Perched at Home
It's been cold. Cold and windy....cold! Don't think I'm just a California girl complaining about a little chill, the past two nights it got down to 19 degrees. And by early tomorrow morning there is a chance of a dusting of snow. If it does snow and I get some photos, I'll show you proof. It's happened before and it could happen again.
So I am just perched here at home, mostly. I bought groceries and ran other errands. I bought chicken feed, including scratch for some warmth, shavings for the coop, and a fresh bale of straw for the donkey's shelter. I cleaned out the coop and put in new shavings. I cleaned out the donkey shelter and put in the new straw for them....well, mostly for the chickens. The chickens have spent the better part of the past two days hunkered in the straw, out of the cold wind. I'm having to break the ice on water buckets in the morning. And I have pulled out the Goretex gloves that Erik turned over to me a few years ago. They feel good.
The sugar water in the hummingbird feeder froze over! Fortunately it gets hit by the morning sun so it melted from the bottom up and I saw the hummers using it late yesterday. I threw an old horse blanket over the faucet in the front but one of the plastic do-hickeys on the nozzle attached to the hose has broken. I turned it on to fill up the water bucket and it sprayed very cold water back onto my jeans and shirt. I stuck my foot into the water bucket to break the ice and then remembered that I had worn holes into my Boggs. Freezing cold water seeped into my boot.
Friends, those of you who take care of outside animals all winter long, and who live in cold climates where it snows and gets wicked cold, you have my admiration. I couldn't do it. I have reached the point in life where I don't want to be that uncomfortable. I would prefer to turn on the heat, put on my slippers, get a hot cuppa something, and stay perched at home.
So I am just perched here at home, mostly. I bought groceries and ran other errands. I bought chicken feed, including scratch for some warmth, shavings for the coop, and a fresh bale of straw for the donkey's shelter. I cleaned out the coop and put in new shavings. I cleaned out the donkey shelter and put in the new straw for them....well, mostly for the chickens. The chickens have spent the better part of the past two days hunkered in the straw, out of the cold wind. I'm having to break the ice on water buckets in the morning. And I have pulled out the Goretex gloves that Erik turned over to me a few years ago. They feel good.
The sugar water in the hummingbird feeder froze over! Fortunately it gets hit by the morning sun so it melted from the bottom up and I saw the hummers using it late yesterday. I threw an old horse blanket over the faucet in the front but one of the plastic do-hickeys on the nozzle attached to the hose has broken. I turned it on to fill up the water bucket and it sprayed very cold water back onto my jeans and shirt. I stuck my foot into the water bucket to break the ice and then remembered that I had worn holes into my Boggs. Freezing cold water seeped into my boot.
Friends, those of you who take care of outside animals all winter long, and who live in cold climates where it snows and gets wicked cold, you have my admiration. I couldn't do it. I have reached the point in life where I don't want to be that uncomfortable. I would prefer to turn on the heat, put on my slippers, get a hot cuppa something, and stay perched at home.
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