Brrrrr!

Monday, January 15, 2024
Hello friends,
              BRRRRR!  I know, I know, it’s a balmy 2 degrees right now so what am I complaining about?  Stephen is here from Atchison, and it hasn’t been above 0 up there since last week.  But my pain is my pain, and it is COLD.  Maybe I need to gain some blubber like the polar bears.  After two hours of chores, my core is plenty warm from all the layers, but the fingers and toes are just not happy.  Lord, help everyone who has to work outside! 
              The fire is warm, but the living room is the warm room, and the edges of the house are much cooler.  The furnace is set to come on if the wood stove can’t keep up, and Mom has an electric baseboard heater to keep her room toasty.  All doors must stay open, and the ceiling fan needs to keep the heat circulating.  We close the blinds at night for a little extra barrier and we can always put on a sweater to stay comfy.  The animals are not as fortunate.  I saw a recommendation on the news to keep all the pets inside.  Well, that works for dogs and cats, but cows and chickens are designed to live outside.  They need shelter and clean dry bedding, but we don’t have a heated space for them.  We put a deep layer of old hay on the floor of the chicken house and the cows have a deep layer of fresh straw which is cleaned out daily.  It’s a lot of work, but it helps to keep everyone healthy…..