We finally had our first big snow of the year! Well, big for us. When I was a child, we started having snow here sometimes as early as Halloween. We could count on several inches, at least three if not four times before spring arrived. School was never canceled. Bus drivers drove the parts of their routes that were accessible and we had school with however many kids showed up. The teachers never missed either, even if they also had to ride the bus with the kids. My dad nearly always completed his route no matter what the weather. He used chains, weights, and even put all of us kids in the back seats to help with the weight. Weekends were devoted to snowmen, sledding, and occasionally playing on deeply frozen ponds.
Now, with climate change we can go two or three years without even a flurry. So we were all excited when the white stuff finally began to fall. We awake to a white wonderland and begin to haul out the cold weather gear to start chores. Although, some of us refuse to get out of bed…
First come the chickens. Water needs to be thawed, grain dispensed, and eggs gathered. Frozen eggs are never a problem. I just thaw and scramble them.
Then I take care of my other little feathered friends. Out comes the suet block, and bird seed which is shared by my resident gray squirrel. Sidney the woodpecker is first on the scene.
Then on to the pigs. They have mounded up a HUGE pile of straw and borrow deep within. We call to them and bang on the side of the pen until eventually a head pops up. Then they finally come forth for food and fresh water. By the time we come back from the barn though, they are buried once more.
From there we head to the barn to feed the sheep. The girls meet me half way and walk with me to make sure I know where I should go… Even Everest gets some grain with his usual hay to ward off the cold.
On the way home it is time to play and to enjoy the beauty around us. As well as to grab a bite to eat.
Then the final chores come. Greg gets out the heat lamp to put under the house near the water pipes, and I have a go at cleaning the snow off of the back porch.
Then we all go inside to dry out and rest from all of that work. Now the day is ours, to read, drink tea, and just doze in front of the fire.
Photos Courtesy of Leah McAllister
