SoCal to CdA: How can I tell if I can handle the winter? (crime, home)

[juliejohn69]

Great responses, thanks a million!

Green grass after the snow cover: boggles my mind! How nifty.

It's amazing to hear about plants going dormant and then reviving. I'll bet it is thrilling to see them come back to life. It makes so much sense, thanks for not dissing me for being ignorant.

Regarding big box stores selling plants that are not suited to your region, they do that here too. So silly. I do love iris, so that will be fabulous. We have them here too, what a hardy bulb, no?

Strap on ice cleats sound really smart, and I would love to see my pup in booties. I have a feeling he will take to it very well, he is a tough and happy fellow.

Extra expenses and heating bill, yep, I am attempting to factor that in to my budget. I appreciate the advice, all.

[Teufelshund20]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

That and your winter heating bill will come as a shock after living in Southern California where it doesn't get cold in the winter.

During the winter in Socal it does get cold. I remember having cold nights in the 20s.

[Teufelshund20]

Originally Posted by juliejohn69

Great responses, thanks a million!

Green grass after the snow cover: boggles my mind! How nifty.

It's amazing to hear about plants going dormant and then reviving. I'll bet it is thrilling to see them come back to life. It makes so much sense, thanks for not dissing me for being ignorant.

Regarding big box stores selling plants that are not suited to your region, they do that here too. So silly. I do love iris, so that will be fabulous. We have them here too, what a hardy bulb, no?

Strap on ice cleats sound really smart, and I would love to see my pup in booties. I have a feeling he will take to it very well, he is a tough and happy fellow.

Extra expenses and heating bill, yep, I am attempting to factor that in to my budget. I appreciate the advice, all.

I use a wood stove most of the time. It will heat a large area depending on which type you buy. Firewood can be bought and delivered from Craigslist.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by Teufelshund20

During the winter in Socal it does get cold. I remember having cold nights in the 20s.

Darn right--here in San Diego County, in the hills, we've had a week of nighttime temperatures in the 30s. But of course it helps when daytime temps move up into the 60s and 70s! We used to live in a house (rental) on the coast that wasn't insulated. Those winter nights were chilly!

[American Expat]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

If you like iris, you will be delighted with CDA gardens. Iris thrives and there will be huge iris blooms everywhere in the spring.

You will have to get plants suitable to the weather, but there is a huge selection of beautiful plants that perform happily in CDA.

My only warning is that you must do your homework. The big box stores sometimes sell plants that aren't suitable for the weather, so just because you see it for sale doesn't mean it will survive here.

Didn't you move to Cda from southern Oregon? If so, how is the Cda winter compared to southern Oregon, do you like Cda more?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by American Expat

Didn't you move to Cda from southern Oregon? If so, how is the Cda winter compared to southern Oregon, do you like Cda more?

Im from Central Oregon, and winters in the two locations are very similar. They weren't the same this year, but the winter in CDA this winter is no different than some of the winters I've lived through in Bend. Im in Rathdrum, and probably the best weather parallel to Rathdrum is La Pine, OR.

Usually when people say "Southern Oregon", they mean the Rogue Valley. The weather in the Rogue Valley is much warmer than the weather in CDA and the growing season is much longer. I'd have to check statistics about precipitation, but I would guess that the Rogue Valley gets more rain and CDA gets a lot more snow.

[American Expat]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Im from Central Oregon, and winters in the two locations are very similar. They weren't the same this year, but the winter in CDA this winter is no different than some of the winters I've lived through in Bend. Im in Rathdrum, and probably the best weather parallel to Rathdrum is La Pine, OR.

Usually when people say "Southern Oregon", they mean the Rogue Valley. The weather in the Rogue Valley is much warmer than the weather in CDA and the growing season is much longer. I'd have to check statistics about precipitation, but I would guess that the Rogue Valley gets more rain and CDA gets a lot more snow.

You're correct, I was thinking Rogue Valley. CDA gets more rain than Medford an less than Grants Pass but definitely more snow than either. The Rogue Valley is also noted for low average wind speeds.

[MrJester]

Couer d'Alene should be very similar in climate to Lake Tahoe.

[volosong]

Originally Posted by juliejohn69

Extra expenses and heating bill, yep, I am attempting to factor that in to my budget. I appreciate the advice, all.

juliejohn69, in case you check back in; my heating/electric bill this winter was right at $100-$110 per month. I turn the heater on when I wake up to 70 and normally run it between 68-70 the whole day. It gets turned off when I go to bed.

This is in a 1,700 sq. ft., single story, 3bed/3bath house with a subterranean crawl space that was constructed about 12-18 months ago. At the beginning of winter, I put ceramic tiles over all the vents around the house that connect to the crawl space. A box of tiles from the big-box hardware store was less than twenty bucks. I noticed immediately that the inside of the house was warmer after I placed the tiles over the vents.

This amount is for natural gas AND electricity. I'm happy with those rates. Payed a lot more in the Antelope Valley from hence I moved when I retired.

[juliejohn69]

Thank you, Volosong. That is helpful info, and it seems very reasonable.

Ceramic tiles you say? I'm picturing vents on the outside of your house, that you would use to access the crawl space, is that the gist? I'll bet that saved you money, good idea. I'm putting that idea in "the file."