Cold And Snowy

The blizzard is officially over.

I think?

Now we have -12F, with the wind howling and slow flurries. I’ve been mocking them a little. School is being canceled again?! For up to an inch of snow??

Now that it’s here I have been properly chastised. It’s cold. The feed truck, my trusty winter mount. Always willing and faithful, able to start in the coldest of weather, has failed.

She couldn’t manage to start yesterday. After battery chargers and being plugged in I was able to feed the load she carried, mid afternoon.

Then she got reloaded and…. died. Right there in the middle of the road she gave up and quit. I called my husband. He happily and enthusiastically came home from work early to work on her in the freezing weather.

Well, maybe not. He did come work on her.

He got her going again and she got parked in the shed where she could be plugged in for the night.

This morning she started happily. Because school was already canceled my husband was home to help feed. It went well, until she died again. He finished putting out bales then came to manually pump fuel to get her started. I was able to finish feeding and get reloaded. With firm instruction to keep gas to her!

She tried to die again. I floored it. In neutral of course. She lugged along sounding more dead than alive until she gasped for breath and came alive again.

I urged her back to the comfort of the shed and left her there until tomorrow.

The valiant battle against the snow drifts blocking the roads was won. But the battle was won while the war was lost. Drifts are collapsing. One lady we know was trapped in her car when a drift collapsed on it.

The light snow flurries are quickly drifting things once open closed again. The temperatures keep the ability to fight to a minimum.

I just came in from blanketing my cow. She was sick this fall and is skinny anyway from being such a good milker. I worried about her in this cold and driving wind. I would have blanketed her sooner had I thought about it.

The cows have more food than they can eat tonight. The horses are fat and fluffy. They got a full bale with not net or even bale feeder to restrict their access. The black kitty has been spending time on the porch and is now sleeping cuddled in the favorite cat hole in the straw. Milk cows got more corn than is probably good for them and one a blanket. Things are settled in best we can do for them.

The children haven’t gotten out of their pajamas all day. As much as I like to drag them outside for at least a little bit even in the worst weather, this is more than I will make them do. We cuddle with them and try to warm up between our trips outside to take care of animals. Our house is warm and has electricity . We’ve got it good.