A Cold Farm and the Animals We Love 11/09/09
Note to self: save the blog before posting. That way you don't have to retype the whole thing.
I wrote this all once before. Now I'm blogging the Reader's Digest version. I wanted to have this done by the time my husband got home from work. Maybe now it will be before the sun comes up. Anyway....
We recently had a blizzard that lasted for 3 days. The temps were below 20 and we had sustained winds at 35 mph. Those of you that are aware of the effects of the wind, say 'Aye'. To say the least, it was cold.
The drifts grew and grew. Strange how the snow piles up in one spot and is clear right next to it. The snow drifts were between the hay and the animals. Normally I just toss forkfull after forkfull. Its only about 15 ft from hay to fence. With the snow drifts we could not do that. The snow was up to the top of the fence, we couldn't drive the truck through it, so we tarped the hay in.
We would fill the tarp up with hay ( and curse as half of it blew away), drag the tarp into the pen, dump it, rinse and repeat. We feed twice a day. It doesn't sound like it would take long but it does. It goes in steps:
- Put on your long handled underwear.
- Put on pants and snow boots.
- Put on insulated coveralls.
- Put on jacket and put coat on over that.
- Put on hat and gloves.
- Realize you have to pee.
- Debate whether or not to take everything off to use the bathroom.
- Decide you can hold it.
- Leave the warmth of the house, leaning into the wind on your way to feed hungry, cold animals.
- Throw hay on tarp until full (have husband lay across hay to keep it from blowing away).
- Drag hay across snow drift.
- Dump hay in the corral.
- Return to hay and repeat process.
- Go to barn and feed goats. (This is easy, I have that hay in the barn because I forked it in the day before the storm).
- Head back to the nice warm house ( walking backwards because the wind and snow is freezing and hurting your face).
- Take everything off in reverse while you do the 'Pee pee' dance.
- Go the the bathroom and make loud 'ahhh' sound.
- Get a cup of coffee, relax for 20 minutes. Do it all again.
Now walking backwards can be tricky. You have to remember where all the obstacles are. If you fail to remember you will end up making involentary snow angels. However, the words that come from your mouth during your unexpected trip to the ground would never come out of the mouth of an angel.
But, its just another day on the farm.
copyright 2009