And now it is blowing – hard. I can hear it but cannot see it yet. The wind is what will make today unpleasant.
It snowed in the night. In fact the temperatures are rising so the snow will become rain soon, before we begin the inexorable drift down to -23f (-30C). But for today it will rise up above freezing for a few hours so I hope to get the hoses out and fill the big water troughs.
I do hope it does not rain – this ridiculous rain in the middle of a terrible winter week just means more ice. I have enough ice. And I have to drive this water to the other side twice a day. 
Still, it was a lovely sunny weekend.
I have three more days before Our John returns from the West Coast. 
As long as I don’t get a power cut I will just plod on. I have to admit to being a wee bit anxious about ice on the power lines. Ice can bring my whole pack of cards tumbling down.
But until then it is warmer so I am going to rug up and go see if the outside faucet is running. If it is I will get the hoses out.
Lots of love
Cecilia
The Kitchen's Garden 
51 responses to “BLOW HARD”
Those are some smart ducks! I lay hay down for my goose and she goes the opposite direction. Silly bird.
To me the hardest part about taking care of animals is the water and more so in the winter. It’s also the most time consuming barn task. My goat will not drink water unless it’s impeccably clean so the minute I fill it up, she drinks half.
I am dreading the temps on Wednesday and Thursday, because I have to be gone both days. We are expecting below zero, it’s gonna be bad.
I hope everything is alright while you are gone – as farmers we can’t help but fret – but I am sure you have a good plan in place
We just have to hunker down until the weekend. In the 40’s by Sunday ….or so they’re saying .
I know! I told John he should wait another day before he comes back and it will be spring!
I hate wind and those temperatures are wicked. Good luck with the hoses today. Laura
All out – waters filled and all in. I wanted all the waters filled before 10 ( which is the high today) and I did it!
Layer up well and keep you and the animals safe and warm. Morning miss c… t
Morning miss t. It’s actually quite warm at the moment. I have opened a few big doors to air the house out before the plummet begins.
Oh, how I remember those winter days with snow and ice and, especially wind! A power outage was a big worry until we got a standby generator that turned on automatically when the power went out.
I want one of those!!! I have a diesel generator in the shed – but the three phase is in the chook house – lots of snow to drag it through – hoping the power stays on. Out of firewood too.
“Out of firewood”, oh NO! Good luck finding a few cord of good, dry stuff!!
Not my department
Ah
Well, good luck to the Department then; )
oh my stay warm- cannot get over how dedicated you are! A generator would be a wonderful thing!
I do have a generator and insisted John bring it back from the workshop to my shed before I left. I did not win on the firewood but I do have a generator. It takes a bit of setting up ( and I hope he filled it with diesel) but worse comes to worst he can talk me through it on the phone
Yes! But not today! Today is lovely!
A fierce cold will engulf many stay warm and my best to your farm animals.
I think the temporary warmth is more of a curse than blessing – creating ice instead of snow. Snow is manageable. ice is just… Ice.
But the only way out is through i guess. Especially for you. You don’t have the luxury to just stay inside and wait out the cold. You are a mountain of strength. I admire you. Be safe.
I think my main skill is tenacity and positive self talk. In fact much of my self talk is out loud! But – keeping in keeping on is my best. It is good for us to know our strengths!
And yes – the ice will be the killer. ESP on the drive to the other side.
My best thoughts are with you. Focus on the attainability of the goal is key. Be safe, for you and your animals.
I’ve just been looking at the ducks on the canal. It was down to about zero last night (nowhere near as cold as you) and as far as I can tell they swim sleep all night on the water. The foxes would get them if they slept on land. They really are quite astonishingly hardy birds. Yours look quite content on the straw.
I agree! They are much hardier than I thought they would ever be.
I have a friend that has ducks and the ducks are stuck in the middle of their frozen pond and they are trying to save them because right now the foxes can just walk across the ice and the ducks cannot get out.
Oh my god! That is horrible – was telling me the other day this could happen. Lucky I do not have a pond!!!
Miss C, do you have a Plan B for *yourself* if the power goes out? Temps down to -30°C, no power and no firewood is a bad combination…
Yes! I keep Six buckets for animals and three drinking containers for me full of water at all times. The bad cold is actually only for about 36 hours. So worst comes to worst in that I am iced in – I will put all my woolies on – take the dogs and go sleep with the pigs.
Excellent idea. Miss Sheila should be great at providing furnace service, especially if you can line yourself up between her and Molly. Now THAT would be a calendar-worthy shot…
Sadly Sheila has poppy and there is no more room in that inn. After careful consideration I think I would sleep with Jude or the 6. Probably Jude as his bed is the nicest ( and newest) and the dogs would join me. The 6 might want to play all night!
Lol about wrestling with the six all night; )
Lordy, Lordy, Lordy Miss C! Today it’s a ,minute, by minute affair, as will be the next few days. May Saints preserve and the winds be at your back!
Can’t plan the weather can we!!
Even harder when you are not at home, I think. But I am sure you have a good plan.
I remember watching ice coated power lines near our farm when I was a kid. The wind started blowing hard and steady across them. The 2 lines, one above the other, started to oscillate. As they gained amplitude, they touched, making a brilliant blue flash. Our house lights dimmed briefly, too. Here is an example of some galloping but not touching. https://youtu.be/7XotPSKg__Y
That sounds kind of exciting. We had ice coated power lines a number of years ago and they all fell down like dominos- the damage was so widespread we had no electricity for 6 days!
That’s a long time.
Yes it was a long time but we are literally at the end of the line
Ooh, OUCH!
Wow! We live in a high wind area and all the power lines have ‘spacers’ on them (for want of a better word – not sure what they’re really called – like a stick which the lines are threaded around and holds them apart). That would have been something to see!
It really was bright. After a couple of touches and flashes the ice got knocked or melted off and the wires quit dancing. The fun was over. 😦
Thinking good thoughts that the power lines don’t come down. Wishing you lots of strength/stamina. We’ve got snow coming down slowly and steadily with lots of wind so there’s not much point in going out and trying to shift any of it yet until it’s done.
I agree. The wind is the trouble . In the last hour the wind had swung to the north and our temperatures are spiraling down fast – being blown down. I am off out to dole out more straw. Then laid up with more water and go across the way again. The roads are icing up as I write. Bad luck.
Bummer.