Appalachian Winter Approaches

A while back, I purchased this dandy ole timey pick ax for $4.94. As I walked through the thrift store, a man asked me, "Do you know how to use that thing?" I laughed and said, "Well, I live on a farm so yeah, I do know how to use it." On Friday past, said pick ax came in handy when the water in the horse trough froze during the 8 degree F above zero overnight weather. Of course, I went to the barn before learning about the frozen water so spent considerable time walking back and forth from barn to garage. (Yes, the pick ax is now housed at the barn...lol.) Eventually, brain cells thawed and kicked in and the Ranger was put to use, making the dogs very, very happy.

The de-icer should be working except the electricity isn't but Donald said he'd come by tomorrow to fix it and says he has the parts! In the photo above, if you peer closely, you can see the water spigot isn't flowing because it's frozen as well.

Back to the house to boil a kettle of water which was poured over the brass spigot and TaDa! the water began flowing immediately. Thank You, God!

Using the pick ax head, I heaved it up and down until the ice began breaking then cleared the middle all around the trough to allow the horses free access. Even so, by later afternoon, ice had formed again and the process repeated. And again, the next morning but by Saturday afternoon, it was thawed enough it could be plucked out by hand.

Yes, to hard work but yes, as to feeling alive as well! Wool socks and sweater, LLBean boots, scarf wrapped around my throat, warm gloves and Elmer Fudd hat meant I was warm as toast.

The same winter storm that brought the snow and ice also tore tarps off the farm truck, the air conditioner and the camper. The wind was fierce, bringing temps down to wind chills below zero.

This is the road I take when going to the grocery store and farm store. Fortunately, no one was following me so no one got upset when I was driving 15 miles per hour on the right side which is the north side and nothing but a sheet of ice.

By the time I returned home, the snow was already melting.

Saturday, after clearing the trough of ice, someone came to pick up hay and bought all the bales so I gave them one bale free. Rather like lagniappe, eh? lol This was the first time I'd double stacked the bales and felt rather proud of myself.

Many years ago, someone crocheted my farm name, Thistle Cove Farm, in white thread. I mentioned to Eddie, my helper, I'd love to have it put on a piece of old barn or fence wood. Eddie said, "I can do that" and this is the result...fabulous, isn't it?! I simply love it and Eddie said he appreciated the opportunity to "be creative". Hmmm. He may regret saying that; I've bent his ear rather well with tales of what I'd like to do next with farm buildings. Now, to find The Lord's Prayer which the same woman also crocheted for me; Eddie will frame that in old barn/fence wood as well.

Remember the blog books I've had printed each year? This one is 2015 and they all brings me so much pleasure. After Dave died, I started printing these books as a memorial and a visual journal of our lives on the farm. I've been blogging more than ten years and these books are a fabulous reminder of the best one third of my life.

Until tomorrow, Blog 2 Print has a 30% off deal where you can have your own blog printed. I chose to have each year, individually, printed in order to have a dated journal. If you'd like to have your blog printed, use GIFT as the code to receive 30% off. A tip...don't have your comments printed in order to save a ton of money. Not having my comments printed, meant fewer than 200 pages as opposed to about 450 pages and saved a lot of money.

The full moon is the 14th but the moon tonight looks like it's struggling to be full. Temps are supposed to be in the 40's, most of this week, with a 15 degree dip on Wednesday. Time enough to clean ashes from the wood stove, lay a fire and prepare for winter's next storm.

So, nothing much but farm and house work going on; it's all good. What's going on in your world?

Ponder this ~ "It's what you do when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it." ~ Oscar Wilde ~