By the time we had finished milking yesterday morning and brought everything back inside it was minus 3F (-20C). I do not deal in windchills as I don’t understand the equation so I won’t tell you what the windchill was. There was hardly any wind anyway. But it was so cold that my face felt sunburnt and (quite disgustingly) my nose was clogged with ice. Was that too much information? I never know when to stop. 
Queenie never knows when to stop either, she always always looks hungry. As do this big mob of chooks. 
I have no idea how many chooks there are in the hen house. Probably around twenty or twenty five. I never know. They seem to multiply like Tribbles when I am not looking but without that annoying purry noise. But they have started to lay though only three or four a day so far so things are looking up! A few weeks ago I started putting Diatomaceous Earth in to their feed and their shell dish where they like to have dust baths and they are fluffier and brighter.
Diatomaceous Earth (though used predominantly as an anti clogger and bug repellent in feeds) is a natural pesticide, and general health improver and everyone on the farmy has a portion in their feed – most especially the pigs when they are stuck inside, and it is sprinkled in all the pens to help keep everyone worm free, bug free and shiny. They spend too much time in the barn in the winter.
No wind yesterday and that calm was the saving grace. So everyone was shoved outside into the frigid sunshine, told to go play and be good. 
The Big Dog lost his coat and wandered about for a while looking chilly. Later TonTon found it abandoned out by the trees. We knew Ton had found something because he was barking like a mad thing at it until we came to look. I think he thought the coat was an intruder of some kind. A strangely still blue animal skin that smelt like a dog but had no dog in it. You can see why Ton would call for help to sort this mystery out. 
For the last two nights The Big And Very Old Dog has been cajoled down into the basement to sleep. He actively dislikes being inside and will usually growl and snarl at anyone trying to get him down the steps. He has always had a determined streak, a mind of his own. A half wild demeanor. He will not accept a collar or a bath. But just this once or maybe twice he has succumbed to gentle pressure. Usually he is wrapped up for the night on the verandah, sleeping on his big jute bags full of sheeps wool and covered in blankets and an enormous leather coat. He still had his blankies in the basement, he drags them around with him, but is out of the cold. 
Good morning. They say that today will be warmer. That will be nice. I go down to the local school today to give blood. Because I don’t work for money I am unable to donate to any causes, so giving blood a couple of time a year is my charity. And it is an excellent excuse to lie down with a book, albeit in a cold hall full of pale bustling grimacing people and pretend smiley nurses with needles and other curiously terrifying paraphernalia, but it is kind of restful. Kind of.
Have a lovely day.
celi
This time last year I made lemon honey And if you have another moment look at the pictures from yesterday a year ago. Some lovely colourful shots.
Nose-cicles? Stay warm out there miss c…. t
I know that kind of cold !!! you are doing well there and coping with the cold even though it is hard. I love all your animals….they are so beautiful…..your Big and Very Old dog looks very similar to Bongodog…have you met him yet? We have a cat that likes to sleep outside where as i would prefer him to sleep inside. I like to know that all animals are tucked up safe and warm at night
Brrrr! Big Dog looks so cold without his coat…The frigid air arrived in the night…we’re at 7F this morning, with wind.
No one is playing outside today.
On the bright side, the next time it makes it to 20 will feel downright balmy….
Have a great day, C!
There will be no playing outside for us today! Too cold. The dogs are going in and out for bathroom breaks, but they are quick. I have no desire to have nose ice cicles. Ha! Ton Ton is such a helper! What a blessing it must be to have him on the farmy. Have a lovely day! ~ April
Morning April!! Hope you are wearing your woolies.. c
You are the first person I’ve known who gives blood in order to find time to read a book and have a wee rest. Enjoy your break. Do they still serve tea and biccies after?
No cups of tea here, in america there are big ice bins of coke and pepsi, which would certainly go a long way to re-establishing your lost salt!! They have lots of food, cakes and things but I usually make do with water and fruit. I never feel faint or anything, I have lots of blood.. c
Morning Celi. Nose-cicles are not fun. We’re 12F and it feels like 1F. I don’t know how to convert for wind chill either. I check the weather channel on my computer.
