Once upon a time I thought snow was pretty...and then we bought a dairy farm. Here is what cold means for farmers...FREEZING to death! Okay so not really, but to further explain why winter is no fun when you are a farmer I have made a list.
1) Freezing water lines...I feel like no matter what you do to prepare something always sneaks up on you. With this being our first winter on our farm we still have lots to learn. Our morning started out with no hot water in our barn. This is a large problem as you have to have hot water to clean and sanitize your barn and lines. Needless to say they (hubs and his dad) have been working on figuring out how and/or what is wrong with our water heater since this morning.
2) Buckets of water...I hate carrying buckets of water, but the poor animals have to drink! All of our little calves have water in hanging buckets in their pens. It is so cold outside that the water freezes basically no matter what you do. Therefore you have to bust the ice when they freeze solid OR carry buckets of water to freshen up their frozen water. For those who have pond water you have to bust the ice on it when it freezes over. All large water tanks (none of ours are heated) have to have ice busted as well. Needless to say it takes forever and it makes me hate winter that much more!
3) Laundry... As if we don't all hate this one enough, imagine the layers it takes to keep warm. These layers require washing. Need I say more? My laundry multiplies!
4) Cold Feet...I hate when my feet get cold. I have insulated muck boots and my feet still get cold. So it is double socks for me!
5) ICE... Imagine falling on a sheet of ice you didn't know was there. OUCH! Well, one of our cows did just that this morning. The poor girl was down on a small concrete walkway between the two barns where water have run over and frozen into a thick sheet of ice. She couldn't get up so it was time to quickly retrieve the ag sand we use to help with traction and to get her turned so she could scoot to solid ground. Then off to the store for rock salt to help solve that problem. One of those things that we now know and are better prepared for. Live and learn. The mama is up and moving now with just a minor "boo-boo."
6) The aftermath...When the snow melts it turns to MUD. Lots and lots of mud. Everywhere. Mud. Yucky and messy! In with that whole laundry thing...mud makes for even more of it.
While winter is beautiful...it is also messy and cold and yucky! I do however love sledding behind the four-wheeler and hot chocolate. We did not get enough good snow to break out the sled yet. Maybe next time. Unless warm weather blesses us first :)
So I leave you with this thought...when you see a farmer Thank them for their hard work! Winter is not friendly or easy on the farmer, but like I said in my previous post, we turn to God and thank him for the opportunity and responsibility that he has given us. Keep calm and stay warm!!!! I am off to cry now because I have to return to work tomorrow and today hasn't been near as "relaxing" as I was hoping it to be.
Peace, Love, Blessings, and Cows!
60 says hello!
The beauty of the farm from the road :)
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