Yes, SEVEN…. 7….. weeks of cold. And FINALLY – well, maybe… just maybe…it appears the end is in sight. We are so looking forward to the annual Month of Mud. Even if it lasts for 7 weeks, I’d take 7 weeks of mud over the 7 weeks of frigid cold temps and overcast skies. Lows of -3F, – 12F, -0F, minus something F, to go with highs of 20F, 15F, 10F, nothing above 25F…. just plain cold. And fog, or no fog but anemic sunshine, and our old friend Mr. Hoarfrost. What a beautiful display of hoarfrost but it gets old quick. It is frigid cold. Chores get hurried to prevent frozen hands and feet, but then you have to be careful not to slip and fall. Moving equipment or hungry animals who weigh about as much as a car combined with icy conditions can be a recipe for disaster. Chains for equipment and footwear become necessary.
Cold temperatures play interference with equipment operations – anyone who resides in any Land of Frost knows about block heaters, running engines for what seems like an eternity to warm them up, anti-gel additives and covering up windsheilds or seats to keep them clear of snow or frost.
Cold temperatures also play interference with stock watering tanks. If the water isn’t moving, well you can spend some time breaking ice so the critters can get a drink. The small animal water systems freeze in a matter of hours and need to be refilled throughout the day. Some animals won’t drink cold water which can cause issues of dehydration.
The cold, dreary days that turned into weeks gives man and beast a good case of the winter blahs. Oh, will the snow ever leave? It seems like it has been here forever… Will warm sunshine ever shine on our faces? I can’t feel my toes…. or my face… Where is the green grass, wildflowers, singing birds and fat little bumblebees buzzing about daffodils? Little zoomies (aka calves) racing across green fields. It all seems like a distant memory. Seed catalogs don’t seem to curb the blah-humbugs and even the cattle are becoming restless to roam about the fields in the warm sunshine, out on green grass instead trudging through the white stuff, feasting on old dried foo-foo bales of hay (we are too, it is getting expensive…)
But 35F today still gave us some hope. Lows will be in the low teens, if not single digits. That is what happens this time of year.
Looking forward to climate change.
Until next time…
~hobo
HR hobo 
Hang in there kiddo. You will soon have sunshine and warm/hot and wishing for something cold.
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Just ready for some color in our little section of the planet other than white…. is white even a color?
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Hobo, we only very occasionally see those sorts of temperatures and it is more than enough for us!
I do love the pictures, especially the cat sitting on the water tank.
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There were 3 cats on the tank, which was what caught my attention that morning…. and Mittens in the little tree. I think he was on lifeguard duty.
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We used stock tank heaters. Nowadays, we just have a heated dog bowl and all the small, wild critters drink from it.
I will take clean ice and snow over mud and muck any day.
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That tank is next to the house, gets checked whenever someone goes in or out so it was surprising to see that it froze hard overnight.. I’m still ready to just get the muddy days over with… it’s already coming into the house anyways 😉 Love the kitty… looks like our Mama Bandana
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