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| The ice man He ran his head off, or so it looks |
See, I got a picture of him, running his little head off to stay ahead of spring (I'm pretty sure he can safely slow down if he wants to). Actually this odd little formation, about the size of your hand, was just there in the ice one morning when it was a little warmer than today. I had the camera so....
The ice woman commeth too. I borrowed Alan's huntin' hat last night for the trek to the barn. For the first time that I can remember my really, really warm work hat was just not up to the weather.
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| Some fractured ice from a warmer day. None of this going on now |
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| Our luge run |
We have seen many seasons that were much colder than this one. Back when I worked on a big dairy farm up in Johnstown, we saw minus 40-degree spells several winters in a row. At one time I was driving a little VW with no heater during one of those periods. Had a catalytic space heater that we set on the seat and pointed at the windshield so I could drive. Never missed a milking no matter what the weather, even if I had to drive to work with two tires on the snowbank and two in the road because of the ice. I am not sure if I was dedicated or just dumb.....
Anyhow, as icy as the walk to the barn is these days...it gets just warm enough at midday to melt a slick onto the existing ice....it beats the heck out of those days. And a conventional tie stall barn is one heck of a lot warmer than that big old free stall was too.
Did I ever tell you about the time I went to work there all alone at about 4:30 in the morning and found a guy out in the free stalls in the dark, leaning over a sleepy cow talking to her? An escapee from a local youth jail, who came from the big city and had never seen a cow before.......my life has never been dull.
I had no idea New York ever got to minus 40.
ReplyDeleteIt was 48 at my place this morning. This topsy-turvy weather pattern is making everyone a little crazy.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we need to start a prayer drive to ask God to restore His favor to our winter?
Whoa.
ReplyDeleteThat last anecdote . . . unsettling, in that it's touching and scary.
I love your "ice" pictures. Whimsical and lovely.
Stay safe and as cozy as possible.
PS
ReplyDeleteWhere are your gloves ?!!!
Yeah. Gloves are important! Take it from me. Ole Nine (and 3/4)-fingers.
ReplyDeleteHope you can keep warm! I know I tell the girls when they come in the barn to get milked to start breathing heavy so we can get it warmer. I don't think what I would of done if I found a strange man in the barn that early, my husband would always have to be the first in the barn after that!
ReplyDeleteGolly minus 40...you are right up there with Alaska.
ReplyDeleteI agree...where are your gloves?
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Jan, it doesn't usually, but it can and has. I hate that!
ReplyDeletecathy, it happened years ago, when I was head milker on a 150 dairy. I was frankly scared to death. the guy never saw me though, as I saw him out there and ran to the farm house to get my bosses. They were big, 6'4 farm guys and I guess he turned out to be pretty harmless. Didn't much like the wilds of upstate NY. Pic was taken indoors while I was tying on the hunting hat. Gloves were in my pockets and were put on before I went out. lol
Joated, as I said to Cathy, I was still in. I am a faithful bundler upper. lol
Milkmaid, I was scared, but he never saw me and I went right to the farm house to get my bosses, who were huge men. They called the authorities. He was I guess, happy to go back to his nice warm jail.
LInda, lol, I was still in the kitchen. Haven't seen minus 40 since the early 80s and I am not sorry!
Oops, Rev Paul, sorry I skipped you. We do need to get the weather swapped around the right way. this is getting tiresome.
ReplyDelete