Temperatures got up into the 50s (F) today. It was glorious, except…
Melting snow was causing the driveway and barnyard to flood. I spent most of the day digging ditches. Chopping through the ice with an ax, then chipping away at the frozen ground with a shovel. At least it was a nice day to be working outside. But my back is definitely not appreciating my efforts tonight.
The kittens have caught 3 pigeons this week. They keep dragging the corpses downstairs from the haymow. I keep throwing them outside. Today’s pigeon had been beheaded. I found Shylo batting the head around on top of a feed barrel, just like she was playing with a little ball. Ewwww!
It was almost too warm today. It was awesome! No ice on the water tubs, no ice in the chicken waterer. The sheep ventured out to the orchard today instead of huddling in the barnyard. I actually took my coat off for a while when I was doing chores. This is much better.
Today was a balmy 17 degrees (F). The girls went out willingly and enjoyed some sunbathing. Even Tiggy ventured out of his bed to be sociable. Hopefully the cold snap is over.
It was a beautiful, sunny day yesterday. It was also 5 below zero (F). I don’t know why, but somehow the bright sunshine, when it’s that cold, makes it feel even worse. The wind was still gusting and the girls didn’t want to go out at all. I had to chase them out the door. (They are fine! For those unfamiliar with livestock, a few hours outside in sub zero temperatures will not hurt them at all. They stayed close to the barn so they were out of the wind. They just don’t like going out when there is nothing for them to eat because the pasture is covered with snow.) The wind was driving the cold right into the barn. The chicken water was starting to freeze within 10 minutes of when I refilled their jug. I am so tired of freezing my tookus off doing chores!
Temps today stayed pretty steady at 2 above (F). With gusting wind all day!
On the left is how I always park my wheelbarrow. On the right you can see where the wind flipped it right over.
It was so cold in the barn my eggs froze and cracked. They were perfect when I dated them and put them in the basket.
So 2 degrees (F) plus gusting winds makes it feel like “SCREW THIS!”
Our nice little break from the cold snap is over. The storm blew in overnight snow and wind. The temperature has been dropping all day. The girls are back to clustering at the door, waiting for me to let them back in. So, we had 2 days where the temperature got above 20 (F). It was nice while it lasted.
The kittens enjoyed today’s break from the frigid weather to play in the snow.
Temperature was close to 30 (F). Tiggy did not believe me. I cleaned the snow off his favorite rock and physically carried him out. (Got scratched for my efforts.) But once he was outside in the sun he really seemed to enjoy it. He stayed out for at least half an hour, catching some rays.
Farmer Keen 