Almost Like Florida

Well, maybe not quite, but it was 20 degrees today, sunny and NO WIND.  The wind up here sometimes seems like a living, but mindless, thing that can't be reasoned with or ignored.  It was a nice day today though, a very welcome break.  I got all the water lines working properly and nothing broke, yay for PEX pipe.  If you ever have to do a lot of plumbing, go for PEX.  It's so much easier and more forgiving than any other options.

The donkeys got to be naked for a while and we even braved the ice and went for a short walk.  Cynthia asked if they wear their blankets 24/7.  Generally, yes, but I take them off whenever it warms up enough.  Except for those really cold days, when I didn't want them to get any more chilled then they were already, I always take them off once a day to check for rubs or problems.  On sunny days like this, they love to poof themselves up and sunbathe.

Val asked how much snow we have....we did indeed get rain last weekend, before the cold hit.  We had about a foot of snow on the ground, but it got rained down to just a couple of inches and then froze hard.  It is now a slick, crunchy crust.  I had to convince the donkeys that it was safe to walk on and it is not easy for them.  Their small, sharp feet break through about every third step, making for jarring, difficult footing.  They've got it figured out now and are moving around more though.

Whatever isn't covered in snow, is covered in ice.  This is actually quite an improvement, you could have ice skated down the middle of the driveway yesterday.  Thank God for studded snow tires.

One of the many benefits of allowing horses and donkeys to come in and out at will is that they learn about bad footing and how to handle it.  Horses kept in stalls tend to get really nutty and when turned out, want to race around.  In my experience, almost all major pasture injuries happen when horses are turned out after a period of long confinement.  That doesn't happen if they learn how to cope with everything as it comes along.  My crew didn't explode out of the barn, they tiptoed out very carefully and studiously avoid the icy spots.

Check out all the faces, these guys never fail to make me laugh....

Good thing we had a nice day today....snow tomorrow, rain Saturday with flood warnings, snow again by Tuesday...the psychosis continues.  I am so stink'n sick of weather.

We've Made it This Far

So far, the only casualty is one frozen pipe.  It hasn't broken yet (knock-on-wood) so hopefully I'll be able to get it thawed out without damage.  It is PEX at least, which is less likely to rupture and easier to fix than copper or plastic.

Tanner is less than thrilled, but is hanging in there...

The donkeys are also less than thrilled, but also doing OK.  They haven't been out of the barn in two days, but aside from boredom and getting tired from bracing against cold, they are doing well.  All attempts at restricting calorie consumption have been suspended for the duration, free-choice hay and straw for everyone.

Tessa, in her sleek otter-pelt, is just about impervious as long as she can be out of the wind.  She has even ventured out for brief forays, but the wind sends her back to the barn after a short time.

And oh, did the wind howl last night.  This is always a horrifically windy spot and I had some serious qualms listening to the groaning, creaking and thrumming of the barn and house roofs last night and felt the walls quaking.  It's all still standing thank goodness.

Down in the town, they reported -35 wind chill.  It had to be closer to -50 here at my little patch of paradise.  Between the howling gales and the gunshot explosions of flash freezing all around the house, it was a rather noisy night.

The cat has found herself a hay-cave somewhere in the hay shed and only comes out for brief appearances.  She is probably the warmest of the bunch.  It might get up to 10 degrees tomorrow.  If the wind lets up, it'll be downright balmy.  Maybe I'll be able to get the donkeys to leave the barn for a bit.

I hope all of you and your animals are safe.

Warm Thoughts

Remember a few months ago when we were complaining about the heat and humidity?

 When gardens were growing...

Flowers blooming...

Horses grazing....

Donkeys playing. 

When I was worried that the baby Barn Swallows would die of heat stress....

and breakfast meant a short walk?

Yeah, I'm having trouble remembering all that too right now.  I hope everyone else out there getting a crash course in the meaning of "polar vortex" is doing OK.    

The Perils of Modern Communication

I have been finding out over the last few days that several of the packages that I sent out before Christmas have not yet reached their destination or ended up somewhere else entirely.  If you ordered a calender from me, was one of my contest winners or expected to get something from me, but haven't, please get in touch.  I mailed out everything no later than Dec. 19th so if you haven't gotten your goodies yet, there is a problem.  

I've also had several people tell me recently that they have tried to leave comments on my blog, but they never see them show up.  I publish all the comments I get except for the obvious spam.  However, a lot of messages get filtered out automatically by Google's spam filters and I very seldom look at those.  There are a LOT of them, 99.9999% are from "anonymous", but occasionally a real comment gets tossed in there and I don't notice.  I moderate the comments only to weed out the junk that gets past the filters.  Just how many, ahem, enlargement, messages does the world need after all?  Wait, stop, don't answer that!  I really don't want to know:).

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I love hearing from all of you and if you don't see your comments show up, it is because I did not see them, NOT because I am uninterested or offended.  I know that I am terrible about responding, but it is not lack of interest there either, just lack of time.  It is usually an either/or choice between responding to comments or writing a new blog post.  I figure you'd all rather see something new.  I do try to at least answer questions.

