Got cold ?

January 6, 2010

Baby, it is friggin' cold outside. And you should now, I do not use that word "friggin" lightly. But tough times call for tough words. Our little cold snap is about a week long, which I know for some of you( like Art Bloomquist at http://home-on-the-hill.blogspot.com/) is nothing compared to daily temps of -15, but for us here in Central Illinois, it has been a bit uncomfortable. Two nights ago it was -8 and I was wimping out. I lodged two warm bottles of milk under my armpits as I walked out to the calf hutches and tried desperately to shove a couple more into my boots. But since my boots were already filled with two fat calves I had to settle for holding the other bottles between my knees. Lead mom walking. (No, it was not a pretty sight, why do you think I do most of my chores after dark ? )Then I threw the bottles into the bottle holders attached to the hutches and ran 50 feet into our machine shed where I huddled out of the wind for a couple of minutes before going back out into the Artic to collect the bottles.



Yes, we do bundle up for the cold with insulated coveralls and exotic looking hats but some nights it never seems like enough. I have even resorted to wearing the long underwear my 91 yr old aunt gave me this week. Made by Sears in 1941, they smell odd and work well. Even the warmest part of our barn, the milk tank room, had ice on the inside of the windows. Pretty enough for a picture or two.



Today we hit 18 degrees and I was outside bedding calves and pigs without my hat feeling pretty darn comfortable. This was primarily because there was no wind. For now. We're expecting a large amount of snow tonight and tomorrow with winds which will of course cause drifting across our farm. Thus, the reason Keith and I were outside a good part if the afternoon...getting ready for tomorrow. We have learned that the more you prepare for bad weather the less likely it will occur.