Oh Grumpy me!

Why oh why will winter not go away? I am absolutely completely, totally fed up with the white stuff as well the cold! Woke up this morning to it snowing outside and the temperature has dropped back down in the low teens. Apparently, we are supposed to go to -17  tonight and snow all day. Guess winter will end sooner or later but would prefer sooner. What are the chances that in a couple of months you will hear me complaining about the heat? Do you think I complain too much? Enough about the weather.

I mentioned in my last post about the white chicken (Whitey) sitting on top of the post in the barn. Well now, she has everyone doing it and they have been spending the past couple of nights up there. Last night I went out to feed everyone I could not find the Whitey anywhere. I got out the ladder and climbed up on top of the hay bales, checked down in between each wall thinking that she might have fallen down there and then thought she must have gotten outside and might have become disorientated. Well to make a long story,  longer (hah and you thought I was going to say shorter), I checked all over outside doing my chicken call. The horses kept giving me that "she has finally lost it!, don't go near her look". Not fun trying to find a white chicken in all that snow, the temperature was starting to drop and I figured she was a goner. I came in the house sort of upset thinking about her being out to freeze to death. I thought I would give it one more look so went back out to the barn, and just stood there quietly hoping to hear her somewhere. I heard a small sound and looked up and there she was, on the very top of the truss. She could not have been higher. I really do not know how I missed seeing her as had been looking all over up there. Anyway, I climbed up the ladder and tried to coax her down but we are talking about Whitey here, she is such a goof. I had no choice but to leave her up there as would be too dangerous to try to grab her, as she is not a chicken you can pick up and if I would have pursued it she would have probably hurt herself by flying into a nail or something. She just about kills herself to get away from you. Anyway, it was -13 when I got up this morning so I went out early to do the feeding. She was sitting in the exact same spot but eventually after much teasing with some spaghetti she was able to find her way down. I guess I will not worry from now on if she gets up she should be able to get down, right?

Here are a couple of pictures of them all sitting on the post and one of the goof up in the rafters.

Have a fun day all. I know I am going to enjoy driving to Mayberry in all this fresh snow...

Friday Morning update

Good morning, everyone just thought I would do a quick update while I have some spare time. 

Team Blue River did not have such a good trip. The day my son came here to pick up hubby, he was hacking and coughing bad. He thought his lungs were irritated because he had been chewing something and it went down the wrong hole but by the time, they got to Blue River hubby was starting to feel a cold coming on and I was already starting to sniffle here. Well it has been just over two weeks and we are still hacking, although today is the first day that I feel like I am starting to have some energy again. It is a nasty little flu bug and I finally broke down and went to the doctors the other day as I thought a cold should not last that long. He checked the old ears, throat, chest and said " it is a just a cold my dear", so I guess I wasted a trip in for nothing. He said that this bug has been lasting people well over two weeks and just to drink plenty of fluids and some whiskey. Guess he was looking for a laugh, which I did give him, until a coughing fit started.... ha ha 

We are finally in the plus numbers today and it is +6 out there right now. Quite a difference compared to last week when we woke up to -36 one morning and -39 the next. Talk about a shock and let me tell you how many grumpy people there were over that one. We were dumped with ton of snow last week and now my trail is completely buried and cannot go for my walk every day. It is over my knees in some spots and being sick, I did not have the energy to try to wade through it. Poor dogs really miss the walk every day as well and Mojo gets so silly and tries to encourage me to follow her out in the deep snow. Will make it up to them once this crappy snow goes.

This morning I went out to the barn and cleaned the horse side out, put fresh straw down and emptied the water and filled it with nice fresh water. Took five buckets to fill and can hardly wait until we can put the big bucket back in there and fill with a hose instead of hauling by buckets. Still this year has been so much better having the barn to go in and get out of the wind and elements. I did not get the coop cleaned as it creates so much dust and did not want to get that in my lungs right now. I do have breathing masks but still it gets in there. 

I lost another chicken in that cold spell, I think it was my pet. The one that followed me around and loved me to pick her up. I guess they only live so long and am down to four now. The little white one makes me laugh every day. On warm days, I do not lock them in their coop so they have the run of half of the barn. I keep them out of the horse side simply because I do not want them to be stepped on by the horses. Anyway, Whitey as we call her loves to go up high and every night I would go out to lock them up and she would be sitting on top of the hay bales as pleased as punch with herself. It usually takes me about five minutes to get her down from there as it has been getting too cold at night to leave them out. Last night when I went out there, she was sitting on the top of the post and looked like she was settled in for the night. I left them out all night as it was going to be above zero all night so she probably spent the night up there.  

After I cleaned the barn, I brought the girls in and groomed them all. Poor Mystery is just shedding like crazy and took probably about 10 lbs of hair off her. When I was all done, she went, rolled, rolled in the snow, and seemed so much happier. Think it gets itchy with all that dead hair. I have to share this with you all. When I finished grooming her, I still had the brush in my hand and I lifted all four feet and brushed out the snow from her hooves!. Yes even the back feet!!! I was so happy. I could not catch this pony when we first brought her home and if she saw me with a halter, she would run from me. No one could lift her back feet without her kicking at him or her. Now she follows me around even when I have a halter in my hand, and seems to love the attention she gets. Sure, a different pony then when we first got her, she is finally starting to trust and even hubby can walk up to her now and pat her. 

Sammy has spring fever and wants out and picks his way across the ice on the deck, is out for ten minutes wants back in and then ten minutes later wants back out again. Finally, I ignored him and left him out for about a half hour now he is in his cave sound asleep. Guess he just needed a longer time out. 

Well I will sign off for now as have to run to the dump (big outing), then come home, and do the tank. I have been doing a 20 - 30% water change every couple of days to help with the ammonia and will be glad when it has finished cycling then will only have to do it once a week. The twenty gallon is finally at that stage now and it took probably about 8 weeks for that to happen. 

Chow for now.