And so it goes

Brrr.  Dug out winter hats by dinner last night, so we could finish chores without freezing our fingers.  You know the old saying, "if your toes are cold, put on a hat", right?  That reminds me of a winter 15 years ago in my uninsulated yurt... sleeping with 4 hats on and praying for morning.

But all that is water under the bridge, stories from yesteryear that made me who I am today.  And who I am today is cold, because the temperature really plummeted and there is this hideous windstorm sucking all warmth we can generate.  This morning all the outdoor water is frozen... chicken waterers, the big goat waterer, the hoses that feed water to our cabin from the big elevated tank.  Humph.  

I went out with my headlamp well past dark to check on the meatbirds.  The wind was already coming up and it was cold!  I was delighted to see that everyone seemed to have space and shelter, but it didn't stop me from worrying about them every time I woke in the night.

This morning I found one smallish one squished, and another dead far from the other birds- more likely a heart incident than anything else.  Not bad considering the dramatic climate shift, on top of the fact that I released the last meatchicks yesterday morn.

And today is another day.  Chores are already done except for milking, my family is still asleep, the woodstove is cranking.  Make a wish the sun warms things enough to thaw hoses so we can switch gears to a more winterly regime.  Cheers!