Sunday, February 10, 2013

Surviving Nemo...

Hi folks,

Sean here. I woke up today thinking that I heard a plow truck outside. I was correct, but unfortunately, not our outside. The clock read 7:26 am and my fantasy of sleeping in vanished into the ether as I checked the cold wood stove and accompanying wood supply for the day (or rather, lack thereof). Of course, after being dressed, jacketed, and booted for the cold, gathering wood segued into morning chores.

With over 2 feet of snow falling steadily for about 30 hours straight, our animals' welfare becomes a priority concern. Jasmine, by far our most stalwart denizens (as well as the least appreciative of the protection her stall offers), was released first. She didn't take long to voice her opinion of the current conditions which in her mind were obviously my doing. It didn't dampen her spirits too much though, and after a good long drink, Jasmine waded out to the edge of her field to see to the status of her neighbors across the street. They answered her calls from the comfort of their barn and all was well in Jasmine's world. She could now focus on her empty manger and stomach.



The goats were less enthused about my arrival and greeted me from a reclined position where they, no doubt, had lain since I checked them the night before. Their mood improved at the sight of fresh hay and they were quickly on their feet eating with gusto and pushed each other out of the way to get at the hay four inches to the left of the hay they already had available. Because even from the same bale, new hay is clearly superior to what's waiting in their manger.

The flock (chickens, ducks, and geese) are exponentially more vocal than all the rest of our charges combined. The chickens flooded out quickly and immediately regretted their decision. After a quick feeding frenzy, most of them retired back into the safety of their coop. The ducks and geese were much better suited to the record snow fall. They climbed and flapped through it like it was nothing but thick pond water. It's a marvel any of them fly south at all. The hens left us 7 eggs yesterday and another 7 today.
 
The rooster stall (AKA our tack room), being less than completely enclosed did not keep all the snow out. Fortunately, the roosters were not born yesterday, and decided to take up with the pigs, whose stall proved much cozier. The potbellies didn't seem to notice their presence or if they did, it was far less important than the contents of their food bucket.





As a whole everyone is in good spirits, but quite looking forward to warmer weather on the horizon. At least, they would if they paid any attention to the weather channel.

We captured some video of the snow storm. For our friends in warmer climates, THIS is a real snow storm. We are glad it is over and will be even happier when the thermometer hits the 40 degrees promised by our local weatherman. Thanks for visiting with us tonight, friends. We're glad you came by.

Sean and Sonja ♥


5 comments:

  1. I loved watching this!!

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  2. Snappy Doodles! That is a lot of snow!! I am glad all faired well, and the temps are on the rise!

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  3. I am so glad we didn't get hit with any snow here in the midwest. I totally feel for you guys. I can't handle snow like that! I don't know how you do it.

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  4. WOWzers! Oh my gosh, I have never seen anything like this. I enjoyed the video and was completely amazed by the volume of snow you received. Happy to see that animals are happy and that the front loader happen to drive by. I can't imagine how long it would have taken to dig all that out. Phew... stay warm
    Jen

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  5. That is a whole lot of snow. We've had about five that big in the past 24 years here in Colorado. It is a LOT of work digging out! Thank goodness for guys with front end loaders.

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