It was minus -10C (-23F) when I went out to start the chores yesterday morning. And the animals were handling it well. Double rations and lots of extra bedding seems to be working so far. 
By lunchtime we were above zero. Which was nice. Do you remember me saying the other day that getting up to freezing was nice.. freezing point is 32F!
Now getting above zero is a relief. 
I did the rounds, collecting the pig food and visiting the old people.
My neighbour’s horses.
One of the old family houses.
When I got back home with all the pig food a Christmas package had been delivered from my son and his family. Guess what they sent me!
Cramp-ons. Just like Viv and Claire recommended. What a son have I. He told his wife that he didn’t want me to be falling again. She told me not to get too confident. No running on the ice, she said. Oops, I said. As I had been doing exactly that! They are wonderful. Liberating. I can leap tall buildings in a single bound. I am so much more in control.
Thank the Gods for sunsets in the winter. We need the colour.
This morning it is cold, with a wild wind that is sucking the heat out of this old house and snow is forecast. Winter I guess.
Have a lovely, lovely day.
Love your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
76 responses to “So far so good”
Chains on Red-Bands! Churrrrr. 🙂
I am new to following your blog, and thoroughly enjoying it, thank you.
Back here in NZ I am melting in the sticky humidity of Northland hay season. The snow stories are great, at least my imagination gets to cool off.
Well.. welcome from down under! glad to have you aboard.. c
The photo of the horses is very striking. I’m impressed by the crampons but do remember, this does not mean you have 7 league boots! Step by step rather than flying. Safe steps.
All I can say is brrrrrr and brrrrrr! 🙂 But lovely winter photos, especially the one of the beautiful, old farmstead and that drop dead gorgeous sunset! Wow!! We leave Tues. to spend some time with my elderly Mom in Michigan so am not looking forward to those icy temps…but it will be nice to see the snow!
Now you’re stylin with those cool crampons attached to your boots! I bet your tailbone will thank-you for them!
Very cool boots. You’re going to need them.
Stay warm and stay safe. Some ugly winter weather heading our way
yes, hope you and your family tuck up well.. c
Sunset really was spectacular last night. I was driving west on the Eisenhower treated to pinks and aquas and tangerines. Could hardly concentrate on the traffic. I love seeing the neighbors horses too. I guess they like cold weather.
I have so many questions all the time: Is Mama baaing loud and often–BAHRAMEWE!
What kind of essence of oils would you like? We have Whole Foods here that I understand carry various oils. I’d be glad to pick up what you want and mail them to you.
Mama is calling out in her usual low soft voice, but not often. Tilly makes enough noise for everyone. I shall think on the oils. Shea butter is one I particularly need and cocoa butter.. Do you think they have those there? i shall do some research.. thank you.. c
C,I’ll send you a US online address for the butters; organic? E
yes, organic.. well done thank you!! c
This site looks good; its in Ohio, couldn’t find one in Illinois. They also sell oils.
Did you see the addresses for the icebugs? they look so good; should keep your feet wonderfully warm.
I am not much a fan of the cold, but your photographs look so beautiful that I find myself wanting to drive somewhere there is snow on the ground. I live in Nashville, TN and it is cold here…for Nashville…but no snow. You are one interesting woman and I love your “cramp ons”! Happy New Year.
It is beautiful..thank you teresa and thank you for commenting.. there is cold everywhere this winter, what a winter we are all having! c
Oh Celi ~ these farmy/surrounds photos are just beautiful . . . if that beauty was only not accompanied by possible danger and discomfort!! Like everyone else am so glad you have traction and hope you may be able to look for the ‘Icebugs’ as well ~ there is still a lot of winter ahead!! The only photo which leaves me cold is that of the train – do hope you do not have traintracks too close to the farmy . . . somehow they intrude on all the natural beauty 😦 !
No they are a few miles away, I saw most of these sights on my rounds yesterday. c
I’ve had my Yaktrax Pros on my boots for several weeks now. Essential around here, the ground seems to get much harder every year. If you do any walking on pavement with patchy ice it will wear out the rubber on the Yaktrax (experience talking here – ha). For that I found studded strap on contraptions in the sporting goods dept. of the local farm supply store. There are all kinds of them by the ice fishing equipment. We also had 20 below here this morning but it warmed up into the 20’s very nicely. A good day to scurry around and do a bit more thorough clean up of the pens and water tanks, the real cold is scheduled to roll in tomorrow and stay for 3 or 4 days. So far the animals are doing well, the horses were positively silly this morning. Stay warm and take care in that infernal wind.
The sunset does add a lot of color to your vast expanse. What a great (and timely!) gift.
You got your F and your C backwards. -10F is -23C, not the other way around. We got down to -9.5F last night. I threw a cup of boiling water into the air and watched it turn to snow. That’s always fun!
C. Go to http://www.mountainroseherbs.com they have super nice organic herbs, butters, oils etc. in bulk too! Although you may have already found another good source!
Great landscapes….even better from the warmth of my office. Can’t imagine that cold. I think we once had -8C, for a day, a couple of years ago. Glad you’ve got the crampons…:)
…..it suddenly occurred to me that getting “the crampons” sounds like being struck down by a particularly unpleasant affliction:)
Love the “crampons.” I have a set too and they are definitely liberating if you don’t get too cocky. I love your blog!
C, I really love these images today because you’ve established a sense of place for your farm in relationship to your neighbors. I never realized there was another farm site so close and it also appears to me that you live relatively close to town.
The train and horse images are particularly striking against the prairie landscape backdrop.
Stay warm and safe, my friend. We are preparing to hunker down here in Minnesota. The governor has closed all K – 12 public schools on Monday due to the predicted extreme cold.