Let It....Snow Day

 No matter my intentions at sunrise, by the time it sets each day,
  I haven't gotten near the things done I had hoped to accomplish. 

      
     Part of the problem is that the days are so much shorter.  With it getting dark so early and being so cold, I am ready to hit the hay right after dinner.  Getting things done is greatly hindered.

     I have had to force myself to stay up and do school work.  Last week was really busy for me for a number of reasons:  1. I didn't get enough done over the weekend.  2. I had a test and study guide to write, give and grade.  3. I had to write the exam so I could make the study guide for it to be handed out by Friday. 


     Well I made it through the school week and even managed to have some fun and get a few things done around the farm and house.  We got some wind and had drifting of snow, so it was deep in some places but in other areas the ground was nearly bare.   Below I tried to capture the sun set and the drifting around our well.

     A few of the chickens have presented a new challenge.  They aren't making it back to the chicken coop each night.  I usually have to carry 1 or 2 from the barn to the coop after dark.  One night Baby (my favorite, pictured here earlier in the evening) was missing and after a quick search before dinner I gave up.  I looked again after dinner but still with no luck.  When I climbed into bed that night, I couldn't help but worry.  So, I got out of my warm bed, bundled up, and went out into the frigid night with a powerful flash light and equal determination.  I searched everywhere.  After about 30 min. I heard rustling and spotted her perched on the trailer hitch. Her feet were nearly frozen to the metal.  I was so glad I had made one more search, and could then rest easy back in bed.

     Near the end of the week it warmed up some and melted the snow.  I rode in the wet snow one day as soon as I got home from school.  Amiga did well, even trudging through some drifts we couldn't avoid.  The wet snow stuck to her hooves and was kicked up when we gaited on the cleaner ground and road.  When I got home and un-tacked, Amiga's chest, belly and legs were soaking wet.  I tried to dry her off as much as possible, but worried she might get cold, so shut the barn doors for the night even though it wasn't supposed to get too cold over night.

     As it warmed up, we ended up getting rain on top of snow, which I hate; one because it is no longer white and beautiful and two because when it got cold again it turned our drive into a skating rink.  The morning after my ride Brother did not come out to greet me as he always does.  It was warm so I thought he was probably out hunting.  I called for him and then started chores in the barn.  When I went out to the manure pile and into the corn crib I called again, but he never came.  I fed Missy (the name we gave our
                                                                                    new little kitty) 

and wondered if    I had lost yet another barn cat.  When I went to the chicken coop to open the little door to let them out...guess who was first out?  Bro!  He must have gotten shut in over night.  Why can't every one just sleep in their own beds? 

     Luckily we got more snow the day after the rain,  so the ice and mud were covered up.  This helped with traction once again, but gave a false sense of security, because it was still slick underneath.

     Missy is getting more acclimated to life in our barn.  She and Bro are hangin' out together more often.....and now he is actually getting a little rough in his play with her.  She does not seem to have the hunting instincts
that Bro has however, so I am not sure
if she is going to be a good mouser.  These pictures, of the two of them together, were taken a couple of different days during the week.































     Missy rarely leaves the barn, and when she does, it is to follow me, but she doesn't venture too far.  I am not sure if it is the snow she doesn't like or for security reasons that she stays within a quick sprint away.


     Saturday I stayed in and at my desk to get school work done.  But that afternoon when I heard that Bloomington-Normal was under a blizzard warning from 3am until  9 p.m. Sunday, I went out to get weekend chores done... like new bedding in the stalls, hay down from the loft, clean out buckets and bowls, and move some feed from bags into bins. 

     On Sunday morning I was surprised to wake to very little new snow.  It was snowing some, but the storm was not to come until noon, so Britney and I made a quick decision to go to early service and were out of our PJs and out the door in about 15 minutes.  

     No sooner did we head down the drive and the "storm" began.  The snow started really coming down and blowing a bunch.  When we left Church I was wondering if going had been foolish. The roads and visibility were really bad.


     I had left Amiga outside in the morning, so went to the barn, in the mists of the blizzard, to let her in as soon as we got home.  I couldn't believe how
much snow had

blown into the stalls.  After closing the barn door, I got a brush and removed snow from Amiga.  I set the brush down to get her some hay, and then when I went to pick it up to brush the snow off Zorro, it was gone.  It didn't take long to find the culprit.... guess Kaysha wanted brushing too.    

     It was snowing and blowing everywhere outside.  It seemed to bounce off the grain bins and blow into the corn crib so Sir Loin was also covered in snow. I wished we had doors on the South end of the corn crib, but they had blown off just after we agreed to buy this place.

     This video will give you an idea of the wind and blowing snow.

 

   
     Even though all the doors to the barn were closed, it was still blowing in between the rafters.  I had to take some chickens to the coop which I also shut up for the rest of the day.

Kaysha awaits while I bring a chicken.        All are safe, warm and secure.

   

            The snow really blew into the west end of the barn where we park the truck because it has no door and is open to the north.  I wasn't happy about all of our stuff being exposed to so much moisture.

     What does one do during a snow storm?  Bake of course.  I got the crock pot with chuck roast for beef stew going and Britney baked cookies.

     The storm continued all day and into the night.  At night it was hard to tell what was blowing and what was new snow coming down.  It was very windy and the snow was really drifting. I had mixed feelings about a snow
day.  The kid in

me was really hoping to get out of school, but the teacher/adult was thinking, we really need to attend so that I can teach one more thing before the exam review days. 

      Well, school was called off, but not until the last minute.  Had I been teaching a 1st hour class I am sure I would have been stepping out the door to head to school when I got the call.  It was called off....more because of the dangerous low temperature (3.7 degrees in Downs not counting the wind chill) than the snow.   With the 32 mph winds there was also drifting snow to contend with.  At first the snow drifted one way and then when the wind shifted, the drifts kind of curved and went another direction.  I waited until a little latter in the morning to do chores.

     The sun actually came out at noon, but it was still very cold.  Once the wind had slowed to 20 mph I went out to check on live stock and took pictures as I went.  Andy came to clear the drive a few different times, even though we hadn't gotten much new snow.

     The chickens did not come out of the coop and Amiga and Sir Loin stayed near the south side of the barn in the sun but out of the wind.

      It was too cold to be outside for long, so I sat at my desk trying to get ahead on school work.  I had to redo my lesson plans to accommodate the missing day, but it was well worth it.  I was happy to sit back and Let It Snow and Let It Blow!