Yesterday was officially freezing. Real freezing cold. Not that fake cold when your dressing gown is in the dryer and you have to run to the toilet in your nightie and the toilet seat is cold and you shiver and say God that is cold. No, this was real cold. Razer cold that shaves at your face and leaves it stinging for an hour after you come inside. Cold that keeps your mouth closed because there is no word for it. Cold that brings pain. When you come in you take the boots off your numb feet and then with your jacket still on you walk to the fire and stand there, trying to get your gloves off, waiting for the pain to lift so you can move again. Real cold.
I took this image at dawn yesterday. I did not know at the time that the sun on the left was a Sun dog. Having never seen one before. But annoyed that I could not fit both in the frame. 
And thought very little about the shot for the rest of the day. We proceeded through the day. It was way too cold and way too windy to get the tractor out and move snow.. 
and the roads were not plowed anyway so we were snowed in, engaging in the usual low grade bickering about who makes the best coleslaw that comes from being locked up with too many dogs in the house for two days, yet hauling about getting things done. But being snowed in also gives one permission to do nothing at all so lots of that was done too, letting the wind go about its business of making snow drifts then unmaking them. 
When I was out and about doing chores I noticed the dogs lifting alternate feet and running on three, then running on another three, like chickens raising one leg to warm it but at full speed. Doves had come into the chook house to sit as close to the warm lights as they could. A starling was seen sitting next to a chicken sitting next to a pig. Peahens perched on precarious beams directly above heat lamps. Sheila the pig was allowed a warm beer with dinner. Daisy and Queenie ate twice their normal amount of hay. Mama The senior ewe clouted Tilly around the head and told her if she did not stop the whining she would be put out into the snow.
When I came in I had to be careful not to put a wet hand on the door handles of the outside doors inside the house, for fear of freezing to them. Doors were frozen shut and put off limits, windows covered in ice. Eggs froze solid in the nests. Water froze in the buckets. Table scraps turned to ice before they were eaten.
Then after a harrowing day fighting the elements the wind slowly died down towards the evening, the temperatures also rising to -10 by nightfall. A certain peace fell over the farmy. The laying down of arms.
Then in the evening as the sun was setting I saw this.
Another Sun Dog. Isn’t that just amazing. It is caused by ice crystals hanging low in the sky when it is very cold, creating reflections. I am sure the phenomena itself is much more complicated but that is a simple explanation. Does this bode well to see two in a day?
The animals went very still yesterday evening. The pigs slept deep in their straw surrounded in dozing chickens nestled into the same straw. The sheep went into a pause watching the wind go past their immovable door and not come back. The cows stood and chewed their cud, their tears frozen into chandelier drops on their cheeks. The dogs lay at the door, watching their sticks and waiting to go home.
After all the wind and its stinging cargo of snow, fighting, screaming, scrambling, nipping wind trying to stop me getting to the barn, or getting back home, it was like being in an alternate universe, where peace was a given and breath was everything. 
Today it will still be very cold but no wind. No wind is a blessing. Clean up day.
We will all have a better day today I hope.
Your friend on the farmy
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
77 responses to “Sundogs – like bookends for a frozen day.”
Dutch is going to try and get me to work today. Stay warm and be careful out there. No mail this morning they are saying but MAYBE some trying to come this afternoon. Trucks still buried at the plant south of here.
Good for Dutch, I have seen lights on the highway.. hope you get through. John is going to try and get me out to do the rounds but we have to dig out of here first. Good luck Connie, bundle up still -11 .. c
Country roads still closed on the trip up this morning. We had to bring all the major highways,…they have been plowed but still are snow and ice covered so if Our John gets you dug out be very careful!
The tractor still won’t start so we may be stuck til tomorrow anyway.. sigh.. too cold for our vehicles.. c
Down here, we are holding our collective breaths: tonight we may finally, FINALLY get a thunderstorm. Already across the south east of Queensland there has been destruction and flooding from the seasonal storms. Out in the Coral Sea, a large front is gathering up its skirts and trying to decide whether it’ll twirl itself down our way. A cyclone can make landfall anywhere… I’m getting out my emergency checklist and putting batteries and water puritabs on the shopping list… I’m so happy that the weather is settling a bit where you are, and that all your furry friends are warm, dry and comfortable.
Yes that´s what I want to say: stay warm and be carful! Michael
I bet Sheila liked the beer!
Watch out for the back of the camera – people have been known to stick part of their face or nose to the back of them due to the condensation.
Your last picture above of the trees and snow is stunning 😉
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I saw the sundogs, too – but didn’t capture them on camera. Beautiful! Good luck and stay safe with clean-up. We will be tricked into thinking it is warmer than it is! Still dangerously cold.
How right you are, i was out a bit long and am still waiting for my feet and toes to get back to normal before i go out again.. nasty, c
😦 That is scary. Lots of warm-up breaks needed.
The sundogs are stunning – the only gift on a horrible day…
Good to hear the wind has died…even zero will feel warm without it.
It’s at my house this morning, by the way…along with a steadily-dropping thermometer. Won’t be nearly as bad as yours, though. We’re only going down to 10 or so…
That post is chilling, and I’m not referring to the temperatures. It’s just all so fragile. The balance is a delicate one…the need not to make mistakes, not to overlook something, to always be ready and vigilant. Have you ever read Rick Bass’s beautiful book, “Winter” about surviving that season in Montana? It’s exquisite. I think you might like it. I’m slowly letting my breath out as if I’ve had a bit of a scare. Take it easy and carefully. My best wishes go with you around the farm today.
Bundle up and stay busy doing what you can do. I busted up so much ice here yesterday in that cold I hurt so bad I hope you thaw soon we do get a January thaw in New England I swear I heard the weather man say mid 40’s Sat and more RAIN after so Sat. will be a beach day for JT hard for her to play on our frozen yard 😦 I can not afford to pay for my broken hip or hers. Love the Sun Dogs! Been seeing them and just watching them and leaving camera inside 🙂 I will say a prayer for a little warmth to hang out on your farm too
HUGS
A Sundog. Twice. Seeing the beauty and the wonderful through the bitter pain is what it’s all about. THANK-YOU for showing us.
Good to hear that the wind has died down I know from living on the coast that wind is either joyful or painful x
What beautiful pictures this morning! Freezing of course, but gorgeous! We drove home from Washington state in that blizzard a few days ago. About 5600 miles driven for Christmas across the country! The last 1500 were sketchy and I had to keep my eyes closed the majority of the time. I wasn’t driving, of course. 😉
Yesterday here in NH we had 45 degrees and huge sheets of rain for 12 hours straight. This morning, 3 degrees and there’s even ice on the inside of the windows.
Stay warm out there…and maybe you too should be drinking some of those warm beers? 🙂
My laundry room window is covered in ice ON THE INSIDE!! Too Bloody Cold!
Amazing, I’d never heard of a sundog. Damn that’s cold!
We just watched a lunchtime news report about your weather. Very dangerous stuff, c. They did say that the polar vortex should disperse as quickly as it arrived, so I hope you are soon starting to warm-up again. Stay safe, love.
I hope to never see that sort of cold.
sent from France in a T-shirt 😉