I have also heard that the comment form does not work if you are using a smart phone.  The thing is, cell phones do not work here so I don't have one, smart or stupid.  I have no idea how, or if, I could fix the comment box so it works with phones.  I am open to suggestions if anyone knows about this, I sure don't.

And while on the subject of my technological failures...if you follow my blog via Twitter and have left messages for me, I only just recently realized that I actually get messages on twitter.  Um, yeah...for all those out there who are rolling your eyes and shaking your heads, what can I say, I am tweet-impaired.   Sorry, I wasn't trying to ignore you.

My blog gets posted to Twitter and Facebook automatically without any input from me.  As for Facebook...lets just say I am not a real big fan of FB either.  I scroll through now and then looking at cute donkey pictures and trying to figure out where my world-traveling sister might be.  I  occasionally, warily, dip a toe in and usually withdraw feeling baffled.  Facebook is a strange place.

So, if you are still waiting for a package or have tried to reach me and couldn't, send me an email at aerissana at gmail dot com.  I'll even try to remember to check the spam folder now and then. 

Sunday Stills - White

This week's challenge is the color (or absence of) white, which seems very appropriate given the current climate.   These were all taken over the past week.  

So far, we have all managed well enough with the insane temperatures.  Every week recently it has fluctuated between extreme cold and sudden, short warm bursts that bring rain followed by more cold.  It is very hard on everybody, especially livestock.  It was somewhere between -15 and -20 last night. 

The weather man is saying rain, (RAIN!) tomorrow into to Monday morning with temps back down to -20 Monday night and Tuesday.  Much of the country is bracing for even worse.  All I can hope is that we all get through the next few days and that this insane pattern won't continue.  If it does rain, make sure your animals can get completely dry before the cold hits again.  They can handle the cold, but only if they are dry and out of the wind.  

 

Tanner is the one who suffers the most in this crazy weather.  The older he gets, the harder the cold is on him.  He has trouble getting through the deep snow, his feet get frozen and if he gets cold, he gets very lame.  I spent several hours this afternoon snow-blowing, clearing around the house and making paths for him. 

I took my camera out in the woods with me yesterday and had to kick myself because the battery quit before I could get any shots.  The light was truly amazing, something very rare and astonishing.  Perhaps it is just as well, I am not sure it could have captured what made even the dark shadows seem lit from within.  I'm not sure that any camera could have, although it would have been nice to try.

Today, it just wasn't the same.

Make sure your critters have drinkable, unfrozen water, lots of hay and shelter from the wind.   Be careful and be safe. 

Hunkered Down

So far, what the new year has brought is snow and COLD.  We've gotten about ten inches of snow today and the temperatures have fallen well below zero with wind chills expected to be at -25.  Up here on the hill at the wind capital of the county, it is liable to be even worse. 

Early this afternoon, it was snowing steadily, but not too bad yet and I took the donkeys for a walk.  They thought I might have lost my mind at first, expecting them to go out in the snow, but once we were moving, they had fun. 

I don't know what I was thinking this morning when I walked out of the house without my camera, I figured it was snowing so hard that there was no point.  Foolish me.  So, instead of pictures, imagine a snowy, woodland scene straight out of the Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe, with a couple of prancing fauns capering in the snow.  When we got out into the hemlock woods, Ramsey had a fit of the zoomies and ran and ran round and round in and out of the trees, bucking, kicking and making squeaky little donkey noises.  He was a joy to see.  I would have liked to let Emma join him, but I was afraid they might get a bit too carried away and go off adventuring on their own.  Can't have that. 

The donkeys don't enjoy running in the open field half as much as they love dashing round obstacles, the more the better.  They love weaving patterns, dodging in and out, jumping ditches and logs.  I am not at all sure that Ramsey should be jumping things, but I don't see how I could stop him.  I am not sure that I would if I could.  Life is to be lived and unfettered joy is rare enough as it is.  I will never ask it of him, but I will not stop him doing the things he loves. 
 
Tonight, they are back in their barn, with an unlimited supply of straw and hay to keep them warm, not likely to do more than poke their noses out until the wind and blowing snow lets up.  I can't blame them, it's COLD.

New Year on the Farm

Dreaming of the beach...

"We had our frolic in the snow this afternoon, now WE WANT FOOD!"

 "That might be edible...think it would taste as good as the chicken we caught on Thanksgiving?"

"Those pigs are such pigs, we would never eat a chicken!  We'll just wait here, we're sure someone will remember to feed us eventually."

"Speak for yourselves pipsqueaks..."

 "if you get hungry enough, you can always eat the farmer's clothes."

"Would you all just pipe down out there.  Don't you know it's bedtime."

"What's on cowTV tonight Mable?"

"I don't know, probably just the same old reruns."

"In that case, maybe you and I should go find something else to do, hmmm?

The far sheep is a ram here to visit with the girls for a couple of months so there will be lambs in the Spring.   It seems to be working.

Marigold here was left in a cardboard box at the end of Farm Buddy's driveway along with her 4 kittens a few months ago.  We found homes for the kittens, but Marigold is still looking for a good home.  Farm Buddy already has six cats, all rescued from the rubbage heap as well.  It would be good if Marigold could find a place of her own.

"All I want for the New Year is a lap of my own. Does anybody want me?"

"Hey, don't forget about us!"

As if we could.

Happy New Year!