Snow day
We got a couple inches of snow this morning and the high temperature was 15°F (-9°C).
I let the dogs out and they ran around and around and around like they'd never seen snow before. One dog likes it when I dump snow on her, the other hates it. I finally got them back in the house and started out with my chores.
I carried water out to the barn for the sheep, then set out some alfalfa and filled their food bowl (during the winter, we give them a mix of sheep kibble, beet pulp, crystallized molasses, oats and cracked corn). Then I filled the outdoor water buckets. I have to carry water in buckets from inside the house, since the cold makes the hoses and outdoor spigots useless.
By the time I was finished taking care of the mammals, it had stopped snowing, so I started shoveling the steps and the walkways. The sheep got curious and came over to watch. Then I started sprinkling salt on the sidewalk to prevent the snow from turning to ice. The sheep seemed to think I was doing this for their benefit and starting nibbling at the salt pellets. It shouldn't hurt them since we use just plain rock salt, but I tried to shoo them off anyway. But they kept coming back. I finally gave up and went back inside; my hands were freezing from handling the cold salt (I take off my gloves to avoid ruining them).
The current forecast still calls for sub-freezing weather through at least next Tuesday. There's a 50% chance on sleet and freezing rain on Thursday and small chance of more snow Saturday and again next Tuesday. So much for getting to golf any time soon.
I let the dogs out and they ran around and around and around like they'd never seen snow before. One dog likes it when I dump snow on her, the other hates it. I finally got them back in the house and started out with my chores.
I carried water out to the barn for the sheep, then set out some alfalfa and filled their food bowl (during the winter, we give them a mix of sheep kibble, beet pulp, crystallized molasses, oats and cracked corn). Then I filled the outdoor water buckets. I have to carry water in buckets from inside the house, since the cold makes the hoses and outdoor spigots useless.
By the time I was finished taking care of the mammals, it had stopped snowing, so I started shoveling the steps and the walkways. The sheep got curious and came over to watch. Then I started sprinkling salt on the sidewalk to prevent the snow from turning to ice. The sheep seemed to think I was doing this for their benefit and starting nibbling at the salt pellets. It shouldn't hurt them since we use just plain rock salt, but I tried to shoo them off anyway. But they kept coming back. I finally gave up and went back inside; my hands were freezing from handling the cold salt (I take off my gloves to avoid ruining them).
The current forecast still calls for sub-freezing weather through at least next Tuesday. There's a 50% chance on sleet and freezing rain on Thursday and small chance of more snow Saturday and again next Tuesday. So much for getting to golf any time soon.
