I'm Prepared

Happy New Year, folks!  Since I was bragging about how prepared I was for the holiday frivolity, of course, I got sick just in time to drain some of the energy from the holidays.  I did nurse my flue with ample quantities of hot tea and Netflix, and rallied enough to participate in the family Christmas festivities.  

Thankfully, when I'm not feeling my best, I can count on Brandon to help with my chores.  Like coaxing the goats to pose in funny holiday hats!  

You would think that the goats would be grateful to have their ears warmly tucked inside a hat during this cold weather.  Not so!  They tossed their heads and pranced around and made the photo shoot very hilarious.  Silly goats.   

It's so cold here.  Colder than I'm used to, for sure, and looks like it will stay that way for the rest of the week.  I carry warm water to all the thirsty animals, and now have a collection of ice sculpture, from dumping the frozen water from buckets.  

I collected all our extension cords and managed to scrounge together enough electric buckets for the goats, donkey, and dog, so they don't have to wait until I bring them a warm drink anymore.  The meat chickens, which are weeks past their butcher date, are the only ones with frozen water now.  

Well, not the only ones, since I have a frozen water line to the kitchen sink!  When we opened the trap door in the kitchen floor to examine the water lines, a steady gust of frigid air blew in from underneath the house.  One of the things on our to do list is to chink the cracks in the stone foundation, so at least there isn't a cold breeze constantly blowing under the floor boards.  In a desperate attempt to protect the plumbing, I spent some time piling old hay along the outside of the house foundation.  

Someone on the inter-web suggested placing bales of straw along the foundation of a house to block the breeze.  I'm not sure if a pile of hay has quite the same insulating effect, but I think it made a bit of difference in the velocity of the air underneath the kitchen.  Not enough to thaw out the sink, though.  And now it looks like weeds grew unchecked around the house.  I bet the mice will love it!

Brandon left this morning for a week long trip to New York city.  In the days leading up to his departure, he obsessively checked the weather, and worried about leaving me alone.   If I were him, I would have been much more worried about driving in the city when it's well below freezing and snow is predicted.  I plan to be in my cozy office in town by day, and safely tucked inside with a toasty fire, a hot beverage, and plenty of warm cats by night!

I'm not worried to be left alone, even with all these animals to care for.  I have plenty of firewood, hay, and bags of food for all the animals, plus groceries for myself.  The pipes that freeze are already frozen, so as long as I keep the water dripping in the bathroom I won't do without.  If the worst happened, and frozen pipes burst and I have to turn all the water off, I could dip water from the hot tub to keep the animals hydrated, if I had to.  If the truck won't start, then I'll just stay home!  I've got friends and a good neighbor I can call on, in a pinch.  I have Netflix.  I'm prepared.