, PVC and PEX. The latter is flexible and not supposed to break when the water freezes. All my pipes have a Styrofoam insulator. Here, many (as myself) are more self-sufficient and, out of necessity, learn how to deal with unusual situations. Last winter a group of us voluntarily shut off our power for the weekend. We exchanged information on how to cope. Such things as having lots of extra water and freezing gallon jugs and putting them into the fridge helped. It was a bit rough but we all learned and managed.

@Gwendolyn2018 Silly me, you obviously have developed a plan. I like the idea of the cooler. Even though this house is heated electrically I have a nice propane stove. It is attached to a programmable thermostat (battery) and with the pilot light on it will come on and keep the house warm. It's just the blower on the stove doesn't work. When one lives without all the urban conveniences one finds a way to cope. For me it often becomes a challenge. I guess you can't get more un-urban than an island LOL.

@Gwendolyn2018 So how often does the power go off there? Sounds like a hard place to live. I think our gas stove was around $1,200 and it has glass on 3 sides. One gets the heat and ambiance without all the mess. With propane you have your own system and don't have to depend on the PUD. Have you looked into pellet stoves? All the islands are served by an underwater cable (new last year at a cost of $15million). On this island, a lot of people (like me) have our lead-in lines under-grounded. Also solar (I have it as well) have become very popular. Most of our infrequent power outages are because of a problem on the mainland. At the recent snow storm power went out about 1 Am but was back in just over an hour. Our public utilities here are first class.

@Gwendolyn2018 I dislike coats also for doing anything outside for work or play. Your sweater sounds like it is right up my alley. That said, for the once every couple of years where I might need a coat I have 2, both picked up at thrift stores each cost $25. One I found in the spring, it was Goodwill's 50% off all donated clothing day and I was not looking for a coat but since it was the rack one over from where I was looking , well you know how it goes. Midway thru the rack there was this gorgeous, very simple, grey, ragland sleeve 100% wool 4/3 length coat. The lining was stunning in how well it was made and showed no evidence of having been worn. Could not pass it up. The other one was bought years earlier and is more of a fair weather coat, full length, black with a capelike collar - sort of an opera coat in velvet. It is lovely but you can't wear in rain or snow. The wool one is more for winter.

Oh Yeah! Both are a pain in the butt to drive in, actually it's the more getting into the car. Once in and many minutes of ajusting the fabric so it's not binding and comfortable to sit and drive I'm okay.

I did not realize the west side was getting so much snow. Only have about 5-6 inches here in Ellensburg, WA. Cle Elum and Roslyn of course have over twice that. I think it got up to 29 today.

@silverotter11 It is almost gone now, it was in the mid-40s today and raining