I hate to send the kids out to do chores when it’s cold like this. Our water tub defroster went so Michael is building a fire under a metal tub to have water for the cow and calf. We’re supposed to reach 25F today! And maybe get some snow this evening. Poor Big Dog. He must have been freezing without his coat. So good that TonTon found it! Enjoy your rest!
I cart frozen buckets inside and defrosted buckets out, in an endless cycle, I hope you get another tub defroster soon, can’t they make solar ones!? I think that would be very useful..we should investigate! Morning Missy. Hope your stores are holding out. c
Lol, I love Ton Ton. Many of our neighbours in OXON have border collies and such. They are the maddest things in the mad thing competitions! I had malamutes, don’t know if I ever told you, but they were always hot and slept on the little bit of marble in the foyer of the house when they were inside. My poor dear dogs. I loved them and brushed bags and bags of hair out of them. Ooo, that’s a point, one of my friends asked for the bags of hair one year and we brushed and saved and then she spun it into wool and wove it. She made a shawl and it was auctioned off for charity at an art thing. I admire you for giving blood. Both of my parents are/were doctors so I understand how important it is to have a good amount in the blood banks. I can’t do that because I’m anemic but can give with my art. Hope you get some lovely chocolates, or some of those incredibly expensive madeleins, you know those ones that make you feel sinfully delicious.
Your dogs much have been charmers with all that hair.. and how amazing for your friend to spin their hair and make a shawl AND auction it off.. that really is charity work. I used to be very anaemic but it all sorted out once I changed to an all natural diet .. but i was never severe of course.. even now when I feel tired I have a wee box of raisins with a glass of orange juice! Iron + Vit C. The perfect mix. Have a fabulous day veronica.. I loved the stories of your dogs.. c
Medals for courage in the cold should be awarded. Out of everyone the chickens look the most content. Bon courage.
They are looking great at the moment and i am sure they will start laying accordingly very soon!! c
Poor BigOldDog – I expect he’s like an old man, and needs to get up to pee a lot in the night, and that’s why he doesn’t like being shut in.
Actually you may be right, and watching his walk every so carefully up and down the basement steps is awful, he needs a doggie ramp! c
Brrrr looks too cold to me. Great job with all your photos!
Brrrr…..stay warm!
-39C here this morning…..but going to warm up to a balmy -33 lol! When is spring?
Oh no.. I hate your temps, thank goodness I don’t get them after you.. c
I was just in Helsinki and minus 25c. It wasn’t too bad as it was still and sunny, but I wouldn’t want to live with that temperature for too long.
There would have to be some major adjustments to living in that killer weather.. at least here we go up and down a bit.. c
I just love that old dog and his coat and blankets–and Ton Ton the tattletale. We are warming up here–sending it your way!
Thank you Alice, I need that warm up, c
What type of dog is Big Dog?
Same here in the Northeast, -28C this morning. Brrr. Good thing the sun’s always shining when it’s this cold. And good thing the furnace is working!!
I love Queenie’s curly hair. And the shot of – who, Lou Lou? – in the brush is divine. Thank you for the reminder to make time to give blood. I did so regularly at my last workplace, because they came to us. Not so at this one. And by the way, for your “reader map” of yesterday, I’m in Colorado too. They say it will be 70 today, so a bit of a warm up is headed your way.
I love Queenie’s curly head too. Do you ever just bury your hands in Hairy Mclairy’s coat? That’s how I’d spend my winters I’m afraid! Thank god TonTon found the blue coat.
Stay warm out there!!
I love Big and Very Old Dog. I have a thing for partially domesticated, determined and occasionally growly dogs.I love the wildness, like they are a throw-back to Ancient Dog. I’m soooo glad that he has, this time, let you persuade him to sleep downstairs even though his veranda bed sounds lovely.
What does one do with lemon curd besides make lemon cake?
A great shot of the Big Dog ! His markings are quite fun….complete with
a tail tipped in white paint ! Hairy looks like he has something to say !
Sending this crazy warm spell from Colorado ….high 60′s in January.
Next week we will be back in the deep freeze…very strange…
I hope your tea is extra hot today !
Thank you for giving blood. When needing it I was terrified having someone else’s blood until a good friend reminded it is the nice people of the world that do give blood. THANK YOU!.
I am impressed that the kitties are still lounging around outside in the chilly weather (with or without windchill it is -17C here today too! I still can’t wrap my head fully around F temps, especially when dealing with the cold
).
