Everything takes longer in the cold Well, last week we saw our first snow and this week we learned what it is like to be an unfurled flag. We got a high wind warning for late Saturday night, and the winds hit like a vengeance and knocked the power out…but remember we have a backup generator, so we had water and power in at least part of the house. The house shook, rattled, and rolled as it seemed like the big bad wolf himself were huffing and puffing to blow our house down. But, with the rising sun the wind calmed and we only lost one or two shingles from the chicken coop. Speaking of chicken coop…it is finally done and the rooster and his ladies have moved into their, more than double the space of their old home, new home. The new coop comes with movable roosting rack for easy clean up and brooding boxes on a tilt so the eggs roll right out for easy pick up. We bought 4 new hens to add to our brood and while the first day or two saw a few fights and some blood, but they all seem to be getting along now. We brought a new goat to the herd, her name is Minnie, and she is mini indeed. It’s always interesting to watch the animals interact when a new one is introduced. They all vie for dominance, and poor Minnie didn’t have anyone to pick on except for our blind and crippled cow. But Angus found comfort in taking over the new goat shelter and claiming it for himself. Our days begin early with feeding the animals, and it has been COLD this week, so we chipped ice from the water troughs, scooped frozen poop, and heated the milk for the pigs to get them to leave their shelter for food. We found new gloves because our fingers were freezing when they get wet, the new gloves are fleece lined with rubber to repel the water and our little digits keep nice and…not frozen any more. The work always takes longer when it is cold though, as we try to get tools working and motors warmed up, and ourselves bundled up an outdoors. The good news is we can always go inside after working in the cold and warm up by the fire. The bad news is sometimes when you are stoking the fire the fire stokes you. I was leaning into the wood stove to blow on the coals and forgot how close I was to a hot metal box. The great thing about being bald is that when you burn your head on the fireplace you don’t have to be bothered by the smell of burnt hair; only the smell of charred flesh. Yowie! But, Marnee fixed me up quick with a little “Burn Free” and a Band-Aid…well, actually an eye patch. I looked more than a little silly at church with a patch on my head, but my noggin is getting better. Well, this coming week is a constant reminder to be grateful as we celebrate Thanksgiving. I am very grateful we finally made the move to the country and bought the farm. I am grateful for the soothing effect animals can have in helping reduce stress. I am grateful for a beautiful wife and kids who have jumped in with both feet and are getting into the farm life too. Hopefully you all have plenty to be grateful for this season and may you be blessed with even more in the coming year! I hope you also make time to join us on the farm so we can share our peaceful little valley with you!
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 03:09:54 +0000
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