Or something to that effect.
Yes, it is cold. Ten degrees this morning when A. got up at 4:45 a.m. (specifically to check the temperature, because he gets all excited about extreme winter readings), and the forecast is calling for below zero weather tonight. But . . . so what? This isn't Siberia. Or even Alaska, where it got to almost 70 degrees below zero one winter when we were living near Fairbanks. Now THAT is cold. This? Not so much.
Thankfully, we don't really worry too much about our pipes freezing. It's about the only thing we DON'T have to worry about, because the stone walls are so damned thick. Of course, the walls in the north bedroom are frozen over, but that's old news by now.
The only real drag with this kind of cold is keeping the animals supplied with liquid water. None of the animal shelters are electrified (unless you count the chain of extension cords that runs to the chicken coop to power the heat lamp--when it's working), so we can't use submersible heaters or heated buckets. There's only one warm place on this property: the house. And there are only two warm rooms in the house.
The dining room:
Where the sheep's bucket goes to thaw.
And the kitchen:
Winter home of the chicken waterer.
I don't even bother trying to keep any water for the dogs outside. They're just as happy to come into the kitchen to have a drink and a nap on their couch.
So, our pipes aren't frozen, so the humans have water. Thanks to my constant schlepping back and forth with frozen and thawed water receptacles, the sheep, chickens, and dogs have water.
Have no fear for the inhabitants of Blackrock. We're survivors. And I have a suspicion that the rest of America will survive the cold temperatures as well. Just try to tell CNN that.
P.S. You can still enter for the $25 Amazon gift certificate. Just comment on this post.
-30 at my house this am. That was at 5.30a when I got up to check.
ReplyDeletebut all my rooms are warm.
It's -12 outside this morning in my little corner of the world and, If it makes you feel any better, I too have come to the conclusion that there is a certain point - around 10 degrees, where nothing between 10 and -25 registers as any different anyway :P
ReplyDeleteBut it's so cold! Although I'll take cold temperatures over a snowstorm anyday. So it can stay too cold to snow, as long as it then jumps right to spring.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it was colder in Pittsburgh than at your house this morning. Clearly, it is THE END OF DAYS.
ReplyDeleteOr just January. Whatever.
-17 this morning here at 9 a.m. Last night my crazy boyfriend and I went outside with bubble mix and I took a video of him blowing bubbles, and of the bubbles freezing before they hit the ground. Mostly it's too dark to really see it, and mostly what you hear is me saying, "Geez, it's cold!" But it's captured for posterity!
ReplyDeleteAlso, when I got home from rehearsal last night I found that said crazy boyfriend had made Duchess' burned cabbage (I'd sent him a link to that post). It was yummy!
It always cracks me up when the media gets all hyped about too cold or too hot weather. We all live with heat & ac here in this country, we're the most pampered people on the planet and yet they get all crazy about how cold it is and say to only go out if necessary. You can be our grandparents had to walk to school in this weather!
ReplyDeleteWe saw a story the other night on the news and the reportor was complaining about how people hadn't cleared their sidewalks of the snow and the poor kids were having trouble walking through the 8 inches of snow to get to school. So the city issued a mandate that everyone had to clear their sidewalks so the kids could get to school (even though anyone living more than a mile away from school gets their asses bussed there anyways).
Its gonna be almost 50 here today, down right balmy!!!
ReplyDeleteHauling water in this freaking cold...you have my sincere empathy. Been there, done that. Me, my horses, and my goats now have an automatic stock waterer, best present my husband ever gave me. Seriuosly!!
ReplyDeleteMinus -40 to -50 with the windchill around here this morning. Lots of school buses not running today, unforunately for my kids, their bus was.
Faye S
Twenty-two below this morning in St. Paul and now about ten below mid-day. We have heated bird baths on both the front and back porch so what birds survive this temperature can at least get a drink. Mary in MN
ReplyDeleteCome to Vegas, where I actually turned on my car AC yesterday!
ReplyDeleteI hardly have time to leave a comment because I, too, am schlepping water back and forth to farm animals all day today! But bless your heart for taking the time yourself to write such fun to read posts that always make me smile.
ReplyDeleteANYWAY.
$25 for amazon.com sounds SWEET! So here's my comment... Thanks, Kristin, for all the fun posts!
*Arlo
I'm sorry it's so cold there! I'm glad it has finally warmed up here to being mid 40s after record weeks of snow!
ReplyDelete