The dog with the blankie. This could be a children’s picture book.
How nice of you to give blood. My husband always has and I finally tried it several years ago and found out there was nothing to fear. Nothing at all.
very cold here for one more day
Here am I. Complaining because we have been shrouded in fog for four days. I can just see the other side of the road Celi. At night the fog rolls in even heavier and visibility as we drive is two telephone poles away. Some members of our family live in Winnipeg. It is minus 45 degrees below zero. I’m raking and doing a little garden clean-up. I shan’t complain about the lack of sunshine. I will simply paint another room Monet Yellow, and light many candles. XXOo V.
It is brutally cold here too, so naturally our thermostat took this moment to quit. Forever. So inside is almost as bad as outside. I suggested to my husband that we should spend tonight at a warm hotel but of course he threw that idea right back at me. I can barely move with all the layers of clothes I’m wearing.
Staying out of the cold is an impossibility for farmers; so I won’t say, “stay warm” , I will say..”work quickly and get back into the warmth.” Somehow, though, I can never resist the urge to go out and check on Andy just one more time…(he is so frail) He sleeps between 2 old fluffy girls for warmth.
Your fingers must freeze when milking…yikes.
J
I would like to be shiny and worm free, too. Pass the diatom powder!
That reminds me that I’m due for a blood donation too. I try and go every 8 weeks. My grandpa donated every 8 weeks his whole life. Told me he thought of it like an oil change.
Stay warm and enjoy your book today.
Good job Ton Ton found the coat
Sadly my blood doning efforts have waned. I always feel faint for two or three days afterwards, when ever I stand up too quickly – good for you x
that is not nice at all, feeling faint is horrible.. c.
Cecilia….looking at the photo of your dog stopped me dead in my tracks….the front looks exactly like my Frannie that just passed away last week, amazing resemblance….its a bit warmer today here hoping it makes its way up to you…
So glad Old Dog’s coat was found. I do have a very soft spot for him…
Thank you the link …I’ve been looking at several sites wondering which site to purchase from. Now I know. Thanks also for how you are using it…I have started adding in garlic and brewer’s yeast for the chicken’s feed, this winter has been so hard. Having this to add to my care taking will be the next perfect step.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
It is excellent for parasites and their feathers love it.. plus getting rid of nasty mites.. the winter is so long for our dear old chooks ! c
Well below 0 here in NH too brrr they say snow and 30′s maybe by end of weekend
The first thing I noticed this morning when I went outside was that my noise hairs froze. Instantly.
One Queenie truly looking out for something, one Lou Lou [?] almost in brambles and one Big Dog distinctly cold – good that TonTon is a hunter-gatherer . . . another day on the farmy . . .
yes that is LouLou!! hiding.. he thinks.. c
Aw, he doesn’t want to be cooped up downstairs. I agree!
I’ve never understood how birds’ feet can withstand so much cold. Old Dog may be an old dog but his coat, his actual fur, is really striking. It must have been something to see him run across the farmy. Good to feel the warmth today — on oh, so many levels! Snow’s in the forecast for the rest of the week but if it’s like today’s, we’ll have to look hard to see it.
Hope you found today a little more bearable to work in and that the water heaters worked well enough so that you didn’t have to go out there to break the ice. The more time you can spend indoors, the better!
It’s almost impossible for me to give blood due to extremely small and collapsable veins. In fact, I’ve been asked not to try, but I think that’s great that you do it! It really looks as cold as it is there, I think!
Poor you.. such a bore.. i have big fat veins that make the blood letters smile! c
I learn so much from you, Celi. I didn’t know a thing about the role of Diatomaceous Earth on the farm and in promoting animal health. Goodness what I don’t know!!
I had to smile at the thought of you giving blood, imagining that it would come out pre-frozen! Seriously, I don’t know how you can bear such extreme cold. I’m such a wimp that anything below 8 degrees Celsius has me complaining. The task here is keeping cool! – so reading your posts brings my body temp down beautifully. I shiver as I read.
Eggs increasing, that’s a sign that something is changing.
Poor Big Old Dog. He looks so dejected there without his coat! Well done TonTon for finding it out so efficiently.
Have just seen Chicago etc weather on the news. Hope you all are safe, well & warm enough